The generous interpretation of "suburban America" is that both the author and interviewee live in the suburbs:

> I grew up in Temecula, a California suburb

> his house in Laguna Niguel, in a trim suburban neighbourhood

But the project started off in an urban area:

> In the fall of 2004, Frank [would] drive through the darkened streets of Washington, D.C., with stacks of self-addressed postcards

I think though that "suburban" is playing the same role as "middle-class". Despite the technical definition, I think both terms imply everyday, normal, boring, "real" Americans. I agree this usage is weird and I wish people would stop using "suburban" this way.

I was published on his website summer 2008, while engaged to a gal from NYC — "this has been the best year ever" — a postcard sent as a summer 2006 memory. Still in the same relationship, although we were about to begin breaking up =|

Thanks for reminding me of Frank's website (it's been years since I last visited), re-added to new bookmarks. What's old, becomes new again.

I think the article makes it pretty clear why suburban is in the title. The author relates the topic to her youth: "suburban life often felt stifling", for example. The link for her is the way American suburban culture involves distance and pretense, the keeping of secrets you may not be able to share with anybody. Something that PostSecret provides an outlet for.

I haven't thought about Post Secret since then. I remember browsing through their stuff at bookstores when I was in high school. Now I'm curious to go see some newer stuff.

Very different but also fun project from that era: dontevenreply.com