August 2009
11 posts
3 tags
three wee keys
from Hayley, who was a child liked to play with anything grown-up, including keys. she sent a letter in October and another in late December, and now I have sent something back to her and it is August.
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"... no matter how big the door is, you are ready...
From the wonderous Yoshiki, who sent the keys wrapped in his physics exam, on which he scored excellent marks.
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From Courtney, a fellow collector of keys
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"It may bring you luck..."
Dear Beth,
Here is my key…
It may bring you luck…
It may bring you sadness…
It has brought me both…
I guess it evens itself out…
It is quite ordinary…
But very special also…
The key has traveled with me for many, many years now…
From here on out it will travel with you, my dear Beth.
Much love,
Lorraine
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Keys of Failure and Success and Hope
Dear unknown Beth
I’m rather at a loss how to start this. Quite some time ago now, I read your blog asking for other people’s keys. I absolutely loved the idea of collecting the keys— so full of symbols!— and stories of complete strangers.
That day, I decided to send you my keys of Failure and with them my (tearful, rather childish) story of how I failed to learn...
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Rebekah's Lockpicks
Beth-
Enclosed are a homemade set of lockpicks that I made when I was fourteen. To try to prevent me from sneaking out, my mom put a lock on my bedroom door with a double sided keyhole—and she had the only key. Of course, she underestimated my desire to get out of her house every night.
I’m all grown up now and have no more need for them, but for some reason I’ve never been...
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The Monstrous Key Owner/Thief
It must have been in the early 2000s, if not 1999, when I first moved to Massachusettes. Being only around 9 or 10, this was only my first or second time in a big city like Boston. I remember that on the edge of a fountain, near a huge building (now I assume it must have been a building of apartments), I found this monster key. I justified taking it because it was in plain sight for anyone to...
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once upon a time in italy
(note: it’s worth pointing out that Sylvia K, who sent this key, is a tremendous artist. she is modest on the internet, but her work is worth seeking out, and she did a beautiful portrait of me that can be seen here.)
Once upon a time, in a small town in Italy (constantly plunged into fog), there was a little girl in a pretty red coat. She felt lost, lonely, clinging tight to her...
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the key to the garden
Dear Beth,
This key used to open the door to the garden in my building. We lost our home in 2005, and were rehoused in a really nasty area. I fought hard to get out.
When I got the letter saying we could move I jumped for joy and twisted my ankle. Good, eh?
I’m grateful every day for living here and for the garden. Despite living almost in the city centre, it’s huge, full of...
"God bless central heating."
January 28th, 2009
My dear Miss Hommel,
This rather humble key belonged to a medium-sized oak chest that I ended up using for firewood. It was a dark and stormy night, the kind of night that makes a lone—and rather chilly— pilgrim take a crowbar to antique furniture in order to feed a dying fire. The crowbar was not only necessary to take the chest apart, but also necessary to...
February 2009
1 post
Other People's Keys... it's not dead
For those of you who think this is totally tl;dr, here are a few bullet points:
1.) If you sent me a key and then you moved, email me (beth hommel at gmail) your new address so I can send you a THING.
2.) Yes, I am still accepting keys. Probably when I am an old lady I will still be collecting keys. My house will be full of keys. I think I sealed my fate the night I got that first one...
October 2008
2 posts
September 2008
1 post
1 tag
August 2008
3 posts
So, the keys have started to arrive. I am… stunned.. at what I am getting in the mail. Not just the keys, but the STORIES of the keys. I love this. This is an amazing, unexpected light in my life. We are making ART together. I didn’t even know it. (I am also sad, because apparently keys that are not wrapped in something do not go through the mail that well. A couple of letters...
I have what I think is a fun game. I have started collecting keys. They’ve been coming into my life in droves. I find them on the street and in the pockets of jackets I don’t remember wearing. I want more. I want to hang them from my ceiling with dental floss to create strange upside-down key forests. The wind will blow and they’ll make music. I’ll be prepared to open any...