At this year's QWERTYFEST MKE, we were thrilled to see many people introduced to the wonderful uses of typewriters. Our attendees asked for info and resources, so we want to provide a couple starting points. 

Join the Typewriter Revolution. First, our guest Richard Polt gave an excellent presentation titled "Revolution Forever." People asked if his presentation could be shared because he cites a lot of fantastic artists, writers, and other creators. His book The Typewriter Revolution: A Typist's Companion to the 21st Century is also inspiring and highly recommended. 

Revolution Forever PDF

Enter The Qwertyverse. One exciting project that got launched this year is a website called The Qwertyverse, which was created by Prof. Jason Puskar of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and his students. A first look at the project happened during QWERTYFEST this year in the Central Library Rare Books Room. We were all really impressed with how the project is coming together. It features an archive of documents, an oral history component, and a mapping project of historical, typewriter-related sites. Future UWM students will continue to make the project grow. Jason Puskar also has an excellent book on the evolution of technology titled: The Switch: An Off and On History of Digital Humans. 

Take a look for yourself here: Welcome · The Qwertyverse · UWM L&S Omeka

Milwaukee Resources: In addition to our QWERTYFEST weekend, we also create a publication four times a year call QWERTY Quarterly. This features poetry, fiction, columns, and "fun pages" (games and comics) by local writers and artists, as well as short articles focused on local profiles and history and occasional articles on typewriter creators around the world. We usually have a smaller scale QQ release party at local bookstores, art centers, and other venues for each issue. You can buy back issues or get a subscription here: QWERTYQuarterly - Etsy

A good way to keep in touch is to follow us on Facebook: QWERTYFEST MKE, QWERTY Quarterly or Instagram or X. 

We also want to mention Lisa Floading of Platen Place, our wonderful Typewriter Technician. In addition to all her help with QWERTYFEST, Lisa runs workshops at The Bindery and Milwaukee Zine Fest. These are a great introduction for getting a feel for how these machines work. Follow Platen Place on Instagram: Lisa Floading (@platen_place) • Instagram photos and videos

There is also a Milwaukee Typewriters group on Facebook, they organize local type-ins and a good resource to share questions and resources: Milwaukee Typewriters | Facebook