Graphomania is the obsessive desire to write. Graph indicates something pertaining to the art of writing, and mania is, well, mania. Irrational but irresistible motive for a particular belief or action. (And let's not forget mood disorder). So the idea is for this place to be home to some obsessive writing, or writing about obsession, or just to display some nice home grown obsessiveness. Particularly about things related to letters (both the characters representing sounds of speech and the written messages) and pictures (because heck, graphic pertains to the pictorial too). I could have called the site Cacoethes Scribendi (cacoethes: compulsion; scribendi: writing) but cacoethesscribendi.net seems somewhat unfriendly. Besides, I quite like the "g" in the font I'm using (Matrix, an Emigre font. See upper right corner).

Graphomanic is a project launched in September 2000 by Amanda Spielman (that would be me), originally conceived of as a result of my preoccupation with all things text, type, and word related, and as a way to stave off frustration and boredom due to a less than inspiring day job. The site has become something for me to lovingly slave and obsess over as well as a place for likeminded folks to submit the products of their own compulsions and preoccupations. I design and build everything here, and am always looking for project suggestions and content submissions.

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