This past Thursday, September 15th, Frank Warren, founder of PostSecret, made a special stop at F&M for Common Hour. Thanks to the efforts of Su Spina ‘17, Frank was able to do a special lecture at the college, with free admission for members of the F&M community and those of the Lancaster community who attended.
For those of you who don’t know, PostSecret began as a community mail art project, where people decorate postcards or photographs or whatever they want and then send these tiny works of art to Frank Warren’s home. People also write a secret on the postcard that they feel they need to get off of their chest and send it to this complete stranger. Some of the postcards are then posted online at the PostSecret website, where viewers can offer words of encouragement or congratulations. There are also various PostSecret books containing collections of the messages. PostSecret began in 2004 and Frank Warren has since received over 1 million pieces of physical mail. Due to its rapid success, Frank has been able to raise over $1,000,000 for suicide prevention.
Thousands of people from all over the globe have found comfort in the fact that they can share their secret with this kind-hearted man. For those people, that secret is the desire to end their lives. Being able to talk to someone about this urge or one of the other secrets that has been making every day a struggle brings them relief and an outlet of support.
PostSecret brings people together and helps us see that others are going through some of the same struggles we are. It also allows us to rejoice in the happy and blissful moments of people’s lives. Good news or bad news, PostSecret has it all. Check out the website at postsecret.com, maybe even submit something yourself!