Hey everyone!

Frank asked me to post an invitation here for anyone interested in being a PostSecret virtual intern. You can work from home and make your own hours…or more like minutes. It should be a lot of fun.

The first task is to help with the creation of the PostSecret Digital Companion for the new hardcover book. You will be helping us review secrets to include, create content (your stories) and connect secrets. This assignment doesn’t pay but you will be given credit on the acknowledgement page.

If you'd like to get involved you can e-mail me at KKoegel13@gmail.com to get started!

If you are local, or not, the PostSecret picnic is coming up July 12th. Here is a link for more information:
http://www.postsecretcommunity.com/chat/viewtopic.php?t=368310

If you haven’t already, please pre-order the new PostSecret book here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/006233901X/ref=cm_sw_su_dp?tag=authorhcweb-20

Thanks!
-Katie (Head Summer Intern)

PostSecret has been a part of my life for many years, ever since I read my first postcard in middle school. I don’t remember what the secret was, but Frank’s address stood out to me. I realized that I was from the same town, and my twelve-year old self was astounded because I had mistakenly decided that nothing interesting ever happened in my town.

I looked up PostSecret, and discovered a community where strangers were brought together through their most liberating, painful, haunting, and intimate secrets.

Now, years later, as a PostSecret intern, I am excited to be directly working with such a beautiful and influential community. As interns, Katie and I brick 4x6 postcards together to add to the constantly growing pyramid of secrets. We have also been photographing objects that people mail in. These will hopefully be in the new PostSecret digital app.

Here is a small sample of some of the objects and secrets that people mail in to PS.

To me, what makes each postcard and secret so charming is the way that people choose to physically display it. Holding each postcards and object in my hands, even for one second, is absolutely incredible.

-Aimee

I first stumbled upon a PostSecret book when I was at Urban Outfitters in Georgetown, D.C. years ago when the first book came out. I remember looking through the book and the concept of the book forever stayed with me, especially when I saw the address of where the secrets are sent to. Couldn’t believe something so unique was being created so close by to where I live. I thought to myself that it would be so cool to be a part of something utilizing such a creative platform. However, I didn't know how to get myself involved with it. Several years later I tried to see one of Frank’s shows at UMBC and was unable to attend. PostSecret would over the course of eight years, reoccur in my life. More so, recently PostSecret reoccurred as I came up with an idea and realized something of that magnitude already existed. I proceeded to look up PostSecret online to see what it has developed into over the years. Just so happened to check the forum and saw a picnic was to be held about a week or so later at Great Seneca Park. Since, I live not far from there, the spontaneity in me said, “hey, why not”. So, I went, had a great time and had the opportunity to meet Frank. Right off the bat, I enjoyed his energy and it was apparent how much love and respect he has for what he does with PostSecret. He mentioned there were some internship openings available and I jumped at the opportunity to partake in such a special experience. Luckily, Frank offered the internship to me and I gladly accepted.

On the first day, it was surreal to have finally come full circle and see PostSecret from a different point-of-view, not as a reader. One would think being in a room with so many secrets and plenty of them being dark secrets of peoples’ pain that one would be overwhelmed with heaviness; as if you have walked to the vault of darkness. However, I found it be quite the opposite. I see it as the vault of liberation of peoples’ pain, shame, embarrassment, and whatever other emotional release they might have felt after sending in their postcard. It is almost as if it’s a room of indirect connectedness of so many people. As I read through many postcards, some of them I felt an instantaneous bond with the author as I empathized with their words. We’re all more alike than we think we are. It’s just the secrets that we hold within ourselves that may sometimes keep us separated.

From a metaphoric standpoint, I imagine Frank as the male Statue of Liberty safely guarding all the secrets in his arm thus allowing the freedom of people letting go of their secret.

This is what is so special about Frank’s project of collecting secrets is that it brings people together who otherwise wouldn’t have connected on some level. Even if these people who share the same secret never meet, it’s allowed them to feel less alienated in their secret. Not all the secrets are dark. Many of them are lighthearted or downright comical. I’ve enjoyed being a part of the project thus far.

