There is something singularly special about a pencil or a pen in our hand. It is a direct vehicle to channel our words, drawings, plans (Happy New Year!), ideas, and any other number of wonders residing in our heads. (It also pairs nicely with a blank notebook.) With that in mind, it’s not unusual to see writers’ and artists’ graves covered in creative implements that visitors have deposited. The above photograph is from the underground comic book artist Harvey Pekar’s tombstone in Cleveland, but I’ve seen similar scenes across the country. In Concord, Massachusetts’ Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, the final resting places of Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau are all routinely bestowed with writing tools. I like to think these particular remembrances are more than mere tokens of tribute… Maybe creatives’ ghosts wander the cemeteries at night and only need a little ink to create fresh, otherworldy images and tales. Or maybe these pens and pencils, imbued anew with energy after being placed in such fertile ground, will channel creativity if reused. Or perhaps simply through the act of leaving an item, we walk away with a deeper connection to the wellspring of humanity’s creative energy. Regardless, it is magical how the power of potential resides so deeply in such a small object (regardless of who wields it). May we all use it well and wisely.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: CORWIN LEVI

Corwin is a visual artist working in design, illustration, bookmaking, curating, and writing. As an artist, he has attended over twenty artist residencies. He has also have lived in eighteen cities across twelve states. Along with Michelle Aldredge, he co-created Mirror Mirrored: An Artists’ Edition of 25 Grimms’ Tales. He is currently remixing vintage game boards and making a book from illustrations of Alice in Wonderland.