QWERTYFEST 2024 log
Milwaukee was a hub of industry and innovation in the 19th century. One of the Cream City’s most enduring products is the modern typewriter with its QWERTY keyboard, a configuration that has carried on in laptops, tablets and cellphones. Rather than going alphabetical, Milwaukee inventor Christopher Latham Sholes devised the arrangement to keep commonly used keys from jamming.
His insight is honored once again by the annual QWERTYFEST MKE, a three-day event next month with numerous activities at several venues. A fundraiser for QWERTYFEST on Thursday, June 6 at the Oriental Theatre will feature filmmaker Doug Nichol’s California Typewriter. The documentary references the typewriter’s Milwaukee origins and includes appearances by typewriter enthusiasts such as Tom Hanks and Sam Shepard. Tickets available here: mkefilm.org/oriental-theatre/events/california-typewriter
Not unlike vinyl LPs and cassette tapes, typewriters are an obsolescent technology that has enjoyed a revival of interest in recent years. Many people want to put both hands, not just their thumbs, on the physical reality around them in a pushback against the virtuality of today’s society. QWERTYFEST is organized by author Tea Krulos, a Shepherd Express columnist, and OnMilwaukee’s Molly Snyder.
QWERTYFEST MKE Lineup
Friday, June 21: National Typewriter Day Ball at Turner Hall. Musical performances by Boston Typewriter Orchestra and Wendy Marcus Measures of Escapement; DJ Swing Shift spins records on a Victrola; the Clackathon typing competition; plus interactive writing and mailing stations, the DarkFusion Systems Gaming Lounge, vendors, food and drink and more.
Saturday, June 22: QWERTYFEST at Mitchell Street Arts. Workshops and presentations on typewriters, writing and creativity, history and art. Presentations are free, but because of limited capacity, please register at: qwertyfest.com. Stick around for the Whisky Type after party at Great Lakes Distillery.
Sunday, June 23: QWERTYFEST Activities Day. Typewriter Brunch Open Jam at X-Ray Arcade; “QWERTY Journey” tour at Forest Home Cemetery; Mapping the Qwertyverse at Milwaukee Central Library; and an open house at the Charles Allis Art Museum with Anchor Press, Paper and Print.
For more information, visit qwertyfest.com, facebook.com/qwertyfest or instagram.com/qwertyfest_mke.
