Type Treatment • Hillary Grant

Seven Years After Bopomofo Was Left Behind • Joyce Chen

By Joyce Chen

One of the most common shared experiences of second generation Chinese American kids everywhere is spending three hours every Saturday morning at Chinese school — often held at empty high schools, in community centers, or in rented spaces above storefronts — from the age of 5 to about 18. And one of the very first things said kids were taught is how to write the Chinese alphabet, otherwise known as Zhuyin fuhao (注音符號).

Or, in plainer terms, bopomofo. The form is phonetic, so it's possible to read an entire page of the characters without knowing what exactly you're saying. But, as times have changed, so has language, and the language system is no longer widely taught, if at all. Now, in place of thing phonetic characters, kids are learning the pinyin system — phonetics written in English letters.

What used to be 手寫 and pronounced ㄕㄡ(3) ㄒㄧㄝ (2) is now Shǒuxiě.

Today, I Am Tomorrow • Marrissa Anne Ayala

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2 Composers Separated by 68 Years and 2 Drawings • Graydon Hanson

When 12-year old aspiring composer, Graydon, was tasked with following in the footsteps of a composer, he chose Estonian composer Arvo Part, who happened to draw significantly by hand. Above and below are two images from Graydon's presentation, illustrating his journey through the past and toward the future.

A Poem in Odiya • Bikash Rout

By Bikash Rout, in Odiya 

We Are All In the Gutter • Diane Wilsdon

HANDWRITTEN BY DIANE WILSDON

The Script Inside a Manuscript • Tomas Cohen

With best wishes from a Chilean poet in Berlin,
Tomas | www.tomascohen.com

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Backwards Cursive, or should we write, Evisruc Sdrawkcab?

CURATED BY CARLY BUTLER

Yep, this person is more talented than the entire planet.

Love in Vietnamese, Punjabi, Mandarin, English, Spanish & Backwards Cursive

HANDCOLLECTED BY CARLY BUTLER

At work today, Handwritten curator Carly Butler shares International Handwriting Day with colleagues and customers. So far, they have collected handwriting in Vietnamese, Punjabi, Mandarin, English, Spanish, and to top it off, backwards cursive. That's right, backwards cursive. #bicdrop

I am Certainly in a State Where I am Content • Minakshi Choudhary

HANDWRITTEN BY MINAKSHI CHOUDHARY

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Lenore Tawney postcard to Maryette Charlton (1969) • Smithsonian Archives of American Art

FROM THE SMITHSONIAN ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART 

Lenore Tawney postcard to Maryette Charlton, February 16, 1969. Maryette Charlton papers. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. This letter will be featured in Smithsonian's forthcoming book, Pen to Paper: Artists’ Handwritten Letters from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art (Princeton Architectural Press, 2016).

Thank you to Mary Savig, Curator of Manuscripts, for opening up the Smithsonian Archives of American Art for a Handwritten celebration.

Maxfield Parrish letter to Cecilia Beaux, July 11, 1909 • Smithsonian Archives of American Art

FROM THE SMITHSONIAN ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART 

Maxfield Parrish letter to Cecilia Beaux, July 11, 1909. Cecilia Beaux papers. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. This letter will be featured in Smithsonian's forthcoming book, Pen to Paper: Artists’ Handwritten Letters from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art (Princeton Architectural Press, 2016).

Thank you to Mary Savig, Curator of Manuscripts, for opening up the Smithsonian Archives of American Art for a Handwritten celebration.

Eero Saarinen letter to Aline Saarinen, 1953 • Smithsonian Archives of American Art

FROM THE SMITHSONIAN ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART 

Eero Saarinen letter to Aline Saarinen, 1953. Aline and Eero Saarinen papers. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. This letter will be featured in Smithsonian's forthcoming book, Pen to Paper: Artists’ Handwritten Letters from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art (Princeton Architectural Press, 2016).

Thank you to Mary Savig, Curator of Manuscripts, for opening up the Smithsonian Archives of American Art for a Handwritten celebration.

Winslow Homer letter to Thomas B. Clarke, January 4, 1901 • Smithsonian Archives of American Art

FROM THE SMITHSONIAN ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART 

Winslow Homer letter to Thomas B. (Thomas Benedict) Clarke, January 4, 1901. Winslow Homer collection. This letter will be featured in Smithsonian's forthcoming book, Pen to Paper: Artists’ Handwritten Letters from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art (Princeton Architectural Press, 2016).

Thank you to Mary Savig, Curator of Manuscripts, for opening up the Smithsonian Archives of American Art for a Handwritten celebration.

Descended, Ensued Then Retrospect • Sadanand Akkenapally

The Shape of Spanish Calligraphy • Monica Coughlin

Crooked Nose Bones • Mahitha Kasireddi

Take The First Steps Into The Dark Dawn • Royster

BY ROYSTER

In 2009, I couldn't read my own longhand notes.  I read a bit about handwriting, then adopted an italic script from Write Now! by Getty & Dubay.  Much more legible, and if I put my mind and hand to it a little more than I do here, I get compliments!  Best of all, I got a letter from Mrs. Getty where she includes some calligraphic scribbles.  

“Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect.” Alan Cohen

I Love You in Armenian • Seda Stepanyan

HANDWRITTEN BY SEDA STEPANYAN

Written in Armenian
Pronounce: Es (I) kez (you) sirum em (love) Alberto
Translation: I love you, Arberto

Solfeggio: The Language of Music • Sarah Thomas