Keep Writing no. 110 June 2018
The 2018 Summer Census
The thing about New Orleans in the summer is that is used to be quiet. Folks used to leave, if they could. Tourists weren’t interested in the mosquitos. The festivals were on vacation. Businesses took a month off.
Post-Katrina all sorts of people moved to New Orleans for opportunities, and brought their work ethic with them. No more quiet streets on a summer night. No more empty bars. New festivals appeared and suddenly I am battling bridal parties on St.Charles.
I wrote a grant and received money to print and distribute a census.
The thing about my printing press is that it wants to print thousands of postcards at a time, not hundreds.
I printed 5000 cards, mailed them, left them in coffee shops and bookstores, and stood at events with clipboards asking folks to tell me where are they from, and related questions to prompt thought about what makes a home.
The results were shares at the show at Paper Machine, also celebrating ten years of Keep Writing, in November 2018.
I shared cards at the ALA conference, the first Kolajfest, and during White Linen night. It was exhausting and fun and weird.
Printed with polymer plates on my heidelberg windmill, in New Orleans on French Paper.
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