iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Letterpress printed with polymer plates, using words in Travis’ handwriting, on cranes letters on a borrowed Heidelberg Windmill Letterpress. if you want your chance to participate you gotta sign up! buff.ly/ynbjKdZ

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

I am inspired to be as honest as I can manage with friends, to be open, to continue to grow. I’ve been thinking lately about how you don’t always know whose lives you touch, and I continue to meet and connect to people who knew him.

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Though there was also no card for response, I promoted recipients to write to an old friend and ask: how are you? Really? I’ve been thinking lately about how you don’t always know whose lives you touch, and I continue to meet and connect to people who knew him.

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

It was crushing to lose him, to learn what he might have been like in his last year, how little I knew. I printed this card and shared with friends and mourners at his memorial. I mailed it to anyone who asked. I keep it on a shelf still, nine years later.

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Only in his last weeks did he share his struggles with alcoholism directly. After he died, reading through the old texts, I found numerous references to drinking, wine bottles, and a new start. I felt foolish and stupid and wondered what had I missed or misunderstood in our friendship.

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

May we all stay in touch and lead many lives. A wish for a connected future. We were penpals for fifteen years, met up in different cities, shared books, talked about relationships and writing and plans.

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

KEEP WRITING no 78 September 2015 May we all... lead many lives. When Travis died, I knew I wanted to print something for him, something to share with friends at the memorial I would be attending in New York. I sifted through letters and zines and finally came upon this wish for our younger selves:

Handwriting printed on a blank white postcard. "May we all stay in touch & lead many lives."

The back of the postcard. It's got a heart, and is signed "Travis" at the top. The text reads: "Words from an old friend. This is Keep Writing number 78 September 2015. for Travis Fristoe - Prolific penpal with distinctive and difficult handwriting. Honest critic, sincere listener, dependable friend. Choices were made. The consequences are our loss. May the peace that eluded you in life be yours now. Next month we return to the usual format of exchange, but this month, write to an old friend and ask them: how are you? really? and then listen."Write: 3205 Filbert St Oakland CA 94608www.gutwrenchpress.com

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

Experimenting is the way to grow. Careful eyes may notice I finally started numbering the cards on the back, so when you respond to me, I know which card it is. Oof. Letterpress printed with polymer plates on cranes letters on a borrowed Heidelberg Windmill Letterpress.

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

I think this phrase can read like it is telling you to buck up! Don’t be sad! That’s not it though: be sad. When you are full of energy again, reach out, support your pals. I was loving the pink and brown combo and again, I liked the gradient background. I often try things a few ways.

The postcard, filled out. "To be of use... HAPPY is pretty much my default setting, but I know that's not true for everyone. To be of use I spend time with one who is mostly sad. I do what I can to cheer them up and they tell me a day with me always helps. I hope that's true."

The postcard, filled out. "When I get anxious I often cave. Then I eat good food + find things to feel good about + realize the bounty in my life. Or sometimes I chase strangers. I let the bad play itself out, exorcise the demons, + keep living."

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

KEEP WRITING no 77 August 2015 What keeps you going when you’re down I love this card but I think the wording was often misleading. You tell me: it is meant to say, you have to take care of yourself first. You can’t be depressed or sick and help others.

A postcard, two postcard lengths long. It is white, and the text is black and red. It reads - "July to August, summer vacation, sprinkled light and swimming, but the past 10 years I cry easily the whole month. I miss my friends. Something happened, something is still happening. Sadness, anger, anxiety, reasonable responses to the tragedies we remember in our bones. How do we prevent paralysis? I make these cards. I write to you. Your turn - How do you deal with difficult times? On the back of this card, tell me about the work you do that keeps you from the mire. Not your job, but how you keep going. Use words, pictures, or whatever you need. Then cut at the fold, stamp this card, and send it away. The other half is for you to keep." "Hope 3205 Filbert St Oakland CA 94608 USA" "Keep writing no. 77 August 2015 see archive of responses at www.keepwritingpostcards.tumblr.com."The bottom half of the double postcard has a beehive, both in large combs in the background in red, and a zoomed out picture of one on a table with bees approaching it in black. It says "It's hard to be useful + sad."

The back of the postcard. It has some of the beehive design from the front, and says "To be of use..."

