When you connect with people through postcards, you never know where that will lead. I didn’t know it would lead to me learning new slang terms from New Zealand at three o’clock in the morning. But that’s what happened with my guest, Samantha Cook, who is also known by her IG handle Princess in a Teapot. We also talked about postcards and Postcrossing and the price of sending mail. And fudge.
I chatted with Ed Pocheff from his home in Speedway, Indiana — home of the Indianapolis 500. Ed designs postcards and really knows how to tell a story. You can find him as @edpopcheff on Instagram.
Did you know trick-or-treating wasn’t popularized until the late 1950s? Or that Halloween was a day of romance in the early 1900s? Or that cabbages featured prominently on Halloween postcards in the early 20th Century? That’s what this episode is about — a brief history of Halloween postcards.
Mary L. Martin owns the world’s largest postcard shop. And just just recently wrote (with Q. David Bowers) A Guide Book of Collectible Postcards. We talk about the process that led to the writing and publication of the book, and then talk about the postcard collecting business in general. You can find Mary’s book along with millions of collectible postcards at marylmartin.com.
I wrote up my initial thoughts about the book here. (Hint: I really like it.)
I’m joined again by postcard enthusiast and sticker aficionado, Jim Lynch.
Long-time listeners of the show will recognize Jim from episode 60, where we talked about his extensive foray into the postcard world. In this episode, we expand on that topic…here’s a list of what you’’ll here us discuss in this eclectic episode:
You can find Jim on Instagram @jlynch9923
It’s not every day that we get to hear Navajo being spoken and I’m honored to have been joined by Navajo Nation writer and postcard creator Sylvanus Paul. We talk about how Sylvanus got started with with writing letters and postcards; why he named his Instagram account Letterdoggy; how he writes meaningful messages on his postcards; and how his stand up comedy influences the jokes he sometimes writes on postcards.
October 1, 2020 is World Postcard Day. I asked Postcrossers to leave voice messages about what they’ll be doing to celebrate. And 20 people answered the call from around the world — from New Zealand, India, Philippines, Greece, Ireland, England, Canada and the United States. This is what they said.
Special thanks to Ana from Postcrossing for adding what they’re doing at HQ on such a special day. #postcardrevolution2020
Here’s who was on the show:
Samantha of Princess in a Teapot
Magda of Travel Trinkets Canada
Wendy of Art Prevails
Bhumika Israni of Bhumika Snailmail
Anushka Sawarkar of Anushka’s Postcards
Harshikha of Harshi’s Postcards
Postcards connect people. And this show is, once again, about another connection. I connected with Orla Hegarty over the past couple of years because of this show and because of postcards. Orla is a dedicated postcard creator and writer, a mathematician, a traveler, and a postmaster for Canada Post in her town of St. Vincent’s, Newfoundland.
In this episode, Orla and I talk about postcards. And mushrooms (the edible kind, silly); Burning Man (where I suppose there are other kinds of mushrooms, too); The Salt Path; Punxsutawney Phil and Wiarton Willie; Newfoundland boil ups; Newfie tacos (I really gotta have one now that Orla told me about them); Feminism; stamps; Postcrossing, and the special cancellation Orla does from her post office.
Thats’s the thing about postcard connections. It’s a lot more than a piece of paper with a nice design and a note on the back. What I like about the connections is that I am on a journey of continuous learning — about people and cultures and faraway places. That’s what this episode delivers — it’s another opportunity to learn about the world from someone who communicates with great storytelling. Plus, name me another show where you can learn about Newfie tacos and Burning Man postcards in the same show. This might be the only one.
As with most conversations, there is just a jumping off point. Let’s start this episode of The Postcardist Podcast chatting about…
Determining if mushrooms are edible
Punxsutawney Phil and Wiarton Willie
Covid…can we produce a show now where we don’t talk about covid?
Feminism stamps
Invisible Women by Carolina Criado Perez
Special cancellation for St. Vincent’s, Newfoundland
Marcophily (collection of cancellation stamps)
And that, my friends, is another episode of the show. Thanks so much to Orla Hegarty for the stories and for all the ideas we were able to cover…just because postcards connect people, and we end up finding out we have lots to share and lots to learn from each other.
