There is no real ending. It's just the place where you stop the story. Frank Hebert The Postcardist Podcast: February 2, 2018 to February 23, 2023 This is where we stop the story.By Frank Roche

I talked with Melissa Reed about postcards, letter writing, and how she has accumulated 12,000 postcards at her house in Italy. And she wants to send them to people.By Frank Roche

Maggie and I talk about her prolific set of postcard designs at Travel Trinkets Canada. We, of course, also talk about Albert Pickle the 3rd, her very handsome Basset Hound, who is featured in a recent collection. You can find Travel Trinkets Canada on Etsy by clicking here. And you can find Magda's work on Instagram here. And as a bonus, you can s…

This is a show about nothing. But I spend 53 minutes talking about it.By Frank Roche

What's the worst postcard you ever got? And can you top the story Nina tells about hers? In this episode I'm joined by Nina Lakusta, the proprietor of the postcard and ephemera store LakuStash. We talk about her postcard designs, driving lessons, illustration, and yes, the world's worst postcard. You can find Nina on Instagram at LakuStash, and on …

I ordered two sets of Accidentally Wes Anderson: The Postcards in July. And then I kept looking at looking at the AWA Instagram site, anticipating the U.S. release of those cards on October 11. Yes, I knew the date. This was exciting stuff. Guess what? As soon as I saw the postcards I knew I needed two more sets because I used this hashtag when I s…

Every postcard has a story. That's what writer and historian Kenneth J. Weiss says about his postcard collection. In this episode, Ken tells us about his Midrust Postcard Project and tells stories about several cards he has. And we talk about baseball cards. You can find Ken's writing and work at KennethJWeiss.com. And on Instagram at kennethjweiss…

In which I talk about World Postcard Day 2022; question why I have so many blank postcards; and an idea I have about being Johnny Tomatoseed.By Frank Roche

Stamps. And postcards. And connections. Thats's what Ale the Philatelist and I talked about on this show. Ale collects stamps. You'll have to hear her story about building an art installation using blue stamps she sourced from people she connected with around the world. She also collects postcards. And makes friends. This is a show about community.…

The work that Marti Mills and Sylvanus Paul are doing with Santa Fe Sticker Fest is really interesting. And there's a postcard link. Do you add stickers to your postcards? After this thought-provoking show, you will. You can find Santa Fe Sticker Fest on Instagram here. And you can find the website here. If you submit stickers, don't forget to add …

What are the odds anyone is going to read an email 50 years from that you wrote about a trip you took this year? But what if you wrote details in letters and postcards? The odds go up considerably. Ana Padovani, the writer of Cartas y Postales is doing just that: looking at a series of letters and postcards from 50 years ago. And she's making the s…

When a set of postcards started arriving at my house over the course of a week from Atelier Jean d'Eaux, I knew I was in for a mystery. The artist gained notice initially for sending sets of cards cut from record albums to chefs in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. That set off a series of articles by a food writer in Milwaukee to suss out why the cards were s…

What can we learn from postcards? In this episode, I grabbed 10 random postcards from my incoming stack and decided to see what I could learn if I looked at them closely and was curious enough to discover more. Documentation of this show, including photos of the postcards I discuss and a full transcript, can be found at ThePostcardist.com website.…

Imagine your Grade 4 social studies teacher comes into class one day with a question: What if we tried to get postcards from all over the world? And then she did. That's what teacher Stephanie Nadeau did at her Labrador Straits Academy in L'Anse au Loup, which is on the southern tip of Labrador, Canada. Ms. Nadeau, as he students call her, set out …

Orla created Imbolc postcards and is setting them out to catch Brigid's magic dew on the night of January 31 -- Imbolc Eve. Lucky are we who might benefit from a bit of this fairy dust in the form of a postcard. In this episode of The Postcardist Podcast, Orla Hegarty and I talk about Imbolc; making postcards to honor the holiday; cognitive awe as …

How often do you like to get mail? Or send mail? Links to show notes at ThePostcardist.comBy Frank Roche

A show about why color postcards are predominant and sell more than black-and-white postcards. Some people have strong opinions about this topic. Show transcript and visuals available on thepostcardist.comBy Frank Roche

Getting a postcard in my mailbox that's not mangled is remarkable. Postcards get damaged in the mail. A lot. In fact, it's a surprise when I get a card that's unmarred. I've noticed the same reaction with others in the postcard community, who write with delight about receiving the rare undamaged card with words like, "This looks like it was hand de…

Artists gather inspiration from many places. When you're a prolific postcard designer like Magda Wojcicka of Travel Trinkets Canada, that inspiration can come from playtime with her adorable Basset Hound puppy, Albert; from seeing the Aurora Borealis in the night sky in her town of Calgary; and by having coffee with her best friend who just walked …

In which I talk about a cancellation that drove me crazy; and ask why so many postcards I send and receive have scuff marks; and then I ask for some audience partici......PATION.By Frank Roche

Have you ever read a vintage love letter and wondered about the story? Liz Maguire certainly did. And from her first acquisition as a teenager of a set of vintage love letters from a flea market, Liz converted her love of letter writing and history into curation of a huge collection at Flea Market Love Letters. In addition to the collection and tra…

