Robin Prevade

Robin is a rarity among our Contributing Cardies as she is the first professional card writer we’ve published. For more than 30 years now, our thousands of other card messages have bubbled up from within this community of kindred spirits — biologists, psychologists, teachers, realtors — not professional writers, but folks who simply have a beautiful way of putting feelings into words.

When we emailed Robin to let her know we wanted to publish the message she had submitted (on what became the card above), she responded with, “You just made my day! I am so glad you liked the verse! The design is great! As for the dedication, please say, ‘Keep on fighting, dear Meg,’ for my BFF who has been bravely battling cancer for two years. Can’t wait to share it with her!”

Relentless writer that she is, Robin added, “I am typing this with my left index finger. I had a reverse shoulder replacement on my R arm last week, and I am in a sling and not allowed to drive for six weeks! The one-finger typist did her best to tap this out on the keyboard. Boy, do I miss the use of my right hand!”

Yep, she’s a pro! “More than 1,100 of my verses have been published by 25 greeting card companies,” said the proud and prolific lover of cards. While true Cardies may each have their own personal favorite card maker, they also generally have a knack for spotting great designs from many different lines, so you may be familiar with humorous Northern Exposure Greetings. Robin was their primary writer for nearly two decades, until the company was purchased by Designer Greetings in 2018. As of July 2025, 65 of Robin’s verses were still alive and well as part of that publisher’s 24,000-card offering

“My love of the written word was first confirmed while earning my degree in Writing & Communications from the University of Pittsburgh.” Robin recalls, “That was 1978, back in the days when Sunday newspapers still ran Want Ads. I clipped one seeking a Greeting Card Writer to work at their Cleveland headquarters, and hung on to that ad for so many years that it yellowed with age!

“Throughout a long and satisfying career in the Human Resources field, I used my writing skills to compose employee handbooks, memos, policies and procedures, newsletters, etc. In 2001, I ran across a local community college course titled, ‘Write Well and Sell Greeting Cards.’ Developed and presented by industry pro Sandra Louden, the course offered writing exercises, tips on how to identify companies that accept freelance verse, submitting your ideas, and much more. At that time, verses had to be neatly printed on 3×5 index cards and submitted by snail mail. I read the course book cover-to-cover and immediately began to submit ideas.

“By the third week of the class, I had sold my first three verses to Northern Exposure! Over the next 20 years, one other writer and I penned all the company’s cards. And when the day came that Sandra shifted her focus to online teaching, I was honored to step in and teach several sessions of my former mentor’s classes.

“I have always loved the challenge of finding the perfect card to send someone, “Robin says, “one that makes that person feel like the verse was written specifically for them. I apply that same thought process to my writing; I want the buyer to read the verse and think, ‘This is exactly what I want to say!’

“Besides my passion for cards, I enjoy entering caption contests in our local paper and online — I’ve won nine! — and I’ve created trivia quizzes geared toward senior citizens.

Robin says she especially enjoys spending time with family and friends. “My husband and I have two grown sons, and are the oh-so-very proud grandparents of four boys: Luka, Mylo, Lane, and Carson. One grandson lives near us here in Pittsburgh, while the other three are in Australia. Of course, there is always a card connection: I twice came across cards I had written while visiting shops Down Under!”

In the weeks before her first Cardthartic card was released in June of 2025, Robin reached out to us to ask, “I was just wondering when I might see my card on cardie-central.rsslink.dev/? Not too excited!” Ha. A few days later, “Received my samples! Thanks so much for sending them along with the honorarium. Once the release is ‘official,’ may I share a picture of it on my social media with perhaps a link to the website? Thanks again! And may I submit more verses?”

Hehe, stay tuned for more “Message by Robin Prevade.”