Where I almost stumbled into catastrophe was when the postcard, this strange clandestine umbilical cord, couldn't be found. Why travel if I didn’t encounter any images on my path?
—Serge Daney, Postcards from the Cinema
A print magazine animates paper through a language of signs, through which it attempts to communicate, share ideas, reveal things unknown, and seek out like-minded spirits–that is, you, the readers. It is mostly a one-way communication—us to you—but needn't and certainly shouldn’t be. We do want to hear from you.
While the Notebook magazine deliberately refrains from publishing regular sections and/or features, the potential and possibility of giving space to and establishing a connection with such like-minded spirits as yourselves is just too compelling to pass up.
We are inviting Notebook readers from all over the world to send us postcards. We wish, in our own way, to pay homage to the world’s first social network—physical postcards—and our magazine’s embodiment of a physical object sent around the globe, and combine it with the longstanding magazine tradition of the “letters section.”
Like a print magazine itself, a postcard is a vessel that travels through space and time to reach another, invites an experience, and is an object that holds and is held, one made possible both by sophisticated industries like printers and individual laborers, like postal workers.
In this spirit, we ask you to send us a postcard of your choosing with your message handwritten on the reverse. We will read every postcard we receive and publish the most memorable ones in future issues of the Notebook magazine.
Your message could be:
- Feedback on the magazine or a response to a specific image, article, or idea
- Thoughts on the state of film, filmgoing, filmmaking, or film criticism
- A response to a film or scene
- An idea, a pitch, a wish, or a proposal for the magazine
- Your favorite quote or movie memory
- Tips on local cinemas or a local film scene
- A vision, a prediction, a provocation
- A short story, or maybe a confession
- Some mail art: A drawing, doodle, photograph, collage, painting, or a comic strip
- Something else entirely. The space is limited, but the possibilities are bountiful. Be imaginative!
We look forward to receiving your mail.
THE DETAILS
Postcards can be store-bought, branded, or handmade, as long as they haven’t been previously used.
Costs of the postcards and postage are the responsibility of the sender.
Don’t forget to include the correct postage on the top right corner and keep in mind that the clearer the mailing address is written, the faster and more likely it is for postcards to get to us.
We encourage the use of colorful or interesting stamps.
Please mail your postcards without an envelope.
You may use any language.
Feel free to post photos of the postcards that you are sending on social media.
Carefully consider sending sensitive images—we will not publish postcards containing inflammatory, or explicit, images.
Do not use language that is offensive, inflammatory, or libelous.
Please do not include personal information such as physical addresses or phone numbers which may relate to you or other individuals. Similarly, avoid including a return address on the postcards.
Do not make any commercial endorsement or promotion of any product.
Do not send anything other than postcards (though who doesn’t appreciate unbidden gifts?).
We reserve the right to select or reject at our sole discretion any postcards we receive for publication.
By sending a postcard, you agree that you alone have rights to the content created and you give us the right to publish it in Notebook magazine and/or on MUBI’s social media channels.
If you see that your postcard has been selected for publication, please contact us at magazine@mubi.com to receive a special gift.