What happens when a typewriter becomes a tool for collective memory? In this episode, Rob Lee reconnects with interdisciplinary artist and activist Sheryl Oring—first featured on the podcast in 2023. Sheryl returns with updates on I Wish to Say, her decades-long public performance project where thousands have dictated postcards to the U.S. president. What began as a solo typewriter setup is now an evolving civic archive—and a way to resist censorship, document the moment, and hold space for unheard voices.
This conversation follows a pivotal year for Sheryl—marked by the sudden closure of University of the Arts in Philadelphia—and explores how loss, listening, and literal paper trails have shaped her latest work.
- Resisting censorship: serving as the first artist on the board of the National Coalition Against Censorship
- Typing on tour: collecting messages from parks, libraries, and campuses during an election year
- Analog permanence: archiving 5,000+ typewritten postcards and the invisible labor of cultural memory
- Post-UArts Philly: navigating grief, disillusionment, and artistic renewal after institutional collapse
- Fear and self-censorship: how public expression is shifting for immigrants, youth, and marginalized communities
- Libraries as sanctuary: preserving democratic space as book bans and closures escalate
- Art as care: on fermenting, gardening, and rituals that ground a life in transition
Sheryl first appeared on The Truth in This Art in 2023—listen to that conversation [here].
This episode was recorded during a season reflecting on archives, resilience, and artists working at the intersection of public space and democratic expression.
Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:
- Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis
- Edited by Daniel Alexis
- Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor
Photos:
- Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.
- Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.
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