I’ve been studying and trying to promote indigenous and minority writing systems for 15 years, and yet when I say “Endangered Alphabets” most people just look blank and confused. There is little interest in or funding for the study of writing systems, and even less for writing endangerment. Most colleges and universities don’t teach about […]
It has been called the Writing Beyond Writing Book Club, it has been called The Art of Writing–whatever its name, it is the most enjoyable, fun, thought-provoking, full-of-unexpected-twists-and-turns conversation pit I’ve ever been in. In general, the running theme is “What is writing?” But we have covered fields and gone down rabbit holes that range […]
There is very little recognition, let alone praise, for people who are working to revive their traditional or emerging scripts. An endangered or emerging alphabet is almost always a symptom of a marginalized or suppressed community—a group of people who are routinely dismissed or discriminated against by their neighbors and, often, by the regional or […]
As part of our World Endangered Writing Day 2025 celebration of calligraphy in minority scripts, we’ve compiled–well, Alana Brown did most of the work–this set of recommendations, mostly on Instagram, where you can see some of the rich profusion of the work being done to sustain minority writing through art. Reminder: you can register for […]
