{"id":4998,"date":"2026-04-22T15:45:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T15:45:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iris.siue.edu\/hum230sp26\/?p=4998"},"modified":"2026-04-22T15:45:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T15:45:23","slug":"problem-statement-matthew-e","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iris.siue.edu\/hum230sp26\/2026\/04\/22\/problem-statement-matthew-e\/","title":{"rendered":"Problem Statement-Matthew.E"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The TypeOsphere and the Preservation of Print Culture in St. Louis<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Observation \/ Background \/ Context<\/strong><br>The TypeOsphere is a public letterpress studio dedicated to preserving traditional printing methods while engaging modern audiences. What initially drew my attention to the TypeOsphere is how it blends historical craftsmanship with contemporary creativity. In a world dominated by digital media, spaces like this feel almost out of place\u2014yet they continue to attract community interest. This raises important questions about why analog practices still matter and how they shape local identity in St. Louis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Problem \/ Research Question<\/strong><br>How does the TypeOsphere contribute to preserving and reinterpreting print culture in St. Louis, and what role does it play in connecting contemporary audiences to the city\u2019s historical identity?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Frame (Approach \/ Point of View)<\/strong><br>I will approach this project through a cultural and digital humanities lens, focusing on material culture and community engagement. Rather than treating the TypeOsphere solely as a historical site, I will analyze it as an active cultural space where history is experienced through hands-on interaction. My perspective emphasizes how physical engagement with print technology can deepen understanding of local heritage and create meaningful connections between past and present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example Sources<\/strong><br><em>Primary Source:<\/em><br>\u201cTypewriter Poetry Workshop.\u201d <em>Eventbrite<\/em>, hosted by LA Marler, St. Louis, MO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Secondary Source:<\/em><br>Eisenstein, Elizabeth L. <em>The Printing Press as an Agent of Change.<\/em> Cambridge University Press, 1979.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Proposed Technology<\/strong><br>I will use StoryMapJS, a free and beginner-friendly digital storytelling platform developed by Northwestern University\u2019s Knight Lab. StoryMapJS allows users to create interactive, map-based narratives by combining text, images, and geographic points without requiring advanced technical skills or paid subscriptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This tool is particularly useful for student projects because it only requires a Google account and supports embedding multimedia content alongside mapped locations. I plan to use it to map the TypeOsphere within St. Louis while incorporating historical context, images of letterpress work, and possibly other relevant sites tied to printing history in the region. This approach will allow me to visually demonstrate how one local space connects to broader cultural and historical patterns while keeping the project accessible and easy to build.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The TypeOsphere and the Preservation of Print Culture in St. Louis Observation \/ Background \/ ContextThe TypeOsphere is a public letterpress studio dedicated to preserving traditional printing methods while engaging modern audiences. What initially drew my attention to the TypeOsphere is how it blends historical craftsmanship with contemporary creativity. In a world dominated by digital [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":844,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sb_is_suggestion_mode":false,"_sb_show_suggestion_boards":false,"_sb_show_comment_boards":false,"_sb_suggestion_history":"","_sb_update_block_changes":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iris.siue.edu\/hum230sp26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iris.siue.edu\/hum230sp26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iris.siue.edu\/hum230sp26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iris.siue.edu\/hum230sp26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/844"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iris.siue.edu\/hum230sp26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4998"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/iris.siue.edu\/hum230sp26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4998\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4999,"href":"https:\/\/iris.siue.edu\/hum230sp26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4998\/revisions\/4999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iris.siue.edu\/hum230sp26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iris.siue.edu\/hum230sp26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iris.siue.edu\/hum230sp26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}