Postcardist

There is no real ending. It's just the place where you stop the story. The Postcardist Podcast: February 2, 2018 to February 23, 2023 This is where we stop the story.

I talked with Melissa Reed about postcards, letter writing, and how she has accumulated 12,000 postcards at her house in Italy. And she wants to send them to people.

Maggie and I talk about her prolific set of postcard designs at Travel Trinkets Canada. We, of course, also talk about Albert Pickle the 3rd, her very handsome Basset Hound, who is featured in a recent collection. You can find Travel Trinkets Canada on Etsy by clicking here. And you can find Magda's work on Instagram here. And as a bonus, you can see what I was saying about Albert dancing to the beat of his own drum by clicking here.

This is a show about nothing. But I spend 53 minutes talking about it.

What's the worst postcard you ever got? And can you top the story Nina tells about hers? In this episode I'm joined by Nina Lakusta, the proprietor of the postcard and ephemera store LakuStash. We talk about her postcard designs, driving lessons, illustration, and yes, the world's worst postcard. You can find Nina on Instagram at LakuStash, and on Etsy at, where else, LakuStash.

I ordered two sets of Accidentally Wes Anderson: The Postcards in July. And then I kept looking at looking at the AWA Instagram site, anticipating the U.S. release of those cards on October 11. Yes, I knew the date. This was exciting stuff. Guess what? As soon as I saw the postcards I knew I needed two more sets because I used this hashtag when I sent the first ones: #onetosendonetokeep. Yep, for every one I sent I knew I had to keep one. They're that cool. Other people are doing the same. Which brings me to something cool: While the launch was going on, Wally Koval, the author of the NYT Bestselling book Accidentally Wes Anderson, took time out of his day to have a chat about the book, the postcards, and how AWA has cultivated a very engaged and creative community.

Every postcard has a story. That's what writer and historian Kenneth J. Weiss says about his postcard collection. In this episode, Ken tells us about his Midrust Postcard Project and tells stories about several cards he has. And we talk about baseball cards. You can find Ken's writing and work at KennethJWeiss.com. And on Instagram at kennethjweiss.

In which I talk about World Postcard Day 2022; question why I have so many blank postcards; and an idea I have about being Johnny Tomatoseed.

Stamps. And postcards. And connections. Thats's what Ale the Philatelist and I talked about on this show. Ale collects stamps. You'll have to hear her story about building an art installation using blue stamps she sourced from people she connected with around the world. She also collects postcards. And makes friends. This is a show about community. And about how postcards (and stamps) connect people. You can find Ale on Instagram at Ale the Philatelist.

The work that Marti Mills and Sylvanus Paul are doing with Santa Fe Sticker Fest is really interesting. And there's a postcard link. Do you add stickers to your postcards? After this thought-provoking show, you will. You can find Santa Fe Sticker Fest on Instagram here. And you can find the website here. If you submit stickers, don't forget to add your return address. You'll hear back from them with a cool postcard. Marti's sticker designs can be found on Redbubble. And her shirt and merchandise can be found at Chocolate for Breakfast on Bonfire. You can find Sylvanus Paul on Instagram at Letterdoggy. More information at ThePostcardist.com

What are the odds anyone is going to read an email 50 years from that you wrote about a trip you took this year? But what if you wrote details in letters and postcards? The odds go up considerably. Ana Padovani, the writer of Cartas y Postales is doing just that: looking at a series of letters and postcards from 50 years ago. And she's making the story come to life on her blog. In this show, we talk about that series, Ana's writing, and the price of postage in Argentina. Oh, and there's an extra guest you'll just have to listen to find out who.

When a set of postcards started arriving at my house over the course of a week from Atelier Jean d'Eaux, I knew I was in for a mystery. The artist gained notice initially for sending sets of cards cut from record albums to chefs in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. That set off a series of articles by a food writer in Milwaukee to suss out why the cards were sent. Now I have a set. And I set out to discern what they mean. I'm joined in this episode by journalist and novelist, Ana Clara Padovani, who helps me unravel some of the clues that came with the set of six postcards from Atelier Jean d'Eaux. We play amateur sleuths and professional journalists. Do we answer all the questions? You can read an article, listen to this podcast, and watch a video to find out. Let's go. Let's play detective.

What can we learn from postcards? In this episode, I grabbed 10 random postcards from my incoming stack and decided to see what I could learn if I looked at them closely and was curious enough to discover more. Documentation of this show, including photos of the postcards I discuss and a full transcript, can be found at ThePostcardist.com website.

Imagine your Grade 4 social studies teacher comes into class one day with a question: What if we tried to get postcards from all over the world? And then she did. That's what teacher Stephanie Nadeau did at her Labrador Straits Academy in L'Anse au Loup, which is on the southern tip of Labrador, Canada. Ms. Nadeau, as he students call her, set out a social media post in November 2021 that got it going. In this episode, I chat with Stephanie about how the project started, what additional goals she has for the project, and the excitement the students have with learning about the world. Photos and more links can be found at ThePostcardist.com

Orla created Imbolc postcards and is setting them out to catch Brigid's magic dew on the night of January 31 -- Imbolc Eve. Lucky are we who might benefit from a bit of this fairy dust in the form of a postcard. In this episode of The Postcardist Podcast, Orla Hegarty and I talk about Imbolc; making postcards to honor the holiday; cognitive awe as we look out over the ocean; the mesmerizing qualities of humpback whales Orla sees from her living room window; giant potatoes and Irish immigration in Prince Edward Island; iron-on patches in school uniforms; and how Orla helped a small class of students in Labrador gets a large number of postcards from around the word. Postcards connect people -- and knowing smart people like Orla helps us connect to the world around us. Details and photos and videos can be found at ThePostcardist.com Music in this episode: The Banshee. Gravel Walks. The Old Copperplate by Sláinte is licensed under a Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

How often do you like to get mail? Or send mail? Links to show notes at ThePostcardist.com

A show about why color postcards are predominant and sell more than black-and-white postcards. Some people have strong opinions about this topic. Show transcript and visuals available on thepostcardist.com

Getting a postcard in my mailbox that's not mangled is remarkable. Postcards get damaged in the mail. A lot. In fact, it's a surprise when I get a card that's unmarred. I've noticed the same reaction with others in the postcard community, who write with delight about receiving the rare undamaged card with words like, "This looks like it was hand delivered." Sadly, undamaged postcards are few and far between. Which led me to The Great Postcard Quality Project and this look at mangled mail. You can find the complete writeup at ThePostcardist.com. It includes lots of photos of the damage. Other links in this show include: Grading collectible postcards DNA from 100-year-old postcards Pokemon Go Postcard Book Postcards from places I'd like to go

Artists gather inspiration from many places. When you're a prolific postcard designer like Magda Wojcicka of Travel Trinkets Canada, that inspiration can come from playtime with her adorable Basset Hound puppy, Albert; from seeing the Aurora Borealis in the night sky in her town of Calgary; and by having coffee with her best friend who just walked 5km in -40C and had ice-frosted eyelashes. In this episode, we talk about those inspirations, and much more. This is the last episode for 2021, and I wish you joy as we head into the New Year. Travel Trinkets Canada Magda's Stamp and Away IG account Albert the Hound on IG