Novelist Mary Robinette Kowal invites you to send 24 real-life letters and/or postcards to your loved ones during the month of February this year — that's one for every day except Sundays — and to revel in the antiquated charm of opening envelopes, reading about old things that already happened, and eventually throwing it all in the trash. No, but it sounds sweet, if you're into that sort of thing. There's even an FAQ if you forget what sending a letter is.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
52
Yes! Everyone send mail because the feeling of seeing a nice handwritten note in your mailbox is the BEST. And Valentine's Day is this month, so you have an awesome excuse to send pretty notecards and postcards to your friends!
AND it gives you an awesome excuse to get adorable stationery! And stickers! (You know, for the envelopes!) And/or cute tape, to seal the envelope with. And stamps!!! I don't know about the USPS, but Canada Post has SO MANY CUTE STAMPS, seriously! Year of the Dragon stamps! BABY WILDLIFE STAMPS, GUYS.
I feel like organizing some kind of Hairpin Pin Pal setup now. Is there such a thing?
@The Lady of Shalott I would be so totally into a Hairpin Pin Pal. Can we please? Please please please?
@The Lady of Shalott - I kind of love this idea, and would definitely send letters to complete strangers. My handwriting is kind of shit, but I like to pretend it's endearing (even though it's just kind of sad that a grown man writes like an illiterate chicken on angeldust.)
Once I got (hand-delivered, end of a long-distance relationshp just after college at the end of a week of her visiting me, which she had written before the trip even started) a "You're great but we are in different places in life and cannot be 'a thing'" letter written in silver ink on black paper. I will cherish it forever.
@The Lady of Shalott Do it. Do eet. DUET.
@leon.saintjean Silver ink on black paper? That's what you get for dating an Evil Queen, BB.
@The Lady of Shalott American stamps are not too shabby, either. No baby animals, but we've got Gregory Peck.
@leon.saintjean I actually did this thing for a while--a few random friends (I know only 2 of the 6) sent around a journal for about a year. We'd receive the journal, write at least a page, include a photo, and then send it to the next person on the list. It was way fun, even with (especially with?) strangers!
I want to do this!
@The Lady of Shalott I was going to say, I would enjoy sending postcards from Dublin to anybody who'd be interested?
@cuminafterall: We totally have an Endangered Baby Animals stamp!
@Decca YES. This is great, I love sending snail mail. The "Pioneers of American Industrial Design" stamps are awesome, I bought a whole bunch for myself and my shop.
Also, old record covers cut down to 4.25x6" make for fun DIY postcards.
@The Lady of Shalott This is/was a thing, actually. Through the google group pin up discussion, someone had this same idea. And then one person took it over, and assigned everyone pin pals. (but mine never wrote back) -sad trombone-
@Beericle Awww, sad trombone! Well, I would be willing to organize a Pin Pal V2.0!
If you guys would like to exchange snail mail for the month of February with fellow 'Pinners, let me know! Contact me at sdqsdq at gmail, with "Pin Pals" in the subject line. Give me your name and address, and whether or not you are OK with international mail and mailing to multiple people, and I will assign us all February Paper Garbage Club Pin Pals.
I think I will also post something on the 'Pinup google groups!
@The Lady of Shalott DONE
@The Lady of Shalott If you organize it, I will write letters.
@The Lady of Shalott - Does international mail still use the insanely awesome envelopes? I really love these and want to send/receive them.
@andrea disaster AHHHH I was just trying to string this together in my head and so happy to see you've done it so now I don't have to. *needs more coffee*
But for reals, can we please please can we?
@The Lady of Shalott I used to LOOOOVE having penpals. In high school/early college I had a few friends scattered around the country and we'd send letters/little gifts in the mail. It was so great! Sign me up! Also, I have really good handwriting so whoever gets mail from me is in for a treat. A legible treat.
(oops, rereading thread, by "sign me up" I mean "I'm lazy and didn't really read everything, now sending you an email")
@The Lady of Shalott Done! And I forgot to mention I'm cool with posting multiple letters.
Yes, guys! Keep it coming! Keep sending me your details and I will be hooking everyone up with awesome Pin pals!
@leon.saintjohn as far as neat air mail letters go...I have no idea. Maybe investigate your local post office and see if they have them there?
@Beericle my pin pal never wrote me back either. : (
@The Lady of Shalott I'm emailing you right now! I want to send Valentines to Hairpinners.
@heyits That's my plan too! Paper Hearts for everyone!
@The Lady of Shalott This would be awesome! I will send you an email later when I'm at a non-firewalled computer.
@The Lady of Shalott I'm pretty much a Hairpin lurker because I'm intimidated by the comedy gold you all deliver so frequently, but I am all about the letter sending, so would it be weird for me to email?
@Where Pies Go When They Die No, not at all! Email me and wow one lucky 'pinner with your own comedy gold!
@leon.saintjean Sometimes! We get submissions from overseas where I work, and sometimes they have the crazy cool envelopes. I imagine they get them at the post office.