So, may I ask…what is your secret? You already know the addy so send em’ in.

PostSecret Internship 2013!

I’ve been following PostSecret since 2005 so getting this internship was incredibly exciting for me. It’s been a little over a month now since I started working with Frank and seeing the inner workings of PostSecret. It feels so great to be able to get involved with a project I have loved from afar for so long. I always wondered certain things about PostSecret, such as how many postcards he receives a day and how he chooses the weekly secrets. I remember the first day of the internship I asked him so many questions, I think I drove him a little crazy! Our (the other interns and me) first task was to rebuild the pyramid of secrets because the original pyramid was starting to lose its stability. I did not realize how long this task would actually take! Shifting over half a million secrets is a lot of work. We are almost done with it now and hopefully I will be able to share a picture of it later. We’ve worked really hard to create the best design to keep this pyramid stable for as long as possible and I’m very proud of us. When we aren’t busy working on the pyramid, we spend time choosing Sunday secrets. I don’t know how much I can reveal about how that all works because it’s fun to leave the project a bit of a mystery. I will say though that Harry Potter is my favorite theme among the secrets. I mean, who doesn’t wish Hogwarts was real?? That’s all for now, but I hope to update more soon for you all! -Sarah

We want to hear your story!

Hey everyone,

Over the weekend I had a run-in with an avid PostSecret follower - I'll call her "Jen." Jen is a delightful woman who has been keeping up with PostSecret for a while now, and she flipped out a little when she found out that I was the head intern (thanks for making me feel cool, Jen!). We got to talking more in-depth about this elaborate art project, and she revealed that, about a year ago, she had read a secret on the blog that she thought must have been written to her. She said she stared at the secret and started to weep. "I couldn't figure out if I was crying because the secret was written for me ... or because it wasn't."

Although she kept the secret private, it was obvious that it touched her very deeply. Her story is not the first I've heard of PostSecret's impact on someone's life. Another woman wrote in to Frank explaining that she had met her boyfriend of three years through the project. Although they lived over 1500 miles apart and had only ever conversed online, he bought her a ticket to one of the PostSecret events, and she drove all the way across the country to meet him. They have been together ever since.

Still other confessions have included emotionally-distant siblings reconnecting over the project, PostSecret community members donating money to a single mother's Christmas funds for her children, and those who have halted their plans of suicide after connecting with another fan. Hearing these stories or reading such secrets gives me goosebumps every time - and in the month that I've been here, the hair on my arms has raised quite a bit.

So what I request from you, faithful secret holders, are your stories. Does anyone have an exceptional tale of how PostSecret has influenced or changed your life? Fans and followers are the ones that make this project so magnificent and heartfelt, and I know there must be some incredible stories out there. If so, please contact me at postsecretintern@gmail.com. The stories will be shared immediately with Frank as well, and may find their way into the new PostSecret play!

Thanks, and I look forward to reading your stories.

Kaitlin

PS: Here is an example of what we're looking for, from an email that Frank received a few days ago.

Dear Frank,

Recently my mother and I attended your speaking event at my college. We've enjoyed PostSecret books together and looking online every week. She revealed to me on our way to this event, that she too had a secret. I didn't think anything of it... we all have secrets, don't we?

We shared many laughs and a few tears while you spoke, but as soon as you invited people to come up to the microphones to share their own stories, the first young lady who got up, told us of how at the age of 18 her abusive boyfriend had forced her to have an abortion and it had opened her eyes to the amount of love a mother has for their child.

I could hear my mother's crying gasp as I turned to her. She was looking up with tears streaming down her face, she whispered, "That's my secret." I couldn't hear anyone else coming to the microphone after that first young lady. We held each other and just cried...

An Intern's First Impressions

Sarah, Michelle, Frank, Ashley, and Kaitlin

Hi everyone, I'm Sarah, the new intern!

