Minnesota
Learn more about the book "Marcel's Letters" and the font P22 Marcel Script, which is based on the handwriting of conscripted WWII laborer Marcel Heuzé
Carolyn Porter, Marcel Heuzé, Marcel's Letters, Handwritten Letters, World War II, P22 Marcel, Typography, Love Story, Reunion, Daimler, Berlin, Marienfelde, STO, Forced Labor, Service du Travail Obligatoire, WWII
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Happy 98th Birthday, Louise!

Photo of Louise blowing out candles on her 98th Birthday cake

Last night I had the honor of attending Louise Dillery’s 98th birthday party. And it was indeed a party: she wore a tiara, received a pile of gifts, and the room sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to her first in English, then in French. Her three surviving children were there, including her daughter, Denise who lives in Las Vegas (shown in photo above), and she was surrounded by long-time friends and neighbors. There were also a handful of Louise’s former French students — people who graduated high school in the 1970s — who were inspired to become French teachers themselves. The woman I sat next to taught French for 27 years — all because of Louise.

The sentiment in the room was unanimous: we all love this amazing woman, and were so happy to be able to celebrate with her!

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Want to read an essay I wrote about Louise’s time in tuberculosis quarantine? Here’s a link.

“Please Write”: What a Delight

I recently had the pleasure of attending the launch party for Lynne Kolze’s new book, “Please Write: Finding Joy and Meaning in the Soulful Art of Handwritten Letters” (Beaver’s Pond Press, 2023). The book is a gem — and I’m not saying that because the book uses the font P22 Marcel Script (more on that later) or that Lynn had the best launch party swag (more on that later, too). 

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19 Months in Quarantine: Louise Dillery’s Tuberculosis Story

Photos from Louise Dillery’s private collection.

“I’m bored.” Louise spells out the word for emphasis as she laughs: “B–O–R–E–D.” The remark does not come across as a complaint, just a statement of fact.

Louise Dillery is 94 years old. She understands why she can’t have in-person visitors or go out and get her hair done. She doesn’t feel compelled to break the rules. She knows the stakes of COVID-19 and what it will take to get through this. This is, after all, not the first time she’s been forced to stay inside: nearly seven decades ago, Louise spent 19 months quarantined inside St. Paul’s Ancker Hospital.READ MORE

“What’s the name of your new dog?”

I’ve met with enough book clubs to anticipate the questions readers have about Marcel’s Letters: A Font and the Search for One Man’s Fate. One question that has come up time and time again is, “what’s the name of your new dog?”

A woman at a book club in Stillwater has been the only one to ask the harder question: “why didn’t you tell us his name?” The book included so much detail, she explained, the absence of his name seemed unusual. She didn’t believe it was an oversight. When I learned the woman was a judge, her question made more sense. She may often ponder motives behind people’s actions.

So, I thought it was time to tell you why I didn’t include Watson’s name in the book.READ MORE

December 17, 1943: “Seven more days of shopping until Xmas”

Four page handwritten letter, written December 17, 1943

Friday, December 17, 1943

Dear Maggie, 

There is still very little to write about and we’re all getting a little bit tired of this riding but guess we’ll make out all right. I won’t be able to mail this for some time yet but am writing anyway. Will send you a number of letters in one envelope as I did the last letter I sent. I’m going to try to send a wire soon so stand by. READ MORE

Marcel’s Letters is a Minnesota Book Award finalist

I was — I am! — humbled and honored to learn Marcel’s Letters is one of four finalists in the Memoir & Creative Nonfiction category of the Minnesota Book Awards. Finalists were chosen “by 27 judges from around the state—writers, teachers, librarians, booksellers, and others from the literary community.”

I am also honored to be a finalist with Amy Thielen for Give a Girl a Knife, Tom Rademacher for It Won’t Be Easy: An Exceedingly Honest (and Slightly Unprofessional) Love Letter to Teaching, and Linda LeGarde Grover for Onigamiising: Seasons of an Ojibwe Year.

Read the official announcement here.

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Update April 21, 2018: Huge congratulations to Linda LeGarde Grover for her win for Onigamiising: Seasons of an Ojibwe Year!

The Bored Saleswoman

A couple of weeks ago, I received a message from a Stillwater shop owner named Michelle. A friend of hers told her about Marcel’s Letters. Her friend believed I must have purchased the letters in Michelle’s Main Street store. The confusion was understandable; Michelle took over the lease of Belle Époque, the store where I bought the letters just months after I purchased them. Michelle’s store, Rose Mille, occupied the space for the following ten years.

Despite the disappointing news I did not buy the letters in Michelle’s store, as we messaged back and forth she wondered if there still might be a connection:READ MORE

“New Font Tells a Story”: Profile by KMSP-TV

I received a phone call on Wednesday, Nov. 29. On the other end of the phone was KMSP-TV reporter Rob Olson, wondering if I would be willing to film a segment later that day. He had just seen a press release from UW-Stout, and wanted to learn more about my font and the book. I had a client call scheduled for mid-afternoon, so I wasn’t able to film that day. But, we agreed to film the next morning. Good news for me: That gave me an extra day to fret about being on camera!

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