Regional Assembly of Text
by neonconfidential
If you stumbled across a stationary shop named “The Regional Assembly of Text“, you better be armed with an instrument, preferably one that wields the written word with a hefty salute before you march in. Lucky for those devoted pen pals, this aptly named stationary store supplies just the apparatus to tackle the task.
The first Thursday of every month, The Regional Assembly of Text hosts a Letter Writing Club. Ardent letter writers diligently queue up at this neighbourhood stationary store, eagerly awaiting the doors to unlock, ready to stake a seat at one of over a dozen vintage typewriters neatly assembled on a long table. Tea and biscuits sit next to a generous supply of complimentary paper and envelopes.
A concentrated hush hoovers over the room. With heads hunkered down, the only movement are fingers furiously tapping away. Those that didn’t arrive early enough to snag a typewriter are stuck with good old fashion pen and paper. They can’t help but steal furtive glances in the direction of the cacophonous symphony of sound, hoping they may entreat someone to relinquish their seat, so that they may finally trade in their pen for a mightier tool.
I spent one fine evening tapping out letters to friends around the globe. Nothing really beats a handwritten, or in this case hand-typed letter. There is no backspace or delete. If you make a mistake, it sticks (although I cheat, and try to remedy my errors by unsuccessfully typing over them…). There is something sacred about the art of letter writing, which is swiftly being diminished in an era of instant gratification. Lost is the sense of anticipation that comes with delivering a postcard, a note, or a letter, and with it the anticipation of awaiting a response.
While I’m no less dependent on email, letter writing is one of my finer vices that I hope to defend. If you’re ever seeking inspiration for a letter to pen, visit Letters of Note. It’s a fanciful collection of letters, telegrams, memos, and postcards of fascinating correspondence between known and unknown individuals.
The Regional Assembly of Text, 3934 Main Street, Vancouver, BC.
Letter Writing Club – First Thursday of every month. All supplies provided.
