This Thursday, Frank Warren, the creator of the book series Post Secret, will be speaking at St. John’s about his project that has become so popular.

The Torch was able to sit down with Warren to talk about his experience with Post Secret and what to expect for Thursday’s event.

Torch: Why did you create Post Secret?

Warren: I guess I needed to explore secrets of my own life.
When did Post Secret begin?

Post Secret started in November 2004. It started out as an art exhibit.

I printed out post cards inviting people to share their secrets and mail them to me.

The secrets never stopped coming.

How many secrets do you get a week?
I receive 200 postcards a day from all around the world.

How many Post Secret books are there?

Four so far, with one coming out this year.
How many copies have the books sold so far?
Over a million copies, with the last one being number seven on the New York Times best seller’s list, which was published two years ago.

What is the Web site about?

Every Sunday, I put 20 secrets that I get a week, and I also share living secrets.

What do you speak about?

I share funny and inspirational stories behind the secrets and I like to project on screen secrets that were banned from the book.

My favorite part is at the end I invite students to have an open uncensored discussion about all of our secrets, and that can be very emotional. Students can share heartbreaking secrets or hopeful secrets, and bring the audience together in a meaningful way.

How long will the lecture last?

The lectures are always full of surprises. It can go from an hour to an hour and a half. Afterwards I will be signing books and meeting with people individually.

Why did you choose St. John’s?

I usually go to schools that invite me, and I am happy to come where I am invited. In the last year I have been to 30 colleges, including SUNY Brockport.

Have any secrets struck a cord with you?
There have been a few actually.

One secret was mailed on a Starbucks cup that said “I serve decaf coffee to customers that are rude to me.” Another secret showed a picture of the Twin Towers and read, “Everyone who knew me before 9/11 thinks I’m dead.”

What do you hope students will come away with on Thursday?

I hope students will come away thinking all of us have a secret that can break your heart if you just knew what it was.

Understanding that can help us develop passion and empathy, and can lead us to a more peaceful world.