Postcardist

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

In which I talk about a cancellation that drove me crazy; and ask why so many postcards I send and receive have scuff marks; and then I ask for some audience partici......PATION.

Have you ever read a vintage love letter and wondered about the story? Liz Maguire certainly did. And from her first acquisition as a teenager of a set of vintage love letters from a flea market, Liz converted her love of letter writing and history into curation of a huge collection at Flea Market Love Letters. In addition to the collection and transcription of her collection, Liz also uses letter writing to raise funds for charities. In this show, Liz tells us about her collection that...

There are positive ripples that can get sent into the universe -- and that's what Rachel Wentworth, the steward of the Little Free Mailbox, is doing as she sets out stamped postcards and letters for passersby to take for free. Here's her story about opening the Little Free Mailbox on World Postcard Day and how it's gone so far. This one brings a lot of joy to our postcard community; and it once again shows us that postcards connect people. You can find the Little Free Mailbox on...

Jamo and I talked about Bigfoot. We went outside and looked for Bigfoot clues. Talked about Bigfoot sightings. And then Jamo created watercolor postcards of Biggie. The World's Largest Bigfoot Postcard Collection just got bigger. So did my pride. Get photos and more of the story on The Postcardist

This week I'm joined by the dynamic and multitalented writer, world traveler, and media sensation Nicole Banister, who many know as Nikki Banz. She joined me from her home in Cape Town, South Africa, and we had a far-ranging talk about postcards and long-time penpals and many, many, other topics. You can find Nicole at these places (and watch for her documentary -- I have a sense when she has ideas she makes them come true) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theycallmebanz/ NIKKI...

"I was thinking about how you say postcards connect people. So does music." -- Teresa Edmunds In this episode I'm joined by Teresa Edmunds. We talk about music. About postcard playlists and mixtapes. And how we can use music as a universal language as we write postcards. Go to thepostcardist.com for links and photos from the show.

Ana Clara Padovani (IG: postalesycartas) joined me from Argentina for a chat from about postcards, pen pals, books, music...and football. This show is a classic case of "postcards connect people." Listen to find out how we connected.

I'm joined by Dr. Justin Kreuter, who's known around Mayo Clinic as the Bow Tie Bandit of Blood. His day job includes: He's also and avid postcard and letter writer. Artist. Musician. And podcaster. In this wide-ranging chat, we cover a lot of ground, all with a focus on how postcards connect people. You can find Justin at these places: Instagram: @kreutermd YouTube Bow Tie Bandit of Blood Podcast Twitter And here's a link to an article about the need for blood donations and how...

In which I talk about postcards (and many other things) for 36 minutes, 26 seconds, and 121 milliseconds. Plus there's some music as an intro and outro.

In which I talk about Johnny Astro, growing up on the same street where Ray Bradbury grew up, and why I collect space postcards.

In which I talk about polymer physics, design of experiments, rheology, digital calipers, coefficient of friction, bending deflection, stiffness...and so many postcards get marred in the mail.