You get to “share the written word with the public in a way that’s not intimidating,” said Kate Skrainka, who was out typing for the public on Saturday morning in front of Open Shutter Gallery with friends Heather Martinez and Crystal Hartman. The trio will take dictation or type original creations on the spot for passersby in exchange for tips and friendly conversation.
“There’s something about the rhythm and physicality of typing,” said Kate Skrainka, left, who was out typing for the public on Saturday morning in front of Open Shutter Gallery with friends Heather Martinez and Crystal Hartman, right.
Crystal Hartman, left, hands over a poem she wrote for Haley Miller, 18, after her dad, Jim Miller, made a request on Saturday morning in front of Open Shutter Gallery.
A trio of typists offer their poetic services to the public on Saturday morning in front of Open Shutter Gallery.
STEVE LEWIS/Durango Herald<br><br>Kate Skrainka, left, Heather Martinez, center, and Crystal Hartman, right, have been out in front of Open Shutter Gallery from about 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the last three Saturdays typing poems and other things for the public during the Cowboy Poetry Gathering and the Heritage Celebration. The trio says they plan to do it again this Saturday. At right is Doug Brady.
With no time for correction tape or fluid, the example Skrainka typed for a passing newspaper editor demonstrates why the “Backspace” key is so vital to modern typewriting. But there’s an unmistakable charm to the authenticity of a missive wrought on a vintage machine. The ladies have spent their recent Saturday late mornings and early afternoons at the their Olivettis – Crystal Hartman on a Lettera 32 (circa 1963), Heather Martinez on a Valentine (c. 1969) and Kate Skrainka on a Lettera 35 (mid-1960s).