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

Letterpress printed with polymer plates on French Paper on a borrowed Heidelberg Windmill Letterpress. if you want your chance to participate you gotta sign up! buff.ly/ynbjKdZ

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

For this card I also used an illustration from Sol Weiss and a quote from Walter Peyton, because we share a birthday (thank you 80’s newspaper for that information years ago). When I discovered that this former Chicago Bear’s nickname was “sweetness”, well, how could I resist?

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

Tucked into a lot not too far from my house in West Oakland was a small urban farm. They started in a garden just two blocks behind my house. I walked over on the weekends to buy produce and small bouquets of flowers. They also helped residents build raised planter boxes, way before the pandemic.

A handwritten response to the prompt. The person writing writes "Corte Madera, California" on the brown illustration.

The rest of the handwriting reads - "I don't feel like I live in a neighborhood because I am sort of living life on the road right now. When I'm not in travel/work mode I'm staying with my parents in their suburban home. I have known most of the people who live in this neighborhood for nearly twenty years. I enjoy watching each household evolve; the families grow up and we grow apart but we have + will always be part of each other's lives living along a golden hillside..."

Another prompt response, filled out in portrait this time. There are two round head illustrations of people looking at each other, one with a hat. The words read "People are learning to look one another in the eyes." The illustrations are saying "Hi", "hello: to each other. The rest of it reads "West Oakland 15. Mr. Blank Artfok 5. IAMURME. 7-20-15."

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

KEEP WRITING no 76 July 2015 The best thing in your neighborhood When I lived in Oakland, I struggled to find the kinds of friends and community I had in New Orleans. But sometimes I would find something sweet that reminded me of my favorite city.

A double length postcard, a yellowish shade, with brown and red ink.

The text on the top half reads: "One year ago, we moved to a lovely large house in a rowdy part of town. It's nice to have studio space at home, but the situation outside is rough, sometimes sad. Three blocks away, a few folks started a garden in a park. Now City Slicker Farms is an urban farm with chickens, a farm stand with a graduated payment scale, and part of a Saturday morning ritual for us, walking a few blocks around the neighborhood, buying greens and eggs, giving a extra dollar because we can. They help the people of West Oakland access fresh food through backyard gardens, the farm stand, and outreach. They are currently raising money to complete building a new center on the land they own. Check it out: www.cityslickerfarms.org.

Your turn!

Tell me about the best thing happening in your neighborhood.Using words or pictures, talk about what makes it so great, and where it is. Tear at the fold, and drop it in the mail. Responses from the East Bay will be in a map available August 1st as part of a tour of neighborhoods."

Hope lists their address - "Hope 3205 Filbert St. Oakland CA 94608 USA."

The lower half of the postcard has an illustration of a garden, with the quote "We are stronger together than we are alone.", credited to Walter "Sweetness" Peyton.

A brown design in the lower right, leaving space for people to write a response.

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 12/07/2025

I sure over inked the heck outta the text with oil based ink and maybe, going forward I will switch back to rubber because I am clearly not careful enough. Letterpress printed with polymer plates on French Paper on a borrowed Heidelberg Windmill Letterpress.

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 12/07/2025

Ok print nerds aside, a bit of wisdom from the great Joan Rivers. Sorry everyone, things are often hard. But you learn to handle it, how and when to fight, how to cope, when to let go. Like Kenny Rodgers (hey wait, is the Gambler about more than poker? Is it about life?)

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 12/07/2025

KEEP WRITING no 75 June 2015 YOU get better Why no question this month? Because sometimes I want a break. And I wanted to print a gradient like the background, something you can’t do on platen presses with an ink disk.

A grey and white patterned postcard, geometric, somewhat like snowflakes. There is blue text on the front that reads "I wish I could tell you that it gets better, but I can't because it doesn't. But YOU get better." The quote is attributed to Jean Rivers.

The back of a white postcard. The blue text reads - "With apologies to the 'it gets better' campaign. This is Keep Writing no. 75 June 2015. No prompt for a response because everyone could benefit from having a little less to do sometimes. Take a month to think about the balance of changing the outside world versus the change in you. Then send me all the postcards that are crowding your desk, your bag, your notebook and join me at EM Wolfman's in Oakland in July. Opening party dates TBA, plus letter writing parties and more. Time to renew your subscription? www.gutwrench.etsy.com. Mail: 3205 Filbert Street Oakland CA 94608."

