Hither, Yon & and Beyond

Posted on March 23, 2016 by phillytyper

(Yes, there’s no way to ignore the sad news from Ankara and Brussels; we can only reach out to others, any way we can, and make sure they know we are listening.  Words on paper are just a small bit of that. With that said, we return to our regular blog already in progress.)

As the lovely weather continues, the Standard Tap‘s deck has become a perfect place to sit and scratch out some words while sipping a beer brewed around here. On Mar. 22, the next-to-last Publetters of March (and at the Tap), we wrote to DC and LA and Newark NJ and (in yet-another-first) Newton Centre MA–to name a few.

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With temps predicted to be in the balmy upper 50s, a visit to the Standard Tap next Tuesday, Mar. 29 would seem to be in very much in order.  AND IN APRIL:  find us on scenic Frankford Avenue at the Grey Lodge Pub, starting April 5.

Worried about your “form”, after seeing that beautiful cursive above? Don’t be–we also welcome freestyle letter-writers & illustrators at Publetters!

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• As always, Publetters is free; we bring all the paper, envelopes, postage stamps and pens–just bring words.  Presented by Yards Brewing Co.; stamps provided by Trophy Bikes.

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Dear Cuba… I know it’s been a while, but…

Posted on March 18, 2016 by phillytyper

Writing letters is something that President Barack Obama gets. As the New York Times reported, he uses the “10-LAD” (Ten Letters A Day) system, where he reviews 10 letters from Americans and works their messages into his messages and speeches.

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President Barack Obama signs a letter to a Cuban letter writer, in the Oval Office, March 14, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Now President Obama has made history by writing direct mail to Cuba for the first time in half a century, inviting a nice Cuban lady to maybe meet up for a cup of coffee with him when he visits Havana. Click here for the story.

Oh, and yes, she got his letter and enjoyed it. Here she is!

Note: since Publetters began in 2014, writing letters of praise (and complaint) to our President has been a common theme. The address of the White House is always on our Publetters “Cheat Sheet”, and we have other politician’s mail boxes on there as well.  Join us at the Standard Tap for two more Tuesdays in March (3/22 & 3/29), then it’s up to the Grey Lodge Pub in Frankford for April. (starts 4/5)

We just might have some Cuban addresses to write to next time. (We’re still looking for the best address for Ben Stiller, BTW!)

YOU SHOULD KNOW–On the first Tuesday of every month–there are TWO Publetters to choose from.  That is because Doobies Bar (as the birthplace of Publetters) holds a letter-writing session on the first Tuesday of each month. This is in addition to the Publetters sessions that take up residency in a given bar for an entire month. (Here’s a peek at the schedule: April: The Grey Lodge Pub • May: Pub On Passyunk East • June: Fergies Pub • July: Coeur… we will release the late summer/fall schedule very shortly! )

 

 

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Yards Presents PubLetters!

Posted on February 27, 2016 by phillytyper

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February Marches On!

Posted on February 18, 2016 by phillytyper

We survived Valentine’s Day at a packed Doobies Bar! –including some inspired couples from the Rosenbach Museum’s LoveLetters/Publetters collaboration. (The Rosenbach offered a hands-on tour of vintage love letters from the Civil War era and beyond, then directed said visitors towards Doobies so they could get their own vows down in ink….) As you can see, there was no hand-writers block whatever! It may have been icy outside, but not inside Doobies.

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Doobies proprietress Pat Bandan had everyone in the place send some words of encouragement to Paris’ Club Bataclan, now rebuilding their venue in the wake of last November’s terrorist attacks, and we mailed many pages’ worth of good wishes to those brave rockers.

Next Tuesday, Feb. 23rd, is the last Tuesday residency at Doobies (more on their First-Tuesday sessions later)… We start handing out the crisp, bond stationery at 7:01 p.m. –or thereabouts. IN MARCH, look for Publetters at THE STANDARD TAP, 2nd & Brown Streets, every Tuesday, starting 3/1 (.. and 3/8, 15, 22 & 29).

 

As always, Publetters’ letter writing sessions are free, and are brought to you by Trophy Bikes and Casa Papel.

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Love Letters/Pub Letters on Valentines Day

Posted on February 5, 2016 by phillytyper

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Publetters is, as always, every Tuesday in February at DOOBIES BAR. But, on Feb. 14th, Valentines Day, in a special collaboration with the Rosenbach Museum of the Free Library, we are proud to offer LOVE LETTERS / PUB LETTERS.  The Rosenbach will present two hands-on sessions (3 p.m. & 5 p.m.)  featuring love letters from brave Civil War soldiers, famous authors and other notables–baring their passions on the pages. At 6 p.m., ink your love on the page at Doobies Bar in a special Sunday Publetters of Love Letters.  Tickets are a must for the Rosenbach; Doobies is open to anyone who ever had a heart!  Full details right here. 

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Do Be at Doobies!

Posted on January 30, 2016 by phillytyper

February, we return to where Publetters all began–DOOBIES BAR. After a lovely month at  Clarkville , we’ll spend Tuesday evenings at 22nd & Lombard in SW CC. Starts 2/2.📬   AND — there will be a special Love Letters /  Publetters on Valentine’s Day 💘 Feb. 14. MORE NEXT WEEK ON THIS! 

