Several months ago, a friend of mine sent me an email about a very intriguing project she was undertaking.  An avid reader and postcard collector, Anita was about to launch a website that not only promoted books, but provided the visitors with a glimpse at another side of published authors.

Authors sent Anita a postcard of their choosing and included a brief note about whatever they felt would allow people to see a bit of their personality. Anita then published the postcard.  Every submission was accompanied by a short blurb about the author including their recent or upcoming work and where to find it.  Suffice it to say, there has been much clicking of links to personal websites, IG feeds, and Amazon to fill my wishlist with the titles of these talented authors.

As someone who appreciates the written word and visual imagery equally, this website is a real treat. The postcards are just as fascinating as the person who jots down notes on the other side. Landscapes, photographs, and print reproductions dot the website.  It’s easy to see that each postcard has been as carefully selected as the words on the reverse.   The handwriting on each card, whether it’s looping curlicues of script or short quick strokes of printed letters, tell a story in and of themselves.  Each author pulls the curtain back just a bit, revealing a sliver of themselves in the words they choose and the ink that colors the page.

Since its debut in December of 2017, 10 authors and their postcards have been featured ranging from children’s literature, fiction, and non-fiction. When you have a minute, take a peek at Postcards and Authors. In the words of author Jamie Ford, whose postcard of The Crim Dell at the College of William and Mary had me waxing nostalgic for my undergraduate days, “Actual paper with actual ink! Yay for human connectivity.”  Yay, indeed.

featured image courtesy of Collective Vision

Also published on Medium.