Upon first entrance into the top-secret location of the PostSecret Lair, I was overcome with a feeling that can only be correctly expressed in one word—gobsmacked. More than 250,000 secrets were carefully made, comprised of laughter, tears, hopes, dreams, and sadness. All of those secrets were equally as carefully dealt with. Each one was read, digested, sorted and stored. All the individual secrets are stored together to form a giant mountain of secrets. Mt. PostSecret, as I like to call it, is quite impressive, even rivaling some of the mountains I’m used to seeing in my native Colorado (on a slightly different scale of course)!

As an intern, the majority of my time is spent sorting and organizing all the PostSecrets, making bricks to add to the ever-growing Mt. PostSecret. After my first week, I can say there are some similar themes that keep popping up in the secrets. First, it seems everyone is in love with their best friend but is afraid to tell them. This secret is very common; maybe your best friend feels the same way?! Another popular secret is about cheating in a relationship. Whether it is from the person who cheated, or the one that got cheated on, it seems sadness comes from both parties. Other common secrets are about depression and loneliness. I wish there was a way to connect all the lonely people out there because although lonely, they are certainly not alone in their feelings! Maybe one day there will be an app for that?

Another fun task we do as interns is helping Frank translate or decode PostSecrets. I feel like a detective and it is really cool to be able to engage a secret and try to understand its true meaning. From my one week as in intern, I’ve already learned how to read Braille, how awesome is that?

We have some great stuff in the works for this summer; I’m so excited and can’t wait to share it all with you! The PostSecret community is truly amazing and wouldn’t be possible without all the brave people like you who share your secrets! Thanks for allowing us interns to see your secrets, we have bonded over so many of them already!

Until next time,

Sarah

PS: Kaitlin here, encroaching on Sarah's post. I want to reiterate that SERIOUSLY Y'ALL, if you are in love with your best friend, chances are they are in love with you too!! That has to be the secret we get the most! Everyone is diggin' on their BFF. So... maybe you should go for it!

Popular Myths About PostSecret

Hey everyone! Recently I came across someone on the Internet spewing false accusations about the truthfulness of PostSecret. While my online battle with him is besides the point (the important thing is that I was victorious), it got me thinking that there are many myths about PostSecret that are swirling around out there. Allow me to address the three main misconceptions that I've heard.

Myth #1: Frank makes all of the postcards himself.
Truth: All I can really say to this is LOL. People actually think that this guy sits around making postcards with different languages, handwritings, and images all day? Besides, even if this had been true, people would have started sending in their own secrets eventually. But no, Frank does not make the postcards. I’m giggling at the thought of him sitting with just a glue stick, glitter and his imagination all day.

Myth #2: Frank doesn’t read all of the secrets or keep all of them.
Truth: Every secret is mailed to Frank’s house. I see him read each secret everyday. He has this same look on his face while he reads them that is simultaneously very serious and thoughtful. He then hands them off to us to organize and archive in the PostSecret lair until he decides how best to use them. He still owns every single postcard that he has ever received, and I’ve heard him refer to it as a “precious archive.”

Myth #3: There’s an online archive of secrets that have appeared on the website in the past.
Truth: There is no official online archive that Frank manages of past website secrets. Frank has mentioned how he wants to build a long-term relationship with the PostSecret fans; if there were an online archive, many people might spend all night reading hundreds of secrets and become burnt out, and perhaps never read PostSecret again. He wants it to be more like a TV show: there's one episode a week, and hopefully it keeps people interested enough to keep coming back for more.

There are more secrets to debunk, but right now this post is getting a bit long, so more will come later! Who else has a myth that they'd like us to address?

-Kaitlin

Decoding

Hey everyone,

We got this postcard yesterday. It has a pattern of numbers on the back. Can anyone figure out if they mean anything? Click on the picture to see a larger version.





-Kaitlin

Internship Inquiries

Hey everyone, it's Kaitlin.

The internship at PostSecret is one that's not only a lot of fun, but also full of responsibility. Each summer, interns make sure that every secret is handled properly and stored safely, and we take care to ensure that not a single postcard is lost.

