Two cover designs for my novel

Behold two designs by Trent Reker for my novel, Evertype. You can click on them to see more detail.

Please vote: which one gives you the greatest desire to start reading the story? 

A visit to Nashville Typewriter

On my way to Memphis, where I'll give a talk about Martin Heidegger's typewriter, I stopped by Nashville Typewriter—Kirk Jackson, proprietor. 

Kirk's shop is located at 119 Moncrief Ave. in Goodlettsville, Tennessee (greater Nashville). It includes several fascinating display rooms, a workshop, and storage space.

Joining us was local typewriter lover and photographer Bill Lund.

There's a story behind everything at Nashville Typewriter. Here are a few.

This Smith-Corona Skyriter was admired by Tom Hanks when he visited last year:

Here are just a few of the typewriters Kirk recently acquired in Louisville, Kentucky:

He also brought back some rare literature:

This style of Adler Universal was made infamous in "The Shining" ("All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy")"

Kirk's workspace:

Many colorful portables ready for sale:

Some of the rarer machines here are part of Kirk's personal collection:

Kirk stocks my book, which he displays along with an Adler Favorit that used to belong to me:

I wish I could have spent longer in this wonderland. Kirk is living my dream! Do stop by Nashville Typewriter yourself sometime.

The magnificent Royal KHM

I've been neglecting my blog recently. Too many other things going on, including preparation for a trip to Greece with a group of students, which will last all of June. Of course I will be on the lookout for γραφομηχανές.

Just to post something, here is an illustration of the Royal KHM, from the cover of an instruction manual. I just think it conveys the magnificence and gravitas of this great 1930s typewriter.

Lili Marlene, the dancing Olympia

 A delightful illustration by Marni Doidge on a recent letter.

Free thoughts

Take two pretty Underwood Champions from the 1930s, some colored cards ...

... a little ingenuity, and some guts. Mix and you get Free Thoughts — a pop-up project at Xavier University today. A colleague in the philosophy department and I sat outside the main classroom building and wrote reflections on any topics proposed by a steady stream of students and faculty.

I did much the same three years ago with another colleague. What a long three years it's been! Nobody had heard of Covid-19 then. Today, I wore a mask because I was recently exposed to the virus (later I tested negative).

Before we ventured out, we tried some typing in my office, picking prompts randomly from books. This was my favorite effort:

Here are some thoughts I typed for the public: 

(Should have been "bound for a destination unbounded"!)

And here are some of my friend's thoughts. (You'll notice duplicate themes. People offered a topic and we both wrote about it.)

We agreed: this was a great experience that we will repeat!

 

Writer Shed podcast interview

 It was a pleasure to speak with David W. Berner on his podcast, The Writer Shed.

Listen here, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Captive Remington

At the venerable Duttenhofer's, near the University of Cincinnati ...

... a lonely prisoner stares through the glass, hemmed in by volumes ...

... a Remington Rand Model 1 that probably hasn't been typed on for many decades.

Years ago, I offered to restore it to working condition for free, but my offer was promptly dismissed. What do you say? Should the Typewriter Liberation Front stage a raid and give this elegant machine a new chance to do what it's been longing to do?

 

Guest poem: To the Tyrants, by Frederic S. Durbin

(Read Shelley's "Ozymandias.")

Words do make a difference—as typewriter insurgents, we must believe this. 

What else has the typosphere been doing for Ukraine? See Kelye Kneeland's work here and Charlie Maguire's work here, here, and here.

Photo safari

I'll tell you right off the bat that this is merely a photo safari—no game was bagged and brought home. But maybe it will be interesting for you to see the typewriters that I spotted today at the Ohio Valley Antique Mall in Fairfield, Ohio. Would you have bought any of these machines, in this condition, at these prices?

The back panel of this Super is disconnected:

I couldn't find a price on this Silent-Secretarial:

The line lock on this KMM is stuck:

The last typewriter I saw was a good-looking one, but the backspace and platen ratchet aren't working properly: