Postsecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives

In the movie, In the Mood for Love, Tony Leung whispers his most secret thoughts into a hole in the ruined temple of Angkor Wat. In Bethlehem, pilgrims write out their prayers and wishes and stuff them into tiny cracks between the bricks at the Western wall. With Frank Warren's PostSecret, everyday folks anonymously send postcards of their most intimate stories, truths, and lies to be published for all to see. Each card is a unique piece of art hand-crafted by the nameless confessor. Intriguing and creative. I love it.

by Amy

The instructions were simple, but the results were extraordinary.

"You are invited to anonymously contribute a secret to a group art project. Your secret can be a regret, fear, betrayal, desire, confession, or childhood humiliation. Reveal anything — as long as it is true and you have never shared it with anyone before. Be brief. Be legible. Be creative."

It all began with an idea Frank Warren had for a community art project. He began handing out postcards to strangers and leaving them in public places — asking people to write down a secret they had never told anyone and mail it to him, anonymously.

The response was overwhelming. The secrets were both provocative and profound, and the cards themselves were works of art — carefully and creatively constructed by hand. Addictively compelling, the cards reveal our deepest fears, desires, regrets, and obsessions. Frank calls them "graphic haiku," beautiful, elegant, and small in structure but powerfully emotional.

As Frank began posting the cards on his website, PostSecret took on a life of its own, becoming much more than a simple art project. It has grown into a global phenomenon, exposing our individual aspirations, fantasies, and frailties — our common humanity.

Every day dozens of postcards still make their way to Frank, with postmarks from around the world, touching on every aspect of human experience. This extraordinary collection brings together the most powerful, personal, and beautifully intimate secrets Frank Warren has received — and brilliantly illuminates that human emotions can be unique and universal at the same time.