We almost have a full team of interns this summer, but we're looking for one more motivated, hard-working PostSecret enthusiast. The unpaid internship takes a lot of effort and if you meet the requirements below and feel that you would be right for the job, please send your resumes to postsecretintern@gmail.com (anything emailed to this address goes to the interns at PostSecret).

Requirements:
-Must live within commuting distance of Germantown, MD.

-Must own a car.
-Must be able to start immediately.

-Must be able to keep the location of the PostSecret Lair confidential! :)

Thanks y'all!

First day!

PostSecret is officially the coolest thing ever.

Today was my first day as the PostSecret head intern, and it was incredible. I met Frank and we sat on the porch in the beautiful weather and discussed the plans that he has for this summer, and some really good stuff is in the works. When you all find out what's going on, your brain is going to explode with awesomeness. Trust me on this.

We then traveled to what I have appropriately coined the "PostSecret Lair." I can't give out too many details, but it's basically the cave where Frank reads and keeps all of the secrets. There are thousands upon thousands of postcards that he organizes after he reads them... and he reads every single one of them! This man is dedicated to his project. Who wouldn't be? It's fantastic. He handed me a bin of the secrets he was finished reading, and my job is to archive them until they can be used at a later date. Holding those postcards in my hand is something I will never forget. It's like being able to read a thousand PostSecret books at once. It's awe-inspiring. You guys and gals who submit secrets are amazing, multi-faceted, strong people.

Before I left, we took a picture of me in front of the famous mailbox that receives all of those postcards. Here it is. If you can't tell by my pained but elated expression, it was awfully bright outside.





Until next time,
Kaitlin

New Summer, New Faces

Scene: Me standing in the common room of my dorm, jumping up and down in the middle of five bewildered strangers. I had just gotten off of the phone with Frank Warren, the creator of PostSecret, and he had offered me a job this summer. I was trying not to squeal too much.

My first thought: Mind exploding. Can’t even think. This is going to be the best summer ever. I am going to see the postcards, hold these people’s secrets in my hand.

My second thought: this must be some sort of joke. Someone on the internet is messing with me, and I’m going to end up looking like an idiot. That person I just talked to on the phone is probably having a really good laugh right now at my expense. So what did I do? Like any good internet sleuth, I looked up a Frank Warren interview to see if the voice was similar. I found one on youtube, and sure enough, the voices matched. I re-examined the last five minutes of my life and realized that this might actually be real.

Cut to calling my best friend. Voicemail. Very disappointing. Cut to calling my boyfriend. Voicemail!! Curses! I decided I don’t like either of them that much anyway. So I called my little sister. “Corinne…” I said with a shaky voice. “I just got the job as the PostSecret intern.” I don’t remember her exact reaction because I was still in shock, but it was something along the lines of “OMG OMGZ OMG OMG OMG ARE YOU SERIOUS THAT’S SO COOL OMG ARE YOU GOING TO MEET THE GUY WHO MAKES THE BOOKS ARE YOU GOING TO SEE THE POSTCARDS OMG SOOOOO JEALOUS.” Or something like that.

Here I am, a few months later, about to start my internship, and I could not be more excited. My name is Kaitlin, and this summer I will be joined by veteran intern Michelle (you can find her old posts further on this blog) and new intern Ashley. I look forward to blogging for you.

PS- Anyone else have any exciting job stories? Let me hear them in the comments section!

PostSecret Community Picnic

I’ve been a long-time fan of the PostSecret blog. As long as I can remember, I have been checking the site every Sunday, eager to see what had been posted for that week. Every single secret is touching in its own way, but there were some that have resonated with me more than others over the years. One of these is a card I believe was posted in August 2006: “We’re all more alike than I ever could have imagined.” After attending this year’s PostSecret Picnic, I couldn’t help but think about that card.

Let me start by saying that I am not an active member of the online PostSecret community – I’m a pretty shy person, even in an online setting, and I never had the courage to ever post anything on the message boards. I knew that the picnic was for the community members, so I was apprehensive about attending – what if I have no one to talk to? What if I can’t think of anything to say? What if I can’t find anything in common with anyone there? Despite my nerves, I looked forward to attending – worst case scenario, it would be an uncomfortable afternoon and I would be able to go home afterward and move on.

