Bringing Typewriters to AFTACON 26

Americans for the Arts decided to have their annual convention in Albuquerque this year. This is a national, DC-based organization that lobbies for and supports the arts on a broad basis. One reason for the convention coming to New Mexico this year might be that a high-ranking New Mexico government official is on their board of directors, but it's actually a natural fit, given the history of this state with the arts and artists.



I can't overstate how big of a deal this is, that our fledgling organization, the ABQwerty Type Writer Society, got invited to AFTACON 26! How did that happen, you may ask?

Well, for the last few years we've been holding public Type-In events as well as private typewriter-oriented writing sessions in public libraries around the area, and word gets around amongst the library staffers. Then last summer (August of 2025) we got invited to the Albuquerque Museum for one of their third-Thursday-of-the-month open house events, where we brought a dozen machines and saw literally hundreds of people come through and try their hand at typing. We returned in the month of December for another open house at the Museum.


Our typewriter setup at the ABQ Museum in August 2025

So when AFTACON staffers began to contact the City of Albuquerque about the upcoming convention, our name got mentioned because the Museum is city-ran. I think this is crucial for anyone wanting to start some typewriter gatherings in their city: public libraries can be crucially important, not only because they are often a natural fit with typewriters and commonly have meeting rooms available, but their connections to city and county governments can open doors that might otherwise remain closed.

I was initially contacted by Heather Flanagan of Americans for the Arts in April of this year, and we had several good phone conversations. They were looking to set up a "maker space" where local artists and craftspeople can have interactive displays set up for conventioneers to enjoy, between convention sessions. However, after our conversations I began to feel nervous, that I'm not a professional artist and sorely inadequate to be doing something this important. But I buckled down and began to approach it logically. We've done Type-In events before, we know how they're done and how to interact with the public. What I had to figure out is how professional artists are different from the typical public Type-In attendee.

The breakthrough came when I began thinking about Richard Polt's Typewriter Manifesto.



In these challenging times, it seemed obvious that a national organization focused on the arts would have some interest in employing typewriters with a socio-political emphasis, considering the rise of threats to the arts from both political and AI-generated opposition. With that in mind I gained more inspiration from Dr. Polt's manifesto.



As I pondered my approach, I was also deciding which machines to bring. Then it struck me: the Groma Kolibri represents a very appropriate machine to symbolize the struggle artists of today face, when considering how East German (DDR) - made machines like this were used surruptitiously for the writing and dessimination of SAMIZDAT or illicit underground material antithetical to the Soviet-aligned regime. This model of machine was also featured in the 2006 film The Lives of Others. With that in mind, I came up with the following:



By the time of the convention I had parsed the statement down to a more general one to be used as a handout to attendees, and also a more specific placard placed next to the Kolibri.

As for the event itself, we were there for two of the four days and had many people come through and try the machines. I collected a handful of typed work from the attendees, amongst which are these samples:





I knew I'd need help in running this event, and our communications director, Lori W., was crucial in her assistance, not only with interfacing with the public but in her thorough preparation beforehand. She had created typewriter-themed posters and also typing prompts, and along with me brought a selection of typewriter-oriented books, including that classic children's book Click Clack Moo Cows That Type.

We also collaborated with other arts group in the Maker Space, including badge-making with the folks from the Georgia O'Keefe Museum, where I had some typewriter art made into badges:



We live in challenging times for creatives, but we are also presented with amazing opportunities to spread the word about how our lovely mechanical marvels can be employed to disconnect from the online world and reconnect with what it means to be a totally human creative person. Sit down at your typewriter today and ponder how you can use it to bring more joy, love and wisdom to the world around you.

I'll leave you with a link to my video about this event: