I made several attempts to keep a diary when I was young, but none of them lasted.
My most interesting effort was in junior high, when I fashioned my diary (a spiral-bound notebook) into a sort of newsletter with an audience of — who? I don’t quite remember if I intended to share the newsletter with others. The publication was called The Reader’s Raisin. As I recall, The Reader’s Raisin contained drawings and other doo-dads not typical of diaries.
In that way, it was perhaps typical of the project NPR has launched on Flickr, The Hidden World of Girls and the page shown here from Theresa Anderson’s diary.
I wish I knew more about the purpose of this project and what inspired it. Neither the Flickr site nor the NPR page on the project say very much beyond this on the NPR site:
With enough of them, they could form a comprehensive tapestry — from elation to depression — of life experiences.
The NPR page also offers interesting comments on folks’ experiences with diaries.
Dear Kathy, Thank you for posting one of my art journal pages on your blog. These specific pages were done during a week spent on jury duty. As an artist, these are my most personal work that I don’t typically share with anyone. Recently I have opened them up to a wider audience, with some trepidation. You may see more of my work on my blog/ website.
Best to you, theresa
Thanks for commenting, and thanks for your willingness to share your work (although now I feel slightly guilty!).