@The Lady of Shalott YESSSSSSSSSSSS
@The Lady of Shalott Squee! One of my resolutions of awesomeness for this year was to write letters. And now I can! BAM.
@The Lady of Shalott I just sent you my address.
@Where Pies Go When They Die - I just finally created an account after months of lurking.
@The Lady of Shalott
omg yes, yes PLEASE. i have altogether too much cute stationery begging to be used, and would be ALL OVER having a 'pin pal.
@Beericle @heyits
I hope I'm not your pinpal! I wrote but haven't received a reply, but Canada Post is pretty much the slowest ever, so thusly, I haven't been worried? Maybe I should be?!
JK, some people have Real Lives(tm) that get in the way sometimes. I can be patient :)
@The Lady of Shalott @Beericle @heyits
I was given a pinpal from the google group, but wasn't able to write straight away (sick, work dramas, etc etc). The more time passed the harder it was to start, and now I just feel like my pinpal wouldn't want to hear from me if I couldn't get it together sooner - it's too awkward to write a couple of months after the fact :-( BUT - this could be a fresh start? I WILL get it together!
@kiamaria My first letter to my Pinpal was full of apologies for how lazy I'd been. :) It's never too late! You can do it!!
@The Lady of Shalott Are any of you called Farrah? If so I'm sorry! Huge life things came up but I am totally writing to you now!
@ Everyone!
There has been a great response, thanks to all of you! I am going to give it until tomorrow, for stragglers, and then start matching Pin Pals. I will send out the emails with Pin Pal info this weekend!
@The Lady of Shalot
#1 BABY ANIMALS! I haven't been stamp shopping in SO LONG after I accidentally bought way too many wedding-themed stamps for my cousin's shower invitations. And now every time I send a letter with a stamp of two rings, I think everyone will think I'm married. Anyway, I literally just ran out this week, so I cannot wait to go stamp shopping for baby animal stamps.
#2 I love February because I get a bunch of cartoon valentines and send them to my friends. I feel like it's a good way to dip your toe into writing them a "real" card and feeling out how they feel about snail mail. Some people don't acknowledge them at all, some email/IM to say thanks, but a precious few actually write back and then I know who is cool with getting/sending real mail.
#3 Just sent an email for Pin Pals!
@The Lady of Shalott Sent my email for Pin Pals! I'm so excited about this! It has also inspired me to brave the NYC Pinup this weekend...anyone else??
@princessS me me me I will see you at the Pinup!!
@dj pomegranate Yay! I'm nervous but also excited because everyone just seems so great.
@KeLynn OMG I thought I was the only one who did Val Day cards to all my friends & family! *fist bump*
@dale I hope it's not too late for a pinpal! I just found out!
Are you guys familiar with Fun-A-Day? There are Fun-a-day shows in cities all over and it's a really great project. You make something every day and then display it in a group show the next month. I'm organizing one in Delaware and have taken part in the Philadelphia one. If you like the letter-a-day project, you might love this too. You can find the different cities' shows here: http://www.artclash.com/
@freelee Um, I'm in Delaware! And I love the Queen. I want to do this!
I was set up with my manfriend by a mutual friend and for the first month of our courtship, we only communicated via handwritten letters. The first time we spoke on the phone we talked for eight hours. Five years later I still love, admire and respect him but I don't think I could listen to him for eight hours, and vice versa.
@vanillawaif That is amazing. So romantic!
@Cavendish Thank you! For a while, it was like I was in my own Meg Ryan movie.
I'm too greedy - letters don't really cut it. I'd like silly things in the post - photos and random sweets from different countries. Seems a good place to post my wish for This despite not caring a whit for Pride and Prejudice. Overpriced Early Grey Latte Lollipops in the post would be quite the thing.
@theorchidthief HELL YES! Join the group on Facebook and stuff! You can email me through the site - www.DEfunaday.com
BIG DEEZY
@freelee I joined the FB group and I am so excited. I even have an idea! I will find you at the event and introduce myself.
My best pal is an avid letter writer and is bizarre and creative about it. He always makes his own packages by taping together extravagant quilts of newspaper clippings, cigarette boxes, photographs and receipts.
We've always exchanged letters, and once we shared a journal back and forth. I think he has a fantasy that our letters are literary documents like those of Eliot or Keats. We both go for the grand tradition of it I suppose, which makes them better letters.
It takes more time and it limits your amount of correspondence, so you are forced to either gloss over main ideas or choose one meaningful incident in detail as a microcosm of your life.
It's so weird that this came up today (I didn't read it until just now), because I spent a couple hours last night going through a shoebox full of notes from middle and high school! With all the crazy folding and "for your eyes only" warnings! Kids don't do that nowadays, I guess. Shame.
I was perusing the Month of Letters website with a wistful smile, kind of wanting to go for it, but also kind of thinking that I don't know the address of many of my friends (and how sad is that, really? I start demanding physical addresses). And I thought, what I would really like to do is write to other Hairpinners...and lo and behold, there's one in the works! I love you guys, and count me in.