NASHUA – It may not be the most trendy or high-tech way to communicate, but Nashua native Joshua Baxter believes he has found the most effective way to connect with people — handwritten journal entries.

Through the years, the journal entries written by Baxter, his friends, family members and anyone else willing to share their experiences, has grown to three volumes of 27 books each.

Baxter – who calls his body of work “Seasons of Emotion” – has been carrying his journals since he was 18 years old, and his collection of books has grown substantially during the last 15 years. Baxter believes his books have become a way for people to connect with not only him, but with the rest of the community.

“Obviously, we’re all here as a community and I think that it’s just a positive story,” Baxter said. “Whatever you’re into, you can find a way to open the book of your life to everybody around you.”

When he started, Baxter was looking for a way to tap into the wisdom of other members in the community by connecting with people and learning from them. As he has continued working on the books and sharing with others, it has morphed into a way to be more involved with those members who are writing entries in his journals.

“When people write in the book, they are sharing their life with my life,” Baxter said.

This sharing, he believes, has been a positive effect for those who have contributed to his books. His willingness to share in his experiences has helped others feel a sense of value, he believes.

The books have seen many different members of the community contribute to the vast body of work, including customers at Surf Restaurant and Norton’s Classic Cafe where he worked when he was younger, former Mayor Donnalee Lozeau, many of his friends and family members, as well as complete strangers – all members of the community, who Baxter said, looked at these books to add a positive view of the world.

Baxter believes anyone can flip to a page in the journals and find something that is relatable, and that these books represent not only his willingness to listen, but the community’s willingness to share what its members have seen and experienced.

“We all go through the same thing. We all either see it or have seen it, but sometimes it’s not so clear as to how to open up if somebody has an issue,” Baxter said. “It’s something that a page in this book can automatically deliver us to, and say ‘Hey I’m listening, go ahead and write it down.’ And if somebody feels passionate about it, they write it down.”

Baxter believes this handwritten, more intimate style of communicating is a much more organic way of connecting, particularly in comparison to text messages, email and social media. He believes there is more one can take away from it.

“I think there’s a value in it – certain handwriting and certain things that are portrayed,” he said, “You can’t so much catch somebody’s essence through electronic device.”

Baxter, who turns 33 Sunday, just completed the his 82nd book of Seasons of Emotion. He said the journals have helped him listen and focus on the community, while becoming truly happy with who he is and what he has accomplished.

As he has matured and had children, Baxter has found another appreciation for the journals. They have become another way for him to connect with his three boys: Camden; 10, Jacoby; 8 and Maxwell; 6. He said his children write in the book often, adding that it has helped him see what their interests are.

As his children grow and add to the Seasons of Emotions journals, Baxter believes the series of books is becoming both a community and family memoir.

With so many books completed, Baxter hopes to one day be able to publish his books because the entries and the journals are a reflection of the community in a time and place.