 

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PUBLETTERS 2016 SKED SHAPING UP!

Posted on January 25, 2016 by phillytyper

Okay, we have reached out to all sorts of bars to the north, the south, the east and the west and repeatedly “Gotten to Yes”, as the Harvard Biz School might put it.cropped-postcardvint11.jpg

Our calendar is more than half-full, so we are optimistic about a great Publetters season*, which of course is already in progress. Please join us tomorrow (Jan. 26) in the cozy confines of CLARKVILLE for our final letter-writing evening of January there. We set up our majestic display of stationery on their 2nd floor at 7:02 p.m.  (the intrepid 34 and 13 Trolleys get you to 43rd St. in no time!)

For FEBRUARY we are booked into DOOBIES BAR–where Publetters was, er, “invented” with the help of a pint (or three) . You are encouraged to write love letters, with lots of drawing on the outsides of the envelope and all that.  First one at DOOBIES (22nd & Lombard) is Feb. 2.

             * What about the rest of this year?  Some clues:

March: Pair after QR ; (En El)

April: GL; (“Any” Phila.)

May: The initials would give it away, ha!; (way down below, on the slant)

June: The only pub in town with a high rise nicknamed after it!

July: There’s a big one of theez in the Franklin Institute, Monsieur; (not too far south)

Oct: Dirty Harry  did NOT prefer this size of Magnum. (Go W., Young Man)

December: Well, the owner AND the bar are both “up against the wall” in Old City, you could say.  (meow!)

Still TBD: June, August, September, November. Do you know a bar that would be good for Publetters? Send the name of the pub, and the owner’s name (and his/her zodiac sign if you know it) to: PUBLETTERS c/o mcget, 627 S. 27th St. Phila. PA 19146 . Do it today.

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Do note that the paper and envelopes for Publetters are provided by Casa Papel; stamps and pens brought to you by Trophy Bikes.

moto  Cheers, and remember: A contact in your cell phone is NOT COMPLETE without your friend’s mailing address and ZIP CODE!

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Best wishes to the Monk’s Bunk!

Posted on January 20, 2016 by phillytyper

Well, that’s a first!  We wrote to Portland and Seattle and Torrington CT, and a host of other places… then we wrote to Russia and, finally, to the capital of Estonia, Tallinn.         A good night’s work, one could say.

pub1.19.16  We had another, odder first on the penultimate Publetters of January–for the first time ever, not one guy wrote a letter–it was an all-woman affair.  As Pat Olesko mused, “If men could talk, the stories they could tell!”  Gentlemen, please join us next Tuesday (Jan. 26) and get your stories down in writing, as we bid farewell to both Clarkville and the first month of the New Year. If you’re not on time, the ladies will start without you, and you’ll just have to catch up.

In February, we shall set up our paper and pens in the bar where it all began–Doobies, 22nd & Lombard.  Starts Tuesday, Feb 2. (9, 16 & 23)

• Some facts about Publetters: it’s sponsored by Trophy Bikes (stamps and pens) & Casa Papel (fine stationery).  It’s always on Tuesdays, usually every Tuesday (about 7 to roughly 9 in the evening) in a given month at a given bar, moving to a new bar each month. It’s always about writing letters to friends, to loved ones, and to the famous and infamous. It’s always Free. Just bring words.

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Warm up near the pizza oven tonight!

Posted on January 19, 2016 by phillytyper

Cold is relative; think about the warm emotions a nice letter brings out on the second reading.  Join us tonight (19 Jan.) for the third Publetters of January at Clarkville, 43rd & Baltimore Ave., where the pizzas rival the craft beers, or is it the other way around?  SEPTA’s 34 Trolley drops you right at the door, the #13 Trolley makes you walk a block, and the 42 Bus gets you pretty dang close.  We will have all sorts of nice envelopes and stamps, and yes, we will lend you a pen!  Meet a friend there and ask them for a synopsis of their letter–sort of like watching a movie trailer, you know? Starts right around 7 p.m. and goes on till after 9.  FREE, of course, courtesy of Trophy Bikes and Casa Papel.       (And… we’re back next week–Jan 26–as well)

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“Wish THIS was here…”

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PUBLETTERS MAKES CLARKSVILLE DEBUT

Posted on January 8, 2016 by phillytyper

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SOMETIMES a letter needs to wear a coat of ink, especially when it’s freezing outside!  The first Publetters in University City came off without a hitch at Clarkville, a pizza-meets-craft beer joint just off (d’oh) Clark Park at 43rd and Baltimore. We penned letters to Mystic CT, West Monroe NY, and (somewhat enviously) to balmy Southampton, BERMUDA, among other places.  Join us any Tuesday evening in January from about 7 pm till after 9 pm and write your own letter(s) to your loved one(s) while sipping your own beer(s). Next one: January 12.

 

COMING SOON:

THE COMPLETE, UNABRIDGED PUBLETTERS SPRING SCHEDULE:

January through May.  Watch this space!

 

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