University News
"Most Trusted Stranger in America" to Speak at Western Feb. 11
January 22, 2009
MACOMB, IL -- Frank Warren, founder of the PostSecret Project, "a collection of over 300,000 personally designed postcards mailed anonymously from around the globe," is scheduled to speak at Western Illinois University at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11, in the University Union Grand Ballroom.
"What started out by handing out blank postcards in a train station has turned into a community mail art project that has been featured in art galleries around the world," said Joelle Khairallah, graduate assistant in WIU's student activities office. "The secrets that people reveal cover topics from hopes, fantasies, sexual desires, embarrassing habits and funny experiences to racism, sexism, infidelity, eating disorders, drug abuse and mental health issues."
According to Khairallah, in 2006, the PostSecret website was awarded "Weblog of the Year" and "Best American Weblog." She also noted that Warren has made many television and radio appearances including on the "Today Show," "Good Morning America," "20/20," CNN, MSNBC, NPR, Fox News and the BBC.
"Warren explains that 'when people think they're keeping secrets, the truth may be that the secrets are keeping them and could well be affecting relationships and the way people see the world,'" Khairallah said. "Warren's project provides us with a way to tell our secrets without fear of judgment or rejection. In creating a postcard, we release the ownership of our secrets; in reading them, we take a step closer to appreciating just how real, complex and human we all are," she added.
Tickets for the "The Most Trusted Stranger in America" are available at the Hainline Theatre Box Office -- call (309) 298-2900 -- on the Macomb campus. Tickets are free to WIU students (with student ID) and $8 each for the public. Tickets can also be purchased online by visiting www.wiu.edu/bca (scroll down to the bottom of the page, and click on the "Ticket Sales" button). Only 1,000 tickets are available, so interested individuals should reserve their tickets early.
For more information, contact Khairallah at (309) 298-3232 or J-Khairallah@wiu.edu, or Ashley Brown, at WIU's Bureau of Cultural Affairs, at (309) 298-3571 or
AN-Brown@wiu.edu. Learn more about PostSecret at www.postsecretcommunity.com.
Posted By: Teresa Koltzenburg (WIUNews@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing
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