The Typewriter Revolution in Auburn, CA, Oct. 27

I have several big events coming up. Next weekend is Herman Price's yearly Chestnut Ridge Typewriter Rendezvous in West Virginia. On October 27, I'll be in Auburn, California. And on November 3 there's a type-in at On Paper in Columbus, Ohio.

The Auburn event is happening at the Auburn State Theater, 985 Lincoln Way in Auburn (near Sacramento). It's the brainchild of Gary Moffat, who welcomes questions at gm50wpm@gmail.com—I guess he types 50 words per minute!

Starting at 4 pm, there will be an exhibit of over 50 vintage typewriters. You can try many of them, and possibly win one by participating in a typing test and a 10-word story contest. A few will be for sale.

At 6 pm, I'll be interviewed by Gary and local TV news anchor Edie Lambert.

The typosphere's favorite cult film, California Typewriter, follows at 7.

Tickets can be purchased here for $25.

Watch this brief video for Gary Moffat's personal invitation to the event:



And here is the Facebook page for the event.

I hope to meet some of my readers there!

Cincinnati type-in & film report

Try your hand(s) at the typing competition. Can you beat Leigh's 14.2 net wpm?


The sounds of typing:

A typist's thoughts:



Then it was time for the movie:






The movie was a hit—everyone laughed, oohed and ahhed, and made the sounds you make when you recognize truths. Afterwards, there was an interesting discussion and we heard an excellent poem from one of WordPlay's young writers about the power of the pen.

The Super-G raised $100 for WordPlay. (You can donate too.)

What a great day!

PS: I really should have subtracted 5 wpm per error before dividing by minutes. The method used for this competition was really punitive!

PPS: Libby Hunter of WordPlay announced that over 5 years, my typewriter efforts have raised $30,000 for them. How about that!

Cincinnati type-in and film on November 5

There will be a silent auction for a Smith-Corona Super-G, with proceeds benefiting WordPlay. Starting at the type-in, continuing in the theater lobby. Winner will be announced before the film.

“California Typewriter" event in Chicago 9/30

"California Typewriter" opens at Chicago's Music Box Theatre on Friday, Sept. 29. I'll be there on September 30 for the 4:15 show along with collector Martin Howard, poet Eric Plattner, and repairman Arthur Wagner. I'll have books to sign before and after the show, and you can win a Brother donated by Eric.

Be there, City of the Big Shoulders and Strong Fingers!

Hey Cleveland! This Friday! Be there!

Breaking news for typists in the Cleveland, Ohio area:

"California Typewriter" opens this Friday, September 22, at the Cedar Lee Theater at 2163 Lee Road in Cleveland Heights.

After the 7:15 show, I'll be there to take questions along with Clevelanders Will and Dave Davis. Will is the creator of an amazing set of typewriter websites that has been very influential in opening people's eyes to modern portables and other machines. He and his brother Dave are the authors of the blog Davis Typewriter Works, and Will recently started the blog On the Margin, about rebuilt typewriters.

I'll have signed copies of my book, The Typewriter Revolution, available at a good price.

I'm also bringing this Smith-Corona Silent-Super from my own collection. The theater is sponsoring a free sweepstakes with this machine as the prize. It will come with a typed, signed copy of The Typewriter Manifesto, and it has a very unusual Yes/No type slug. Enter the sweepstakes here by September 28. You will need to pick up the typewriter in Cleveland, of course.

And I'll be in Chicago the following weekend — more details on that event as they become available.

Berkeley, CA type-in on September 26

There's a type-in coming up at the real California Typewriter, in conjunction with the theatrical release of the film! Be there if you can, and please spread the word.

“California Typewriter" opens across the US

I've just been authorized to post the following list of theater locations for the film "California Typewriter." In case you don't know, this brilliant documentary centers on a Berkeley typewriter shop and involves artists, collectors, poets, writers, and others who love typewriters today. My Typewriter Manifesto is featured in the film (see above) and I play a modest role. Some type-ins or other events may take place in association with some of these showings. Support 21st-century typewriting and see this film in a theater if you can!

Free tickets to “California Typewriter": #itypebecause

California Typewriter is opening on August 18 at the Metrograph in New York City (7 Ludlow St.), and on August 25 at the Arena Cinema in Los Angeles (6464 Sunset Blvd.).

I can't attend myself, but the promoters of the film tell me that they can offer a pair of tickets to one of my followers, either for the NY opening or for the LA opening. So I have come up with a contest:

Why do you type? (On a typewriter, that is?) Your one-sentence, typewritten answer to this question, starting with "I type because," could win you a pair of tickets to the film. Photograph or scan your sentence and e-mail it to me at polt@xavier.edu, or post it on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #itypebecause. (I will also Google the hashtag—which is currently unknown—so I can probably find other postings elsewhere.) Do this by the end of the day on Saturday, August 12. Then watch your e-mail or comments to find out whether you're the winner! I'm sure there will be more than one good answer, and I will post them all on this blog.

New “California Typewriter" poster

Here's the new poster for "California Typewriter."



Eye-catching, no doubt. The website also has a new look:



The film will be showing in some theaters next month (such as the Metrograph in New York) and is available now for pre-order on iTunes.

The Typewriter Manifesto is featured in "California Typewriter"

When I first posted The Typewriter Insurgency Manifesto on May 2, 2012, I knew that it was meaningful. I didn't know that it would turn into a book and be featured in a film. But here we are.

Typewriter weekend

Scott's podcast, Type O +VE



The contest copy, devised by Ian Brumfield. It's not every typing contest that includes the word Luftschiffbau.



My rather pathetic entry in the contest: 36.6 wpm after deductions for errors.



It was still enough for me to win this ashtray!



Ian amuses himself describing the explosion of a giant gasbag ...



... with his Speed King:



And this is me gaping at Ian's machine (photo via Amy Friskney on Facebook):




Here's Kim Brumfield's cursive Hermes 3000 with deluxe case (chrome trim and cloth interior):



More scenes from a happy afternoon:




In other news, I'm thrilled that this new film by Doug Nichol is finally coming out! I am included in it along with many other typewriter lovers, some famous. This is going to be a must-see for anyone interested in the death and life of the writing machine.