There are positive ripples that can get sent into the universe -- and that's what Rachel Wentworth, the steward of the Little Free Mailbox, is doing as she sets out stamped postcards and letters for passersby to take for free. Here's her story about opening the Little Free Mailbox on World Postcard Day and how it's gone so far. This one brings a lo…

Jamo and I talked about Bigfoot. We went outside and looked for Bigfoot clues. Talked about Bigfoot sightings. And then Jamo created watercolor postcards of Biggie. The World's Largest Bigfoot Postcard Collection just got bigger. So did my pride. Get photos and more of the story on The PostcardistBy Frank roche

This week I'm joined by the dynamic and multitalented writer, world traveler, and media sensation Nicole Banister, who many know as Nikki Banz. She joined me from her home in Cape Town, South Africa, and we had a far-ranging talk about postcards and long-time penpals and many, many, other topics. You can find Nicole at these places (and watch for h…

"I was thinking about how you say postcards connect people. So does music." -- Teresa Edmunds In this episode I'm joined by Teresa Edmunds. We talk about music. About postcard playlists and mixtapes. And how we can use music as a universal language as we write postcards. Go to thepostcardist.com for links and photos from the show.…

Ana Clara Padovani (IG: postalesycartas) joined me from Argentina for a chat from about postcards, pen pals, books, music...and football. This show is a classic case of "postcards connect people." Listen to find out how we connected.By Frank Roche

I'm joined by Dr. Justin Kreuter, who's known around Mayo Clinic as the Bow Tie Bandit of Blood. His day job includes: Program director for the transfusion medicine fellowship Medical director of the blood donor center Associate medical director of the histocompatibility laboratory Laboratory director at Federal Medical Center — Rochester Alumnus o…

In which I talk about postcards (and many other things) for 36 minutes, 26 seconds, and 121 milliseconds. Plus there's some music as an intro and outro.By Frank Roche

In which I talk about Johnny Astro, growing up on the same street where Ray Bradbury grew up, and why I collect space postcards.By Frank Roche

In which I talk about polymer physics, design of experiments, rheology, digital calipers, coefficient of friction, bending deflection, stiffness...and so many postcards get marred in the mail.By Frank Roche

How many stamps do you put on a postcard? Another in the National Postcard Week 2021 series.By Frank Roche

By Frank Roche

It's National Postcard Week this week. I talk about it.By Frank Roche

I chatted with postcard collector extraordinaire Mark Routh of Mark's Postcard Chat about what defines a postcard -- and how we make a distinction between a postcard and a piece of art. I think you'll be surprised at the answer.By Frank Roche

I went on a trip across nine states and 20 hours of driving. I stopped along the way. I was Desperately Seeking Postcards. This is a show I recorded along the way.By Frank Roche

Artist Nicole Carnes joins me on this episode where we discuss a wide range of topics: from her art, her inspirations (Vincent Van Gogh and Toulouse Lautrec), her ambidexterity, and what pictures she visualizes when she gets art inspiration. You can find Nic on Instagram @rockabillynic. Nic's Etsy store: Fiber and Wooly Arts Midnight in Paris Lovin…

Mark Routh joins me this time to talk about curating his world-class Covid postcard (and associated mail and stamp) collection. He gives pointers to budding postcard collectors on how to start and where to focus to build a collection. You can find Mark's work many places, including as a long-time author at Picture Postcard Monthly and at his blog -…

I was joined again by Kate Wiggins of Sugar & Kiki, who you heard on Episode 101 talking about her Adventure in Place Snail Mail Bingo idea. You heard Kate talk about donating a portion of the profits of the Spring Break Adventure Pack to the Make a Wish Foundation. In this episode, Kate joins me as co-host to interview Sue Salter, who is the Presi…

I forgot to ask Magda a few questions about her postcard that took four years and 11 days to get to her. Here's the answer.By Frank Roche

Madalena Wojcicka of Travel Trinkets Canada left me a message that started with a bit of amazement. She got a postcard at her home in Calgary, Alberta, Canada that had been sent from Spain four years and 11 days earlier. It's a real mystery. The other part of the mystery is how we covered that topic, talked about the World's Largest Fishing Lure, M…

Kate Wiggins of sugarandkiki.com has a great idea: Adventure in Place Snail Mail Bingo. We talk about her concept -- and the opportunity to help with the Make a Wish Foundation.By Frank Roche

Well, The Postcardist made it to an important podcasting milestone -- Episode 100. Here it is.By Frank Roche

This bonus episode is a follow up to yesterday's show, and uses the title of a poem by the Irish poet Derek Mahon. I worked my way out of my postcard writing rut. Here's a little more behind the scenes for those of you who asked.By Frank Roche

I'm in a postcard writing rut. This show is about that.By Frank Roche

The journey of a thousand postcards begins with a single entry on Postcrossing. Or something like that. I'm joined by two prolific Postcrossers for this show -- Sue Boggs and Jennifer Gilman. They're both with the San Diego Postcrossing FB Group -- and send thousands of postcards. You can find Sue on Postcrossing as @suegathman; and Jen is on Postc…

Our story starts with a headstrong young girl and her collection of found objects. That's the story of Ariel in The Little Mermaid -- and it's also the story of how Betsy Kirichenko started with her fascination with mermaids and how that led to her collection of mermaid postcards. Mermaids and Mailboxes on Instagram…

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 Postcross…

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.By Frank Roche

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.By Frank Roche