LUCY KENNEDY: MARCH BOOK REVIEW

Notes from a Public Typewriter, edited by

“Typewriters remind us What have we lost now that words are silent?” that words are sound -they make noise like the striking of keys the scratch of pen on paper.

Michael Gustafson & Oliver Uberti 11+

Arms filled with books, meandering about my local library, a red spine caught my eye - this is how I happened upon the beautiful book that is Notes from a Public Typewriter. This unique book is exactly what the title promises.

When bookstore owner Michael Gustafson first opened his shop Literati (Ann Arbour, Michigan), he placed a typewriter out among the stacks of books, encouraging customers to use it - this led to people anonymously clacking out confessions, poems, jokes, sadness, and celebrations. Page upon page of poignant prose, love notes, paragraphs of full stops and smiley faces, and more are left by unknown hands and read by Gustafson at the end of each day. For this volume, he has selected the best of what had been written.

Short and sweet, this book made me both cry and laugh in the span of an hour. The paragraphs and one-liners are broken up by beautiful photographs of the shop, their collection of typewriters, and the Ann Arbour area. Quick and meaningful, merging the old with the new, this unusual book is a must read