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

A grain of inspiration, a few tools and tricks and here we are. I don’t see it at the time but writing these posts sure helps me reflect. I love a fill-in-the-blank too. Printed with polymer plates on French Paper using copper ink because why not, on a borrowed Heidelberg Windmill Letterpress.

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

In one of these classes, a teacher said: you are not a human being having a spiritual experience, you are a spiritual being having a human experience. And I took notes. And made a collage. Because that is how I roll. Literally. This is how all my prints get made.

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

This roundabout path allowed me to develop as a teacher with the support of teachers like Jenifer Meek, who taught me so much about inclusion and accessibility.

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

Bear Hebert wrote a great essay about whiteness and yoga you can easily find on their site. Yoga teacher training made me a better teacher. I didn’t feel confident enough in my skills as a teacher to ask to teach letterpress.

The same postcard as the original picture. This ti me the text is a copper and black color, and the postcard is grey.

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

KEEP WRITING no 74 May 2015 I am a________ having a__________ At this moment, I was in a yoga teacher training. I later quit teaching yoga because of the complicated ties with colonialism and cultural appropriation, and I wasn’t prepared to be go deeper into body and movement study.

A brown postcard, double length, with black and brown text. It reads "recently, a teacher said this to me, that we are not humans having spiritual experiences but the other way around. look, i know it's a bit woo-woo and i grew up catholic and still have my lingering doubts but this idea is amazing to me. we don't have to debate religion here but imagine for a minute that we are gobs of energy, love, electricity, whatever you want to call it, existing in this body for now. your turn: maybe this is too heavy for your afternoon mail or maybe you believe something else entirely. so tell me about it. on the other side of this card fill in the blanks. cut at the fold, stamp it and send it to me! soon!" The address listed is "Hope 3205 Filbert Street Oakland CA 94608 USA".

The back of the postcard in the previous picture. In redish brown text it reads "Not the other way around. This is Keep Writing number 74. A monthly postcard series that requests your participation. I send you this, you send something back. There are directions inside. And, though I usually tell you to take your time, send it back when you can - Get on it! Your responses will be shared in Oakland in July. Meanwhile, you can see them on th e internet: www.KeepWritingPostcards.tumblr.com. Or write me a letter:" And lists the same CA address from the first picture.

The back of the brown postcard. It says "I am a" and then leaves a blank to be filled in. The second line says "having a" with another blank.

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

Letterpress printed with polymer plates on French Paper with a borrowed Heidelberg Windmill Letterpress. If you want your chance to participate you gotta sign up! buff.ly/ynbjKdZ

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

Squeaky and I talked about how to make ice cream without refrigeration. Yes I will be catering the apocalypse. More experimenting with registration, and the most subtle background color as texture. All while thinking about how I will miss straws and bubble baths.

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

I assessed and cooked a giant pot of vegetables and sauce for pasta. I boiled eggs. For the following months, I cooked for friends, I cooked at the bike shop where we spent most of our days. I turned our canned goods and non-perishables into one-pot wonders.

The cityscape on the previous card, with little thought bubbles reading a variety of things - "A smile" "A book How to Survive" "Signing the last song" "A tam tam" "Sunflower seeds" "A good knife" "A cosmonaut costume".

A light skinned hand holds the cityscape bordered postcard. Inside is a drawing of a goat, piles of chopped wood, a small garden.

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

KEEP WRITING no 73 April 2015 What will you bring to the collapse of industrialized society? In 2005, in New Orleans, while awaiting Hurricane Katrina, I collected all there perishables our friends bought to the house we would share during the storm.

A white postcard with purple and black text. On the top of the postcard, the text reads "with the collapse of industrialized society, what will I miss? straws, bubble baths and ice cream. of course, these are just the silly small things, the things I could give up now if I wanted. what will I bring to the post-collapse survival? a one-pot meal repertoire. making do for dinner! Your Turn: what will you bring to the apocalypse? on the back of this card, write about and/or illustrate your skills for survival. no skills too small! tear or cut at the fold above, stamp it and drop it in the mail to me. and remember to start sending past postcards to be a part of the show in july!" Hope's address is listed as 3205 Filbert St Oakland CA 94608 USA.The bottom half of the postcard has a purple city scape with a sign in front of it that says "TEAR IT DOWN".

