Typewriter 101

Typewriter 101 is coming to 213 S Howard Ave in Tampa on Sunday, October 25, from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM. It's a workshop for anyone who's ever wanted to get into typewriters but didn't know where to start. The session is led by Randy Rosenthal, a typewriter aficionado and the founder of Tampa Type, and it runs for an hour and a half.

Rosenthal walks you through the basics of picking out a machine, so you're not just guessing when you're looking at a used one. He covers the 'Test Type'—the specific way you check a typewriter's condition before you buy—and goes over cleaning and maintenance to keep things running. He also runs through the 'Do's and Don'ts' of the machines, the kind of practical advice that keeps you from accidentally breaking something. After the walkthrough, everyone gets to test drive several restored typewriters dating from the 1920s to the 1970s, so you can feel the difference between a machine from the Jazz Age and one from the disco era.

The workshop is run by The Paper Seahorse, and it's free to attend. It runs from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM on Sunday, October 25, at 213 S Howard Ave in Tampa.