QWERTY Word Machine Debuts at September 1 Event

We’re glad to say we’ll be premiering a couple things at our QWERTY Quarterly release party on September 1 (this Friday) in addition to our fall issue. The Space Bar is our recurring pop-up bar (maybe someday it’ll be a permanent fixture!)

We’re also debuting our brand new QWERTY Word Machine, a classic toy capsule dispensing machine that will be filled with typewritten treats. Our first series, “The Amazing Predictions of Psychic Detective Roberts,” will issue fortunes and predictions. In the future, the machine will get a makeover for Halloween, a fun fact series, and other themes based around seasons and events. It’s a QWERTYFEST MKE fundraiser, collecting 50 cents at a time. 

Inspiration for our fortune series came from an actual Milwaukeean who was called a “psychic detective,” Arthur Price Roberts (1867-1940). The legacy of Roberts seemed mixed. He was busted for "fortune-telling," including an incident where he told two undercover, widowed police women he had a vision of their husbands, but he also allegedly used his psychic powers to track down missing persons and predicted a series of bombings in 1935. Was Roberts legit? It's hard to tell with limited information about someone who died over 80 years ago. 

For more on Roberts, read this Milwaukee Magazine article, written by Milwaukee author Anna Lardinois: "The Legend of Milwaukee's Psychic Detective." 

Ok, but who is writing the fortunes for this machine? To be vague, the QWERTY Crew, and YOU if you attend our September 1 event, where we'll feature an open typing session where you can take a crack at your best (maybe ridiculous) predictions. 

The art for this series was created by Milwaukee comic book artist and teacher David Beyer. After our premiere September 1, you’ll be able to find the machine parked at Lion’s Tooth (2421 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.) for awhile, but our plan is to move the machine around to our favorite businesses and events. 

What does the future hold for you? Plunk down 50 cents and find out!