May 11, 2016
“I hope that dreadful war will end soon…”
I presume this postcard was written by a Dutch laborer; clues include the date, the censor marks, the fact she was in Berlin. READ MORE
May 5, 2016
Holocaust Remembrance Day
Earlier this year, my 91-year-old uncle, Allen Porter, was invited to be part of a panel of veterans at a WWII lecture at Fort Snelling. The topic was the liberation of the concentration camps. READ MORE
April 23, 2016
First official “in the wild” sighting of Marcel!
I will begin with an apology. I did not intend to walk into the bookstore and blurt out the words, “Holy shit!”READ MORE
April 6, 2016
“…stay brave, that’s what helps us to go on living.”
It might seem strange to say, but since finding Marcel’s letters, it feels as though other letters have found me.READ MORE
April 1, 2016
Berchères-la-Maingot, 1906/1907
I’ve seen several old, photo postcards of Berchères-la-Maingot, the village where Marcel’s wife and daughters lived during World War II. Some images show bucolic rural settings, others show the harsh reality of hard-working farm and country folk scratching a living out of the earth. READ MORE
March 26, 2016
Smells and Sounds in Literature
Yesterday, I took a class at the Loft Literary Center taught by the powerhouse writer/instructor Mary Carroll Moore. Mary packed the day with ideas and information on honing craft skills. READ MORE
March 16, 2016
The story behind the ampersand
Recently, someone asked a great question about the font ‘Marcel Script.’ They wondered if Marcel’s original handwritten letters included all of the individual letterforms I needed to create a basic character set.READ MORE
March 13, 2016
Thank you AIA-MN!
Last weekend, I had the honor of being one of six presenters at the 28th annual Lake Superior Design Retreat sponsored by AIA-Minnesota. READ MORE
February 5, 2016
J. Giraud Fils Perfume Labels: Beauty for Eyes and the Nose
As a lover of all things related to old typography, I have to ask: How could I not have known about Jean Giraud Fils before now?!
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February 2, 2016
Thank you, authors
During the last couple of weeks, I’ve been double-checking sources cited in the manuscript. READ MORE
January 15, 2016
Words of wisdom from a 94-year-old veteran
Last evening, I attended one of the Dr. Harold Deutsch World War II History Roundtable events at Fort Snelling. READ MORE
December 25, 2015
Soldier’s letter, Christmas 1944
December 25, 1944
France
No. 42
My darling wife,
It is Xmas day, and as far as the Army is concerned everything has been done possible to make it pleasantREAD MORE