221. Scribe

221. Scribe

From The Allusionist by Helen Zaltzman

November 23, 2025 · 38 min

About this episode

Tim Brookes discusses the significance of handwriting and his new book on the subject.

"I have never felt so naked. That's how exposed I felt at the idea that my handwriting was going to be seen by the world," says Tim Brookes, founder of the Endangered Alphabets Project and author of the new book about handwriting By Hand: Can the Art of Writing Be Saved? Writing the book (yes, by hand!) celebrates the act of handwriting, even overcoming the shame arising from his own. Visit theallusionist.org/scribe for more information about Tim's work and today's topics, plus a transcript of the episode. Support the show at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you also get to list your creative works in this year's Allusioverse Gift Guide, plus behind-the-scenes info about every episode; livestreams with me reading from my ever-growing collection of dictionaries; and the charming and nurturing Allusioverse Discord community, where among daily sharing of thoughts and amusements, we're watching The Princess Bride, the current season of Great Canadian Baking Show, and Game of Wool. This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman, on the unceded ancestral and traditional territory of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish)…

People in this episode

Host: Helen Zaltzman

Guest: Tim Brookes

Topics covered

  • handwriting
  • art
  • education
  • cultural preservation
  • personal expression

Keywords

  • handwriting
  • Endangered Alphabets
  • Tim Brookes
  • By Hand
  • art of writing

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Endangered Alphabets Project

Books & works: By Hand: Can the Art of Writing Be Saved?

Places: xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)

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