A black box on the white postcard, with a little cityscape along the bottom.

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 06/07/2025

Now they teach radical business owners about marketing and men+ how to dismantle the patriarchy . Letterpress printed with polymer plates on French Paper fuse green with a borrowed Heidelberg Windmill Letterpress. if you want your chance to participate you gotta sign up! buff.ly/ynbjKdZ

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 06/07/2025

Bear always gives good advice. They can break down problems into bite size bits that I can deal with. And they left encouraging notes. They left this one for me and I held onto it, turned it into a postcard that you could mail to a friend who needs encouragement. Because we all do sometimes!

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 06/07/2025

KEEP WRITING no 72 March 2015 Encourage a friend Another design I liked so much I redesigned it in 2023. When Bear and I briefly shared a lofted 1 bedroom apartment near LSU, I was very unsure about my decision to move to Baton Rouge to be a 31 year old undergrad.

A creme colored postcard with blue text that reads "timely words from a friend, a postscript on a note of thanks. everyone could use some encouraging words. not generic cheers or self-congratulatory bits to let us off the hook from the hard work, but a little something to loosen us from the muck of self-doubt. your turn. tear this card at the fold, stamp it, and on the other side, send yourself or someone you know some love. i will leave the address blank for you if you want to send it to them. if you like, send me a photo on instagram to share @gutwrenchhope (of course you can still mail it to me if you prefer)." "Send it to:"On the bottom of the postcard, a person in a newsboy cap holds a sign that says "You're doing a good job at life right now."

The person in the newsboy cap from the front, but they've been decorated with a fancy mustache, lipstick, lots of bright colors. They are holding a sign that reads "Fly your freak flag always! #BelieveInYou"

The person in the newsboy cap from the front, decorated with some extra bronze and black sparkling lines. Their sign reads "You are loved" with a heart.

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

It isn’t the only card with this call either because cops are still killing Black folks and still getting more and more money to militarize against citizens. Printed with polymer plates on a Heidelberg Windmill. if you want your chance to participate you gotta sign up! buff.ly/ynbjKdZ

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

I could hear the nightly helicopters over my neighborhood during protests; I lived near the on ramp to the Bay Bridge. The protests were inspiring but I rarely am one to get in the streets. This card is a call to other forms of protest, for demanding change, for supporting those in the streets.

The back of the postcard with the green trumpet, someone has printed tools over it in brown - a hammer, a pencil, a paintbrush, a pen nib. Below each are words in black - Build The Bridge, Draw Out the Steps, Embrace The Color, Rhyme The Truth.

The same trumpet, with a peace symbol by the mouth peace, and a heart by the opening. In black, the text reads "Racism sprints from the lie that certain human beings are less than fully human. It's a self-centered falsehood that corrupts our minds into believing we are right to treat others as we would not want to be treated."

The same postcard, decorated with black and white arrows, as well as the word "LOVE" written in colorful block letters. On the trumpet, under a row of multicolored hearts, black text reads "SILENCE IS CONSENT".

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

KEEP WRITING no. 71 February 2015 How will you contribute to the fight for racial equality? Six months after the murder of Michael Brown, I was living in Oakland. The immense tragedy, frustration, months of protests, and lack of accountability by cops had me feeling worn down.

A creme colored postcard with green and brown text. The top half reads - "every time i hear the names of unarmed citizens killed by police i feel sick to my stomach. too many names, too many lives ended because of unchecked power and unexamined fear. do you think this doesn't affect you? our complacency allows it to continue. your turn. marching in the streets isn't for everyone. on the back of this card, share ways you want to help dismantle racism in our culture. use images, words, whatever you need to express your ideas. then cut at the fold, stamp it and drop it in the mail." hope's address is listed under an icon of a handshake - "hope 3205 filbert st oakland ca 94608 usa". the lower half of the postcard has a quote above a bronze printed tumpet. "what others did was their responsibility, for which they would answer when the judgement trumpet sounded. But what I did was my responsibility, and i would have to answer too." - James Baldwin, "The Fire Next Time".

