Next time you’re in an antique store, look for the box of old photos. Trust me, there is almost always a shoebox of photos sitting in some forgotten corner, filled with miniature black-and-white glossy prints stripped from the pages of a photo album.
One of the amazing people I’ve met along this journey is Louise Dillery. Readers of the book will get to know how amazing she is, too. She translated some of Marcel’s letters, and has turned into a dear friend. Louise is nearly 90 years old, but you would never know it — she’s sharp as a tack, and loves to talk about thoroughly modern things like eyebrow tattoos, Beyoncé and the allure of ‘bad boys.’
Something wonderful happened today: a thick stack of letters written by my grandfather, John Emery Porter (he went by Emery), were given to my dad. My dad had never seen these letters before; he didn’t even know they existed. The letters had been written between 1917 and 1919, and were written by Emery to his sister, Lois. Lois’ grandson gave them to my dad.
Last week, a historian from the National World War II Museum flew to Minnesota to record the testimony of my uncle, Allen Porter. He was part of the 303rd Engineering Battalion of the 78th Infantry Division and fought across France and Germany in 1944-1945.
Recently I finished reading the book Paper Love by Sarah Wildman. Over the last few years, I’ve read more books on World War II than I can count, and I have to say, this was one of the best.
Yesterday, I attended an eight-hour class at the LOFT Literary Center in Minneapolis. The topic was style and grammar in non-fiction and it was taught by the phenomenal Jill Swenson; her energy and enthusiasm were contagious.
When I buy a piece of handwritten ephemera, it’s because something caught my eye: a decorative swirl, a unique number, an unusual color ink. Other times, it is because one individual letter is so spectacularly beautiful, buying it is like acquiring a work of art.
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As you may know, I collect handwritten ephemera: letters, cards, invitations, etc. I bought this pocket-size diary from 1881, thinking the writing might be a good reference source for a font […someday!]. I looked to see what the entry was for the 4th of July, hoping it would mention a parade or fireworks or a summertime luxury such as a drink with ice. It turns out the entry from July 2 is more interesting because it captures the day’s disastrous news: “President Garfield shot by an assassin twice at Depot in Washington. He got very near death…”
I collect old cards and letters the way others might collect shoes or recipes. And speaking of recipes, this card — which has a charming photo of White Bear Lake on the front — has a funny (and urgent!) message on the back:
A few months back, the Director of the School of Art & Design at UW-Stout in collaboration with the AIGA student board, asked me to give a presentation on my design career. I was happy to oblige. Part of the presentation was on graphic design work, but I also talked about the development of the font P22 Marcel. I was thrilled that my Letterform instructor, Bill DeHoff — the person who first introduced me to the beautiful art of typography — attended the presentation.
I’ve come across delightful phrases in French. Have you studied French? If so, are there any favorites you’d like to add to the list?
French phrase: Les carottes sont cuites
Literal translation: The carrots are cooked
Meaning: The outcome of the situation cannot be changed
Last week, I had the pleasure of having coffee with White Bear Lake author David LaRochelle. He primarily writes children’s books, so our genres couldn’t be more different. But he has a 20+ year career as an author, and I had questions only an industry veteran would be able to answer.