Hosting Your Own Letter-Writing Social

{photo by Gina Visione, from the L.W.A. Flickr group}

The annoucement of our Inklings program really got a lot of response from you guys. Many of you asked about setting up your own letter-writing socials in your area, but were a bit unsure about how to go about it. Here's a brief list to guide you along.

STEP ONE: Find a place to do it. We tend to avoid coffee shops because the typewriters are so noisy, but if you aren't using typewriters or the owners are okay with it, then that might be your best bet. Also libraries, art stores, maybe book stores and stationery shops. Heck, Kathy and I even have ours at bars sometimes.

STEP TWO: Promote it. Let us know about the time and place and we'll put it on the blog, but you should also put it on your blog if you have one and see if the local paper or a magazine is interested in this crazy person who wants to write letters. There is also Twitter, which we love and Facebook, which we hate, but to each their own.

STEP THREE: Prep your supplies. We tend to use backstock of our stationery or design a neat little black and white number specifically for the social, but there are tons of free stationeries for download online.{L.W.A. members have access to a lot of downloads through our member site, for example.}

50 sheets of anything seems like more than enough and if you run out, CONGRATULATIONS, your social was a huge success. Postcards are nice for people because they feel less intimidated by them. You also don't need envelopes for them. We take a bunch of pens. I use those "free" return address labels from charities to identify my pens.

If you're doing mail art, take rubber stamps, scissors, ink pads, glue sticks, tape, and a stack of magazines or other papers for people to make envelopes with. Sometimes it's easiest to just stick to letter writing because of space and again, some people can get intimidated. They should know they only really need paper, ink and a stamp to send a letter; everything else is optional. We give all the supplies for free except postage stamps and those we sell those at face value, even vintage ones.

If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed, take heart! We are here to rescue you. We will be offering both L.W.A. Social Starter kits and Mail Art Starter kits through the member site. They should contain nearly everything you'll need for at least one social. One of the nicest things about stationery is that it doesn't expire, and you can use any leftovers for the next time. I'm still using stationery from the first social we ever did! {Admittedly, I probably made a bit too much for the first one.}

STEP FOUR: Have your social, write some letters, and have a great time. Take pictures and share it on the L.W.A. Flickr! That'll earn you an inkling for sure.

Commonly asked questions at socials:

"Who do I write to?" -Whoever you would like, but family members are a great place to start. If there's a phone call or an email you've been meaning to return, do it in a letter instead, right now. WRITE NOW.

"What do I write about?" -Describe what they are doing right then and what their senses are experiencing; what they smell, hear, taste... It's an excellent way to really bring the reader into the moment of the letter.

Be prepared for a lot of basic questions concerning address and stamp placement. I think most L.W.A. members are up on that info, but the U.S.P.S. website is a pretty excellent resource for questions regarding mail regulations.

Good Luck and Write More Letters,

Comments

[PepperJess]

YES! I am so excited to get planning my spring social! Thank you for writing all these great tips!

[Jamie]

Thank you! I've been wanting to host one in Portland for so long, but have had such a mess of questions, this is a nice starting spot. Appreciate you sharing these tips with us! xo!

[Annie]

Oh, I love this idea so much. Clearly I need to start scouting out possible locations! Thank you for the nudge toward new adventures in letter-writing. :)

[request letter]

This would be great! Thanks for sharing the tips, I've always wanting to host this one. :)

-admin

[Z]

I tried this once but only one person showed up for that part of the shindig. The way I worked it was to take a game like Scrabble, which usually takes forever, but instead of becoming eaten by the anxiety of endless possibilities (and that spot on the board you just KNOW another player will take) continue writing a letter between turns. Both things get done quicker.

[hostinghq]

We tend to avoid coffee shops because the typewriters are so noisy, but if you aren't using typewriters or the owners are okay with it, then that might be your best bet.