Letter Writers Alliance

Crossed Letters

I received this curious post-script from my pen pal Alan. If you're having trouble reading it, here is the transcription:

"Thinking of log and log graph paper got me thinking. Have you ever come across 'crossed' letters? In the days before adhesive stamps and the Penny Post in 1841, letters were charged by the sheet rather than by weight. To save money some people developed really tiny handwriting but others used to fit more on the page by 'crossing' their letters, writing across the lines at 90°. I read a few of these while researching for my book on Charles Clark and they are not as impossible to read as they might at first appear. Still, however expensive the mail gets, I do not think the practice will return. At least, I hope not! -Alan"

In truth, it's not that difficult to read, as he says. I think your brain gets used to it after a while. Alan's letter sent me to the Internet to look for more historic examples. I'd seen letters of the tiniest of tiny scripts, but never a crossed letter.Delightedly, in my search, I discovered this write up by Mary Robinette Kowal on the Lettermo site about letter writing in the Regency where she specifically mentions crossed letters. Facsinating! What's the weirdest letter you've ever had to decipher? Tell us about it in the comments.

West Town Workshop

We've got another workshop at West Town Library this week. Space is limited and an R.S.V.P. is required. Be prepared to get in front of the camera and use what develops in unique ways. By incorporating instant photos, we'll show you how to personalize your Mother's Day cards this year. Snap, cut, and stick - this workshop will change your correspondence from blah to bold. Bring your address book and some stamps; we'll provide the rest of the materials. 

Say Cheese and Stamps Please,

P.S. I took these photobooth pictures with the express purpose of turning them into postcards. I enlarged them and wrote my message on the blank space. What we're doing at the workshop is a similar sort of concept.

Smarter Every Day Postcard Call

True story: I came back from a craft fair in San Francisco to find that my soon-to-be husband had converted our television into his new computer monitor. We can still watch television on it, but we so rarely do that it really doesn't matter. What we do watch is a fair amount of shows on the Internet. One of those is called Smarter Every Day, a short video series about the curious world around us. The host is a kind, funny, and enthusiastic father who is always up for teaching about physics and science in a straightforward fashion.

Over dinner last week, we watched this video about skipping stones and it turned into a run down on all the postcards Destin has recieved to cover his wall. He was so thrilled by each and every postcard and he still needs a lot more. I think L.W.A. members could help him reach his goal. Here's the video and the address is posted at the bottom.

Please Send Postcards to:
Destin's Wall Project (or something funny)
Smarter Every Day 
PO Box 63
Hartselle AL 35640

Spring Splurge

While my own creations keep me rich in all sorts of stationery and mail art goodness, Kathy and I can't think of everything. How lucky we are to live in a world full of fantastic things to add to our supply cubbies! What follows are a few of my favorite new products from my favorite shops.

Margaret of Paper Pastries says that she made this address frame stamp just for herself, but ordered a few extra to see if anyone else wanted one. When she put it up on her Instagram (Best Kitten Pictures 2013 in my opinion), I immediately ordered one. As you can see, it's pretty perfect. A great size for fitting in all the address and it has a lovely, clean line in stamping.

I'm also the happy owner of one of the brand new "Good Mail" stamps from Ana at The Well-Appointed Desk. She's just opened up a shop for stationery sundries and I can't wait to see what she adds next. She's already released some new stamp designs.

Lastly, this printed masking tape from Danni at Oh, Hello Friend tugs on my heart strings every time I put it on a package. It's so sweet and so simple. A perfect example of taking the ordinary into the extraordinary. 

Have you guys made any good stationery finds lately? Share with the class in the comments!

Rock Paper Scissors

Read/Write Library hosts their FIRST EVER benefit book sale! On Sunday, April 28th from 1PM-5PM at the Empty Bottle on Western Avenue, you can peruse books, magazines, zines, ephemera and all manner of print donated over the years but for one reason or another never fit into Read/Write Library's Chicago-centric collection. The event is $5 at the door and is 21 and up only.

We really enjoy Read/Write and a grateful to be allowed to share their space on occaision for letter socials. We'll be at Rock, Paper, Scissors with a pile of all sorts of ephemera and other paper items for "repurposing", demonstrating how to make envelopes and postcards from basically anything. You'll never look at a cereal box the same way again! 

