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Today, Explained

The lost art of handwriting

Today, Explained

Vox

Politics, Daily News, News

4.310.3K Ratings

🗓️ 14 June 2026

⏱️ 34 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

How our relationship with writing has changed, and how that’s changed us. This episode was produced by Dustin DeSoto, edited by Avishay Artsy, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by David Tatasciore, and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. A third grader practices his cursive handwriting at P.S.166 in Queens, N.Y. AP Photo/Mary Altaffer. If you have a question, give us a call at 1-800-618-8545 or email askvox@vox.com. Listen to Explain It to Me ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Support for today's explain comes from Fetch. Fetch is pet insurance if you hadn't figured it out. Do you have a pet?

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Every vet is in network.

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Go to fetchpet.com slash save right now for your free quote.

0:36.0

That's fetchpet.com slash save.

0:39.5

Support for the show comes from KPMG. In any organization, disruption is inevitable, but

0:46.2

struggling through it doesn't have to be. The KPMG adaptability index is your blueprint for

0:52.8

building capabilities to handle what comes next.

0:55.7

It uses real data to look at how your culture, strategy, and partnerships all work together

1:01.4

to help your business thrive. Stop reacting and start adapting. Visit KPMG.com slash US

1:09.7

adaptability to explore the Adaptability index and pulse surveys today.

1:18.3

Handwritten note is super important, and yet I feel like that's something being lost.

1:23.2

It's useless. Curative is outdated. My wife's not so much in agreement on that.

1:29.5

I take a lot of pride in my handwriting, actually. I joke that I was a calligrapher in a past life.

1:43.6

My parents started dating back in the 80s, and for a while, they were long distance.

1:49.0

This was way before the smartphone, so they sent each other a ton of mail.

1:54.0

They wrote letters back and forth, and my dad would make my mom mix tapes to send her.

1:59.0

I love it because it's a peek into my parents' lives before me.

2:03.8

I can feel the paper.

...

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