Dear Reader, During this past year, I participated in a pen pal program sponsored by a local chapter of The Agency on Aging. I was given the name of a young girl, an 8th grader at a nearby middle school. We exchanged letters once a month. She had the double challenge of not only having […]
Signature Battle
Signatures are fluid entities. If you’re tired or hurried, your name might appear differently than if you were carefully signing a birthday card. Add all the different ways technology asks us to sign, with a stylus on a screen or with a finger on a tablet. I’m always amazed at how my name changes with […]
Handwriting Help 101
Many people lament, “My handwriting is awful.” And so they shy away from anything to do with handwriting. There is help, if one has an interest in polishing the skill with pen to paper. The above simple tips are an invitation to ease into the “art of penmanship.” Other more detailed posts are to follow. […]
National Handwriting Day
Today, National Handwriting Day, is John Hancock’s birthday. John Hancock was a patriot, a rabble-rouser, the first and third governor of Massachusetts, and yet he is best remembered for his large flamboyant signature on the Declaration of Independence. Hancock’s handwriting matched his personality. As the very first signer on the Declaration of Independence, he declared, […]
Having a “John Hancock”
The ability to sign your name is one of the best reasons to learn cursive writing. Even with all the digital ways you can dodge handwriting, often one needs to “sign the pad” for a transaction. So what do you do? Scribble or print? Your signature or your “John Hancock,” as it is sometimes referred […]
The Multifaceted Art of Writing Letters
September 16, 2013 Much has been written about the “Lost Art of Letter Writing and Handwriting.” Yes, it is rare to see a handwritten address in one’s daily mail. And, yes, cursive writing is disappearing from school curriculum. But is the art of writing letters really “lost,” like the Holy Grail, or gone the way […]