The afternoon also features paper crafting and activities:

- Book and paper letter crafts with The Letter Writers Alliance! (<-That's us!)
- Paper hat and mask-making to be documented in a Glitter Guts Photobooth!
- Paperkraftwerk Table by Read/Write Library volunteers

And fun with Mystery Bags!
- $5 "Mystery Bags!" A bunch of cool stuff (media and craft), in one big paper bag!
- Try your luck at Double-or-Nothing Rochambeau! Take on a Read/Write Volunteer in Rock, Paper, Scissors for a chance to get your Mystery Bag for free — or $10. Start warming up your reflexes now!
- Mystery Bag Lightning Round! In the last 30 minutes, fill your own Mystery Bag for $5!

$5 admission, all proceeds benefit Read/Write Library, a 501c3 nonprofit working to raise the visibility of all storytellers and community media makers in Chicago's history.

Lastly, the Empty Bottle is a bar; so there's that bonus too! Come have some fun with us and Read/Write and lots and lots of paper.

Printable Neon Stationery

I've been on a neon kick lately; so when Ana sent this link my way, I knew I had to share. It's a free  download from How About Orange who is worth putting on your regular list. She's always sharing lovely things. The Astrobrights paper she's using can be found at most any office supply store.

Happy, bright letter writing,

Letters of Science

Last week, an anonymous buyer purchased a letter from Francis Crick for a record sum of over 5 million dollars. The letter, written to Crick's son Michael who was twelve at the time, explains the discovery of the D.N.A. double-helix. I've only seen portions of the letter, but it seems to me to be an amazing blend of love and history. Not only is he writing to his son to connect to him as a parent, but he's explaining in clear terms this pivotal scientific discovery. I would love to read it in its entirety. No word on wether it will be displayed or made fully public.

In the meantime, you can satisfy your hunger for science letters at The Darwin Correspondence Project. Cambridge University has released over 7000 letters to and from Charles Darwin online. Some of these letters have never before been made public. Recently, they added over 1000 letters between Darwin and botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker to the site.

"Their letters account for around 10% of Darwin’s surviving correspondence and provide a structure within which all the other letters can be explored.  They are a connecting thread that spans forty years of Darwin’s mature working life from 1843 until his death in 1882, and bring into sharp focus every aspect of Darwin’s scientific work throughout that period. They illuminate the mutual friendships he and Hooker shared with other scientists, but they also provide a window of unparalleled intimacy into the personal lives of the two men."

I'm particularily fond of the "Darwin's Postbox" widgit that tells you what letters Charles Darwin sent and/or received on this day in 1826. And it's not all science, all the time (though there's nothing wrong with that); here's a telegram sent to Darwin for his birthday.

Write (and Read) More Letters,

 

What's in the L.W.A. Mailbox?

We get a lot of mail at the Letter Writers Alliance P. O. Box. Much of it is decorated or out-of-the-ordinary in some fashion and the postal clerks at my branch have taken notice. "You get such creative mail," they say. I think they enjoy it as much as we do. 

Kathy and I often post our incoming and outgoing mail to our Instagram accounts (Donovan & Kathy) and to the Flickr group for the Letter Writers Alliance. Embracing these technological tools can enhance the mail experience. We're all about blending with digital to improve the tangible here at the Alliance. In that spirit, I recently figured out how to make a little video of a particularily interesting piece of mail that came in to the mailbox. Enjoy and we hope to have more videos to share soon!

Stamp Releases: Yes, I do & Where Dreams Bloom

These two stamps were released yesterday.  Here's the new issue in the U.S.P.S. Wedding Series (set at the two ounce mail price of 66 cents) as well as its paired First Class Issue. These "matched sets" are not a new concept. Most of the wedding issues make me yawn. There's decades of beautiful postage out there without having to rely on pastel boquets to send the message about "your special day." (Don't mind me though, I'm kind of a jerk about weddings.) Plus, enough with the flower stamps already. I know they are "among the most popular of philatelic subjects" but seriously, that's enough for now. If you'd like to know more about these stamps or any other recent issues, check out Beyond the Perf. 

The Making

I really enjoy videos of things in production. I am pretty sure it comes from early exposure to factory videos of crayons being made when my young brain was glued to PBS. Of late, I've been smitten by a Japanese show called The Making. There are over 300 of these short documentaries on all kinds of crafts and products. It's a good mixture of mundane and also really specifically Japanese products. I can't read a word in Japanese and I watch them with the sound off; still, I find every video to be clear and fascinating. I thought you might enjoy them too, especially the videos on fountain pens, pencils, scotch tape, Japanese paper, erasers & ink.