Vermont Humanities

Endangered Alphabets, Cultural Erosion, and the Future of the Written Word

Image of ancient writing on parchment
Speakers Bureau

Image of ancient writing on parchmentWhat does the age of digital convergence, Facebook, and globalization mean for the future of the written word? Writer/carver/painter Tim Brookes offers remarkable and thought-provoking perspective on this question by looking at a range of forms of writing from all over the world that are in danger of extinction.

He displays a carving of a piece of text in each script, leading a discussion on how technology will help—and always has helped—define the nature of communication, and shows how the story of a culture can be seen in its writing, even if that writing is (as in these examples) beautiful, utterly unfamiliar, and disappearing.

For information on the Endangered Alphabet Project visit www.endangeredalphabets.com.

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About the Presenter

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Tim Brookes

A graduate of Pembroke College, Oxford, Tim is the director of the Professional Writing Program at Champlain College and founder of the Endangered Alphabets Project.

Talks by Tim Brookes

Image of ancient writing on parchment

Endangered Alphabets, Cultural Erosion, and the Future of the Written Word

Tim Brookes looks at forms of writing from all over the world that are in danger of extinction, discussing how technology helps define the nature of communication.

Vermont Humanities*** June 28, 2016