Enter Postcrossing, the new project that allows you to receive postcards from random locations worldwide. All you have to do is register with Postcrossing and start mailing postcards to the addresses they provide you with in order to start receiving cards from random locations. So why not sign up and start swapping your story with new friends from all over the world?

Get Your War On

Doors open at 6. Show starts promptly at 7. We’re kicked out of the Highline by 10.
The Highline Ballroom
431 W. 16th St., NYC
Buy tickets here.

Whether it happened when you started your first post-college job, bought your first home, or simply the first time somebody called you “Sir,” the moment you suddenly notice that your all grown up is a huge milestone in anyone’s life. So, why not go ahead and share your story with the rest of us? And let’s not get too down on the idea of growing old. Because honestly, I’m a firm believer that being an adult is way more fun than being a teenager if you do it right. There is evidence to support this theory.

Thousands of teens have flocked to SMITH Teens to share their life stories in six words. We’ve put hundreds of them in our latest book, I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous & Obscure, which NYT’s columnist David Carr calls it “Fab…a must read,” while Publishers Weekly writes: “The range of powerful emotions, expressed in just a few words, is an ideal oick for teens seeking evocative, easily relatable stories.” Our evening and open-to-all-teens slam at the library should be a memorable night of self-expression, storytelling, and secret-sharing. Teens, we hope you’ll arrive psyched to read a six-word memoir on stage—you’re what will make this night amazing.

Need inspiration? Check out the beautiful magic happening over at SMITH Teens. Or press play below.

The Kodak-sponsored What’s Your Story Flickr Pool is a great place to share the photographic evidence of your life and the story behind it. It’s also really fun to cruise through the various discussion threads and check out what somebody else’s life looks life. There are a bunch of cool discussions currently going on, such as Happy Accident Photos and my personal favorite, Food Photos.

And if you need more convincing to check out this very cool project, I think you need look no further than this photo of a pug mid-yawn. You’re welcome.

Stories of Health is a new project that looks to “fully understand how severe of a crisis we’re in” by listening to your story of how the current health care system is affecting your life. The project started with creators Stanford Williams and Paul Schreiber getting some fellow Californians in front of a camera and simply having them tell their story. So far the project has produced some really great pieces and they’ve decided to open up the forum to the rest of the nation. Specifically, they’re looking for responses to the following questions:

What was your experience with the health care system?

Were you denied coverage you were due? Lose your insurance?

Did you have to go to the emergency room?

Did someone in your family declare bankruptcy because of medical bills?

Did you have to choose between buying food and seeing the doctor?

No one.

Last night, I ended a yoga class with a lucky break: my instructor and pal, Kari Harendorf, was just one week away from giving birth. I only had my iphone to get the photo, but the quality of the shot takes nothing away from the beauty of the image.

A few months ago, I got wonderful shots of my pal from ESPN, Nicole Blades, and a certain person I’ve know for every single day she’s been on earth: my little sister.

Scroll toward the bottom of SMITH Mag’s ongoing Beautiful Pregnant Women photo essay for these recent additions—things of beauty, all.

Specs, a journal of contemporary arts and culture put out by Rollins College, is currently looking for creative work on the subject from students and non-students alike for their upcoming third issue. In addition to accepting works of non-fiction, fiction, and cultural criticism, they’re also accepting visual art, poetry and any other pieces that “blur the genre boundaries.” Full details on submitting can be found on their website and submissions will be accepted up until February 15.

Submissions can be up to three minutes long will be accepted up until midnight on January 31, 2010, at which point semi-finalists will be chosen and the eventual winners will later be selected by the general public via online votes. The eight winners will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to New York, Washington, D.C. and Hollywood where they will attend screenings of their work while meeting with democracy advocates from government as well as the film industry. So why not try to come up with an interesting answer to these six-words: What does democracy mean to you?