Strike the Keys, Break the Spell
"California Typewriter is an affectionate, nostalgic love letter to the typed word from enthusiasts and experts alike.” says Wiki. It explores the mythology of typewriters and shows us the very real threat of their extinction. My takeaway?
It’s not too late.
The first thought I had after watching it: is there a typewriter club near me?
The answer was… yes. Sort of. A local mescal bar and café owner, Doug, has a dynamite selection of typewriters for sale. He finds and restores them, and curates the entire collection. Machines from 1909 through the 1970s, are lined up on the shelves in silence as customers scroll phones and stare at their laptops. I asked him if we could take them out for a night, for just one night of typing. Like a ‘type in’.
Now we host a monthly typing club.
Having a room animated by a dozen mismatched machines and people in various states of typewriter trances really makes people stop mid sip. Some whisper: “I wrote my dissertation on one of these.” Teenagers sit down, confused at first, then lose an hour of time in a pure stream of consciousness. They remind me of Brave New World: John stepping into the New World; or the inverse, Lenina wandering the Savage Reservation.
I explain gently, “These aren’t keyboards, you have to strike with intention.” The proprietor, Doug, hovers to help us revive dry ribbons or locate a hidden back space key. For some, it’s a first encounter; for others, it’s a forgotten muscle memory, slowly coming back to life. I encourage them and explain: “There’s no exclamation mark, because people weren’t trying to scream at you or hype you up.”
Each machine has its own eccentric soul. Fonts differ. Sounds differ. Some have quirks that make them unmistakable like a letter slouching lower or a key that gets stuck. Personally, I’ve fallen for the old Remingtons. Their sound is snappy, they aren’t as clacky and bright as the other machines.
Poets show up. Writers show up. The Typing Curious show up. Machines once forgotten now go to new homes and families. I imagine myself as a gardener tending to this analog paradise. Other literary gatherings have gained momentum. There are creative writing nights, book clubs, mezcal tastings with typewriters at the table. What began as an experiment has grown into a movement.
This newly found old technology is not about speed or productivity. Our collective need to slow down is becoming almost mainstream these days. I’m still unlearning the hustle. I’m still untethering my nervous system from the quick hits of checking socials. As the ‘connectivity’ of the digital landscape further isolates us, I want to carve out space for unplugged connection. For the socially awkward, the introverts and ambiverts, the newcomers in town. For anyone looking for respite from an increasingly dark realm.
I cringe when I hear someone say technology will take over whether we want it or not. I disagree. I think if we stop using the drug, the drip will dry up. Jaron Lanier (Founding Father of Virtual Reality) so perfectly warns us,
“We cannot have a society in which, if two people wish to communicate, the only way that can happen is if it's financed by a third person who wishes to manipulate them.”
This is a quiet revolution.
The algorithms favor outrage, while a pre-digital analog signal lurks in the background waiting to have it’s chance encounter with you.
Was email the last advancement that didn’t fry our brains? I want this temple of transmissions to take the form of letters you can read without logging in, without another password, without another app.
A gentle stream that you can meander in and not be swept away.
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Check the HAPPENINGS tab above to attend a TYPING CLUB in Tucson