Mike Lenhart (bio)

The journals were spread around the neighborhood, and world, by simply leaving them in cafes, bar bathrooms, buses, trains, given to strangers, or sent directly to "special folks" with instructions on how to keep the entries flowing. Someguy wanted to see what would happen with this "collaborative art project". Quite a lot of thought and effort went into this, from reading the Introduction, or was it obsession? Nevertheless, the resulting book is a site to behold.

The Foreword of the book is by Kevin Kelly (of Wired magazine fame)who sets up what follows into a true perspective and allows us to value and appreciate the contents in a mindful way.

The 250 entries chosen for this book range from the sort of typical, handwritten journal entries, comic strips, and cut-and-paste murals, to sentimental insights into the minds and hearts of those who bared their souls in the pages. Scary? Twisted? Some entries may be considered that way, but, that's what true art is all about.

The Appendix of the book shows the many unique journal cover designs that were done to assist in the allure of the left-behinds. Someguy has some great friends out there including: Michael Mabry, Amy Franceschini, Gary Baseman, and Linda Zacks who designed some of the beautiful covers.

The 1000 Journals Project is definitely a must-have not only for those who desire to have a conversation-piece on their coffee table but also for those who ever has kept, or still does keep, a journal of their own. I think Someguy hit the nail on the head with this project. By the way, who is this Someguy? We may never know, but let's hope he continues to inspire.