About PostSecret

A couple of weeks ago I discovered PostSecret.

I found out about this while shopping on Amazon and saw that other people who bought the books I own had also purchased the PostSecret book, compiled by Frank Warren.



In reading about the book I found out this started with a website. I immediately pointed my browser to the site to check it out.

Apparently millions already know about PostSecret, so I have been in the dark. I will share the information in case you are also in the dark.

Here is what it is and how it works. If a person has a secret, being defined as a secret that they have never told anyone else, and then they qualify to participate. The person designs their own 4x6 inch postcard and mails it to a certain address. This is done anonymously. This is kind of a confessional and catharsis thing.

Selected postcards are featured on the PostSecret website. The new images are uploaded each Sunday. The site only shows the images for one week; there are no archives.

A book has been published which is a compilation of some of the submissions to date. The book is fascinating. I bought it with money that was given to me for Christmas. Unfortunately I don’t feel that it is a good coffee table book for our family as some of the images and content are inappropriate for children.

Last week an art exhibit in Washington D.C., of PostSecret postcards ended. I read that over 15,000 people attended. I would have liked to have gone!

I find some of the postcards hilarious and others very sad. Some have even brought tears to my eyes. It is hard to believe some of them, I wonder if some are made up for shock value just to get published.

Before you view the site be forewarned that some of the content can be emotionally disturbing or inappropriate for young children, or for you to view while at work! Some of the content may even disturb an adult or be against your morals or beliefs. For example the secret may be about a rape, sexual abuse, sex, or any other type of sin. The secrets are also sometimes funny or silly. Some have nudity. You never know what will appear. A recent one that caught my attention was a reference that a woman is scared she will never be able to conceive a child again, and stated she ‘killed’ her first baby (I assume through abortion).

If a person’s postcard is featured on the site the person sometimes writes in with comments or background information about their postcard.

If you want to send in a postcard, here is the address to use:

PostSecret
13345 Copper Ridge Road
Germantown, MD 20874-3454
USA

What do you think of PostSecret?