Secret seeker describes postcard project

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Three years after he first elicited people’s innermost secrets by mail, postcards continue to arrive at PostSecret founder Frank Warren’s home to the tune of around 1,000 per week. At any given moment he probably has hundreds scattered on his dining room table.

“My wife kind of figures that the secrets will never stop coming,” Warren said.

Contributed Photo

Wednesday night at the Kansas Union, he will speak to KU students about how the project began, its exploding popularity and share a secret of his own. The event will also include time for discussion, questions and an exhibition of secrets that have yet to be published.

Warren is traveling to college campuses to speak to students about the project and the issues surrounding it. He will make five presentations in March and 13 college visits in April. Warren said one reason he believes PostSecret is so popular with young people is that it’s something truly authentic.

“I really find that the best part of the project is going out and sharing the stories and listening to other people,” Warren said.

Matthew Jacobson, associate professor of theatre and film, is one of more than 500 people who have said on Facebook that they would attend the event. Jacobson said for the past year he has sat down at his computer with a cup of coffee every Sunday morning to the look at the new secrets Warren posted on PostSecret.com.

“I’d love to meet the person who came up with this absolutely brilliant idea, and say thank you,” Jacobson said.

Although he hasn’t sent in a postcard of his own, Jacobson said he was considering turning one in on Wednesday. Student Union Activities has set up boxes around campus for students to turn in their own secrets. The entries will be displayed at the Kansas Union. Boxes are located in every residence hall, Watson and Anschutz libraries and the University Advising Center.

Hollie Dawson, Wichita junior, hasn’t decided whether or not she will attend Warren’s presentation but said she periodically checked the Web site and had read parts of Warren’s books. Dawson said she read mostly for entertainment.

“I love to look at all the art that’s on there,” Dawson said. “I’m kind of nosy so looking at people’s secrets is kind of fun.”

breakbox

Who: Presentation by PostSecret project founder Frank Warren

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Kansas Ballroom at the Kansas Union

Cost: Free for students, $5 for non-students

PostSecret began in 2004 when Warren sent thousands of blank postcards to people with instructions to send it back with a secret they had never revealed to anyone else. He ended up receiving 150 postcards within a month.

After the initial exhibit received rave reviews, Warren continued receiving postcards and is due to receive his 200,000th card this month. He has subsequently published four PostSecret books with another in the works; three of the previous releases have been New York Times best-sellers.

“I feel like I’ve accidentally tapped into something full of wonder and mystery that I don’t completely understand,” Warren said.

In addition to his books, Warren has maintained PostSecret.com, a blog that posts 20 new secrets each Sunday, since February 2005. PostSecret.com has received numerous awards including “Best Blog” at the annual Weblog Awards in 2007.

There are many reasons people have made PostSecret books best-sellers and the Web site internationally known, but Warren said he thought the project’s success could be attributed to the way the secrets touched other people’s lives.

“Eventually you reach a secret that really speaks to you and your heart, and it might be a different postcard for everybody who comes,” Warren said. “I think when you see that one that is something that you can just so closely identify with, it allows you to feel that you might not be so alone.”

— Edited by Katherine Loeck

/podcasts/as_heard_from_the_hill/2008/mar/11/post_secret/

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