After being at the picnic for awhile, however, I quickly realized I should not have been so worried. What I love most about PostSecret is its ability to bring thousands of strangers together in one great community. This picnic was just a small cross-section of that enormous group, but we definitely all had at least one thing in common – PostSecret. I talked to some of the attendees and swapped stories about postcards that carried extra meaning. PostSecret serves as a great icebreaker, and this shared interest led to conversations ranging from favorite band to darkest moments in life. Over the course of several hours, I could see that despite the differences between everyone who was there, we all really were more alike than I ever did imagine.

The talks by Frank, Reese and Casie were all great and led me to understand a bit more about PostSecret, Hopeline and the issues they deal with. However, it was my discussions with people there like me that affected me the most – recognizing myself in the stories of these strangers. It’s thanks to groups like the PostSecret community that we are able to realize how connected we all are.

-Kirsty

Hey guys!

Included in this past weeks mail was a post card from an illegal immigrant in San Francisco contemplating jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. If you haven't seen it on the website, please check it out!

We were all so moved by the post card and apparently, you were too! Within the past several days, a Facebook group called "Please Don’t Jump" has nearly gained 32,000 members and thousands of supportive comments.

An event is being held on Sunday at the Golden Gate bridge in hopes of helping the sender and other's facing a similar situation. Time's News Feed has already covered this story and we are hoping to gain publicity from several other publications. We would greatly appreciate your support!

Any help at all! Send the link to your local papers, join the facebook group; anything!

Thanks,

Tyler

...Worth All the Papercuts

As interns, a vast majority of our time is spent archiving and organizing secrets-- a task far more dangerous than you'd expect. We're subjected to glittery postcards, sticky postcards, but worst of all... postcards with sharp edges. "Sorry this job doesn't come with health insurance," Frank jokes as I reach for my second band aid of the day.

It's definitely worth all the papercuts. Besides archiving secrets, we interns do everything from brainstorming ways to improve the PostSecret website to helping plan the PostSecret Community picnic. Last week, we even got to help pick some of the Sunday Secrets. Andrew and I spent over 3 hours going through some of the secrets from the past few weeks, and picked out a couple that really stood out to us.

One day's worth of secrets.

Frank gets a LOT of secrets every day, and spends a long time carefully reading each one and deciding whether to post it or set it aside for a display. It was pretty cool to have a little input in the decision process. I related to this secret the most, and was excited it was included in the website this week.

-Michelle

New Interns!!!

As far as first days of new jobs go, this one was by far the most interesting one I'd ever had. After getting a mini tour of headquarters, Ruthie (one of the other new interns) and I sat down with Frank and talked about the PostSecret project in general, and what we, as interns, hoped to gain from the experience. Frank also shared some funny stories and some homemade cookies. My favorite story was about how a couple of fans once called the police to check up on Frank and make sure he was okay when he didn't update the Sunday Secrets on time--- just goes to show what a caring fan base PostSecret has.

After our chat, we got down to business- "brick" making. Frank had us go through older secrets and organize them into neat little piles that were all the same size. It was pretty difficult to sort through the secrets without reading all of them.


"bricks" of secrets




This summer's gonna be great.

-Michelle

A typical evening in the life of a PostSecret.com intern

Last Tuesday evening (August 28th) Lindsey and I both arrived at the PostSecret headquarters as usual, and I (Hayley) decided to take a few photos to show everyone what exactly being an intern for PostSecret.com entails. So, welcome to an evening with me and Lindsey!


Lindsey suggested last week when we were brainstorming that possibly Frank could auction off one of the large canvas-pieces of the blown-up postcards (used in the All-American Rejects' music video for "Dirty Little Secret") for charity. All of the money would go to benefit 1800-SUICIDE. So, the first item on the agenda was to choose one of the lovely huge postcard pieces to auction off.


