A Month of Letters

Yesterday marked the start of a wonderful challenge: LetterMo.

LetterMo, or A Month of Letters, is the brainchild of author and puppeteer, Mary Robinette Kowal. The premise is simple. Commit to writing & mailing a letter daily throughout February and respond to letters you receive in kind.

LetterMo grew out of a request. Mary decided last September to take a hiatus from email and asked people to write to her on paper instead. From this has come a chain of correspondence that continues into the present. Mary describes letter-writing as both lasting and ephemeral; although sentiments may be fleeting, the messages themselves stand as a testament to time. Each letter she exchanges, whether sent or received, is a tangible connection to another person.  And the process of reading & writing letters forces her to slow down, linger and focus on what’s important.  

LetterMo reminds me of the joy I attached to letter-writing as a child.  Nothing was better than getting mail (!!!) and I had an army of pen pals to satisfy my wordly desires.  LetterMo is a way of resurrecting that special feeling.  It’s a way of reconnecting to each other in a deeper, more deliberate way.

One of my best friends from high school clued me in to LetterMo. It seemed fitting to write to him first; the first physical letter exchanged between us in 20 years. It’s long overdue.

Are you up to the challenge? I hope you’ll join me.

0 thoughts on “A Month of Letters

  1. I like the idea, but not the reality or buying stamps and envelopes. Seems like a waste of resources and a horrible cause (the U.S. Post Office) to donate money to, but hey, that’s just me. 🙂

    1. As big a beef as I had w/ the USPS when we lived in Philly, I don’t want them to go under. A friend suggested that the post office needs to concentrate on what they do best – delivering first class mail. Maybe a mass-challenge like this will help them shine!

  2. Email me your physical address and I will send you a letter 🙂 I doubt I will manage one a day but if I can make it up with valentines day cards I just might pull off 28…

    1. Stephen, I LOVE you! This is the sweetest, most lovely challenge yet and I’m enjoying it so. I’m going up to the attic to look through old boxes of letters, I just know there’ll be some great stuff to send. **mmmmmemmmmorieeesss**

      XO

  3. I’m so happy you are doing this. I have unsuccessfully tried to get friends to do a postcard/letter exchange, but it was a struggle to get willing participants. While I don’t know if I can handle a daily letter, I think I can handle a weekly one. I’m going to give it a try! 🙂

    1. Good luck!

      PS: if you don’t feel up to LetterMo, try postcrossing.com. A friend just clued me into it. You can exchange postcards whenever the urge strikes and don’t have to hassle uncooperative friends. Win-win!

      1. Thanks for the tip! I am checking into that site.

        Since we are sharing, there’s a website called “Dear Meat” where anyone and everyone can write letters to anyone and anyTHING. Some things are silly but others are serious. Almost like Post Secret. Anyway, since you have more readers than I do, I thought I would share this link: http://dearmeat.me. This month’s recipient is “Jessica” who is in need of some uplifting words. Info about the project is here: http://dearmeat.me/postoffice

  4. Sounds like a wonderful idea, Dishy
    (I hadn’t even heard of LetterMo before your post)!
    I really wish I was better at sending letters – sounds like a great ‘excuse’ to work on that!
    🙂

    1. If you don’t have the time to commit to a month of letter writing, it’s certainly a good reminder to start small. Send a note to a loved one, just to say Hi. With Valentine’s Day coming up, there’s no need for an excuse!

  5. I agree that sending actual letters and cards connects people in a way that email and such can’t. I still make and send holiday cards, and when I receive gifts, I more often send thank you cards than an email thank-you. Technology is great, but there is something special about letter-writing.

  6. Letters thought fleeting, their message withstand the test of time…..beautiful and so true. A lot of us have forgotten the magic of letters to the heart and soul. With today’s high tech stuff, a lot of people lost that ability to affectionate, to be sensitive, to be caring through words expressed in letters. My wife still kept the love note I made for her 8 years ago and that’s a proof enough for me to say, it does withstood time. New gadgets will come and go but the heart you poured out in a letter, for as long as we preserve it will last forever….and yes, we need to put them in a post as well. God bless you and your family….

    1. I loved reading about your wife and that note. I’ve also saved all the letters, poems and cards my husband has given me. It makes me smile, sometimes even cry when I stumble on one accidentally – like I did today. Such a special thing, and so worthy of celebration. Hope you’ll join me in LetterMo, IT.

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