Seven Days: Vermont's Independent Voice

Lost But Not Forgotten

In 2000, Davy Rothbart stumbled on his first “found” object: a letter stuck to his windshield addressed by a woman named Amber to her lover, Mario. Apparently mistaking Rothbart’s car for Mario’s, she berated the errant boyfriend for lying about his whereabouts and, interestingly, expressed her hope that he’d call her later. With that, Rothbart was hooked. The thirtysomething Ann Arbor, Mich., resident kept his eyes peeled for ditched Post-Its, diary entries and doodles and launched Found magazine, a medley of “the best lost, tossed and forgotten items from around the world.” Now with a new book out, Requiem for a Paper Bag, Rothbart and his coediting brother Peter are cruising through 55 cities, sharing the fascinating finds that land in their mailbox. With Peter performing his own folk tunes inspired by some of these poignant trashed notes, the lost and found bin has never been so cool.