Frank also decides he'll auction off a galley copy of the new book, A Lifetime of Secrets, that's set to come out in October, for the 1800-SUICIDE charity as well.


We puttered about and looked through the galley for the upcoming A Lifetime of Secrets book and other such things, but these photos pretty much cover the evening.

New intern!

Hullo! I'm Hayley, and in the beginning of July I began working with Frank as one of his PostSecret interns. So far, I must say the experience has been like nothing I've ever experienced before, particuarly where jobs are concerned.

The other evening I came across one secret which stopped me in my tracks, namely because just the night before I had scribbled the same secret in my own personal journal, and had absently thought to myself that I should send it to Frank. And here was someone who had scrawled the same words down. Honestly, if I could find this person (alas, due to the anonymoous nature of PostSecret, I shall never know!) I would ask them to be my new best friend happily ever after. But it really doesn't matter if that person remains a mystery to me - the point is that they exist, that we are not alone.

It's an interesting experience, and I'm enjoying every minute of it.

True or False?

A common concern, or at least an obvious one, for audiences or the creator seems to be, "How do you know that the secrets that are being sent in are real?" I would hate to think that some individuals, rather than respect the project, simply aspire to be published on the website and therefore attempt to fabricate the most extreme "secret" simply for their five minutes of fame.

Perplexed, I asked Frank for his thoughts on this potential problem, and his reply was unexpected. He said that he didn't see the secrets as true or false. He views them as works of art.

The part of me that wants to view everything as black or white did not like that answer. Isn't the point of the project that the secrets are true? I was hoping for a more combative response such as "It is a problem, and we need to do something about it!" But I guess when you consider the project, and how the project is just as much about the audience as it is about the artist, the secret may be true for someone somewhere. The impact doesn't have to be on the artist's side for the project to be affective.



My favorite secret this week because I feel similarly:

~Nicole~

The Search for Frank Warren's Next PostSecret Intern

Unfortunately, Jenna and I can't be PostSecret interns forever, so Frank has entrusted us with the task of receiving applications and interviewing for the next interns. I leave at the end of June, and Jenna finishes in August. Frank wants to continue having two interns, and Jenna will be able to "train" the first new intern until she leaves.

We have started a facebook group, "I want to be a PostSecret intern!". Join our group! Feel free to ask us questions about the job or about the application process. Frank is excited about the intern program, and it is definitely a worthwhile experience. We look forward to hearing from you!

~Nicole~

Opening Day

Friday the 13th was the premiere of Artomatic 2007 and I was dutifully in charge of making sure Frank Warren's hard work didn't go unseen. Excited and nervous to have such a huge responsibility on my hands, I rushed down to Crystal City to set up the PostSecret room. You'd think all I had to do was push play, but just my luck the whole tv and dvd had been unplugged for the inspector. I had to reset everything (luckily Frank had forseen such events and given me directions to do so). A few fellows poked their heads in and asked if I had broken it, but thankfully I had not, hah. So finally I got the exhibit up and running; I patched the few post cards that had fallen back up on the walls; I placed PostSecret post cards on the pews and turned out the lights.

Artomatic went off without a hitch and a rough 4,000 people walked the halls. There we're so many artists there and I really feel like Frank created a mini-sanctuary away from all the clamor and bright lights. In his little room with two church pews and the cool darkness, you could relax and be invited into a world of secrets (perhaps some you might recognize in yourself). Frank said he wanted the experience to be almost spiritual and I think that is what he achieved. I imagined a conversation or a struggle forming within a person as they viewed the secrets on the screen. A few times I sat in the room watching with a stranger and I noted their reactions. They laughed to themselves and silently regarded the secrets that seemed to hit home, but I almost felt as if I wasn't suppose to be there. Seeing someone else read secrets seemed like an invasion of privacy. I wonder if I hadn't been there if those people would have laughed louder or perhaps cried. I will never know.

The room was a place I always returned to after making a few rounds to other exhibits. It was like a hideout. A place where I could rest my feet and feel no urgency to get up and leave.

- Jenna