If you haven’t sent away for a special cancellation from St. Vincent’s, Newfoundland, I would do that. Here’s an example:
And as you’ve heard me say, if you want to be on the show — or know someone you think I should talk to — please send me a note at postcardist@gmail.com or direct message me on Instagram.
Coming up soon, I’ll be chatting with Mary Martin about her new book, A Guide Book of Collectible Postcards, that just published yesterday. And I have Sylvanus Paul of LetterDoggy coming up…you won’t wanna miss that show; you’ll hear something I’m gonna guess you’ve never heard before. And I have several more shows in development.
Speaking of development, you heard this episode number…89…which means I’m 11 shows away from the magic number of 100. I’m putting together a retrospective for that episode…but I’d love to hear from you about what you’d like to hear. And I’m wondering if you’d be willing to do a little snippet of a recording for me. I’d love to create an audio collage that answers this question: How have postcards created connections for you? If you’re interested in recording a one-minute snippet for me, you can call this number and leave me a voicemail…it’s +1 (215) 501-7826.
Okay…thanks for taking time out of your day to listen to the show. I know you’ll keep writing postcards….and I’ll look forwarding to seeing you back here new week with a new episode of The Postcardist Podcast.
I want to spend some time in your wheat field. You’re welcome to my roost. Finally alone.
On one level, Romance postcards from 1907 to 1913 seem innocent enough. On another level, they’re purposeful double entendres intended to convey risqué intent.
In this raucous and experimental episode, Serece Tascione and I review 14 cards from my vintage Romance postcard collection and Serece speculates about what the real message is on the postcards. Basically, I laugh for about 40 minutes.
WARNING: THIS SHOW IS FOR ADULT AUDIENCES AND DISCUSSES THE EXISTENCE OF SEX AND INCLUDES SEXUALLY SUGGESTIVE HUMOR . IT IS LABELED EXPLICIT FOR THAT REASON.
The images below are what we discuss on the show. A YouTube video will be coming soon.
Here’s a book about postcard history and the global phenomenon of Postcrossing writ large. On this episode of The Postcardist Podcast, author Masha Mokeeva and I talk about her book, Postcrossing: Book of Secret Knowledge. Masha walks us through the seven highly researched chapters of the book, including:
Postcrossing. About Postcrossing creator Paulo Magalhães, how Postcrossing works, what types of postcards are exchanged, and about the idea of Postcrossing in the world of ideas.
Text on the postcard. This includes a very entertaining story of Alexander Asarkan, a theater critic who made postcards himself in the Soviet era and made art out of it. Plus, what and how to write on a postcard; why the text is very important.
Stamps and mail-art. How stamps become part of the semantic field of a postcard. Which are valuable, and which are ordinary. About the fact that mail art is conceptual art, and not just decoration of postcards with stickers.
The postcards. How postcards appeared and why they were ahead of their time and became the prototype of social networks. How and why to collect postcard collections. How to store postcards. About postcard people (including an interview with me, The Postcardist!)
Postal history. The post offices in the modern world. How Postcrosser Elya worked in the Russian post office.
Postcrossers. Why people become Postcrossers. Interviews with Postcrossers. Postcrossing meetings.
The card store. A day in the life of Masha’s store, Amelie’s Cards. History of publishing and selling postcards worldwide. Interview with the owner of another store, where she says that the card is a source of inspiration and a sense of magic. Plus, Postcrossers’ life hacks, Postcrosser’s dictionary and 100 topics for the message on the postcard.
Here’s a description of Postcrossing: Book of Secret Knowledge from Masha’s website. The book can be purchased for 480 rubles (approx. $6.50):
This is the world’s first postcrossing book!
Inspirational stories about your favorite hobby, walks into the postal past, practical advice and conversations with experts. And also a comic book about the girl Asya, whose life was forever changed by postcrossing (based on real events!).
Why does the postcard still attract people? What secrets and opportunities does it hold in itself?
The author of this book, Masha Mokeeva, got carried away with postcrossing several years ago and gave up journalism to open her own postcard shop. And that’s what came of it 🙂
Hardcover book in dust jacket, 288 pages, with comics and illustrations.
ISBN 978-5-7164-1000-8
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