Every week, the AWM is excited to bring you stories written by our visitors in our Story of the Day exhibit, which features typewriters that visitors can interact with directly. Check back weekly for new stories, and visit the Museum to try out our typewriters and possibly be featured here! This week we’re focusing on typewriter nostalgia in a fantastic way.
These stories are fun to read in order, as they almost seem like the progression of one disgruntled time traveler’s journey, even though they were written by at least three different visitors! If you want to learn more about the history of typewriters, visit the Tools of the Trade exhibit here at the Museum, or check out our Typewriter Tuesday blog series.
A Letter Home
Hi Mom, it’s me, your daughter. I am sad to inform you that I have become trapped in the 40s and can’t call you back on account of having no cellphones. I am writing to say that I am safe but want to come home soon because I like having rights and watching TV in color. Hope all is well and i am sorry about the spelling, this isn,t as easy to type on as my macbook. Lots of love.
Regards,
Alejandra
A New Job Perhaps?
The hum of the typewriter mirrored my excitement as I sat with eh hesitant fingers. A mistake, myh first but certainly not my last as you can see above.
Modern word processing is a beautiful thing though the sound of this keyboard is quite satisfying. If I couldn’t type on a mechanical keyboard, I would accept this as a ready substitute.
Trapped in Time
I am in a typewriter pool with some people who are also typing in the same way and I am desperately tired of having to type someones words when I cannot type my own words. My words are lost in the dictation of the people who pay me and slave me and desperately destroy the peace of mind that I had. The peace of mind gets exploded into the back of my head and wants me to scream and cry but instead I just type. In this pool. With the other secretaries. This will not do.
This must end.
This must all be destroyed.
Letter by letter
key
by
key
Trapped in Time
“Knock, knock, knock. Over here. Deep inside the correction key you will find me. Wanted to change the ending of a short story but lost myself within my own self-determination. Nonetheless, continue typing. I may just influence your steps.”
The secretaries contemplated the thought placed before their fellow typist, but continued within the drudgery of transcription. To think otherwise would do nothing more than implicate all who chose to push one who dared to explore a creative thought within the deep-end of the office pool.
“If you ignore the sound of her knocks,” one whispered, “who’s to know otherwise if you utilize the correction tape to our advantage.”