The back of the same postcard, in green text. "because reading james baldwin is only a start. this is keep writing number 71 february 2015 in honor of black history month and the struggle that continues today. the civil rights movement didn't end in the 60s, there are still plenty of folks still fighting for what is fair. let's talk: 3205 filbert street oakland ca 94608. www.gutwrenchpress.com"

The same trumpet from the front, but printed in green.

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

Printed with polymer plates and linoleum on Steel Grey French Paper. If you want your chance to participate you gotta sign up! buff.ly/ynbjKdZ

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

It is rare for me not to be DOING SOMETHING and so floating in the water is one way of slowing down. The water is cool quiets all the noise in my head. This card is maybe the start of an inconsistent tradition of not asking a question in January, giving us all a break.

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

Writing this now, in late summer 2024, I went swimming yesterday in the Columbia River. Cold and a bit too much vegetation for my liking (I hate the feeling that something is grabbing at my legs!), once I found a clear spot, I floated for 30 minutes? Longer?

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

KEEP WRITING no. 70 January 2015 Happy New Year I remember printing this one on the Universal 1 again but who can trust memory. Again, with the experimenting. Linocut image, big type, opaque white ink tinted with purple on dark paper. Subtle colors, a not so subtle reference to water.

A dark grey postcard, with all caps, sans serif font reading "IMMERSE" in black. The bottom half of the postcard has blue waves that are under the lower half of the word.

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 30/06/2025

Letterpress printed with polymer plates on French Paper Co madero beach with a borrowed Heidelberg Windmill Letterpress. If you want your chance to participate you gotta sign up! buff.ly/ynbjKdZ

The "MERRY MERRY" postcard, but now someone has drawn a Christmas tree in a silver pen with red ornaments. There is more silver handwriting that says "Decorating our vintage aluminum tree is one of my favorite traditions."

The same postcard says "Going on a light safari!" in a thick black pen. There are holiday lights drawn around the "MERRY MERRY" words, and little doodles of cars. A thin black pen writes "Happy holidays Hope!"

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 30/06/2025

KEEP WRITING no 69 December 2014 Share a holiday tradition Sometimes you just want to draw palm trees and holiday lights. I was trying out making holiday cards, something I didn’t enjoy. But I like them as Keep Writing cards.

A white double length postcard, with blue cursive type, and some red block lettering. It reads "growing up, we spent christmas eve at my grandpa's. we opened one present before going to bed and ate chocolate oranges for breakfast. now in my 30s without kids and far from my family, we have thanksgiving without turkey, but with all our friends at our place, christmas is still chocolate and oranges but also baking cookies and listening to the santaland diaries. traditions are important, and so is adapting. your turn: on the other side of this card, share your holiday traditions. however and whatever you celebrate. cut this card at the fold, stamp it, and drop it in the mail." the address is "hope 3205 filbert street oakland ca 94608 usa."The bottom half has two palm trees printed in teal, with strings of red lights between them. The words "MERRY MERRY" are printed white inside red rectangles above them.

The text on the back reads "here come the holidays. this is keep writing number 69 december 2014. just a few more holiday craft sales and it's silk nog and rum in bed for me. welcome new friends, hello old. check www.gutwrenchpress.com. for archives, news, stories, and more. but i do prefer a letter, write 3205 filbert st oakland ca 94608."

In the middle of a white postcard, the words "MERRY MERRY" are white letters printed inside individual teal rectangles.

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keep writing project @keepwritingproject.bsky.social · 28/06/2025

Before ANOTHER Supreme Court Justice was confirmed despite accusations of sexual harassment and assault. Have you watched Joe Biden’s questioning of Anita Hill? Letterpress printed with polymer plates on French paper grapesicle with a borrowed Heidelberg Windmill Letterpress.

On the back of the postcard, someone has written "ONGOING HISTORICAL EVENT" in a vibrant highlighter yellow, then under that, in red pen, "The 2,239,800 PEOPLE IN US STATE AND FEDERAL PRISON."

On the back of the postcard, black pen reads "Ohio State University lined up in formation shooting unarmed nonviolent protestors on campus. 4 dead in Ohio." There is a black and white photo of people lined up holding guns.

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