Manual typewriters are enjoying a comeback at Amherst College.
Like most American institutions, the college has a thriving party scene, where students who want to socialize can knock back a few drinks and grind the night away to pounding bass lines.
"But we also have a large part of the population who really aren't interested in dancing in a dark basement," says Crista Reed, assistant director of student activities. So this fall the college started "Amherst After Dark," a 10 p.m.-to-2 a.m. program meant to provide consistent social options for students who want to stay out late and remain sober.
As one of September's activities, Ms. Reed proposed a "letter-writing social," hearkening back to her own days as a "slightly dorky undergrad" at Roanoke College who eschewed late-night parties in favor of things like writing letters to relatives and high-school friends. This fall Ms. Reed ordered three manual typewriters, some hand-cut quill pens, stationery, postcards, postage stamps, and even wax cartridges for a hot-glue gun so that students could artfully seal their letters without using open flames.
She was expecting 150 to 200 students to show up. She drew 350. ...
Read more here.
Yay Amherst! I've never been prouder of my alma mater. Great that this is making the news; I hope other colleges follow suit. I wish we'd had this when I was there; I would have discovered typewriters a whole lot sooner!
ReplyDelete*Wonders whether it would be fun to spray paint a Hermes 3000 purple and send it over to the Pioneer Valley... hmmm*
Typing and the Temperance Movement - who'd have guessed? Thanks for posting - very interesting.
ReplyDeleteNeat, A purple Hermes.
ReplyDeleteWhy not mix them as I'd figure a lot of good prose could come our of drunk typewriters:)
ReplyDelete