Latrinalia

Latrinalia

We’ve been doing it for centuries, at least as far back as the Roman Empire. Writing on the bathroom wall. Marking a thought, a feeling for the next person to ponder while they wait.

Even a person who would never dream of tagging a bridge or a train, will, under an alignment of circumstances, pull out a pen and add a comment to a bathroom wall.

Latrinealia is offensive, petty, wise, political, communal. A few years back, a group of Berkley college women began using the bathroom walls to list men on campus who were suspected of date rape. In the book, Brandy discovers latrinalia in the Elbow Room and her in hillside outhouse, and what she reads changes her life.

So next time you find yourself staring at stall walls, dripping with words, think about what you can learn from those walls. And what you can contribute. If you need ideas, subscribe to the Red Office and check past installments of the Degenerate Prose writing assignments, which, well, aren’t done on paper or with a keyboard.

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