Letter Writers Alliance

Garden Party at the National Postal Museum

The National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C. is having a weekend-long party for its newest exhibit Beautiful Blooms: Flowering Plants on Stamps. The garden party is this Saturday and Sunday, April 7 & 8 at the museum from 11AM to 4PM. There's all kinds of fun stamp and garden activities to participate in. Admission is free and you don't have to register. I hope some of our Alliance members can enjoy this!
 

Ocean of Thanks

Please consider joining up with 826 Valencia, People I've Loved, the Write_On Campaign (Hello! Lucky & Egg Press), Thank You Thursday and Loveyou2.org as they celebrate an "Ocean of Thanks" at the 826 Valencia location on Saturday, March 31st from noon til 6PM. There will be supplies and prizes, plus camaraderie and the composition of hopefully many, many thank you notes. Any L.W.A. member who goes and sends me pictures and a write up for the blog can earn a Perfect Pen Pal award!

 

National Thank a Mail Carrier Day

February 4th marks Thank a Mail Carrier Day. Not that you shouldn't thank your carrier everyday. February 4th is on a Sunday this year; so maybe try to leave out a nice note on Saturday or Monday. You could also leave a small gift like a chocolate bar or gift card. Oh, how about a new pair of gloves or some cozy socks? Take note: postal carriers are limited to a cash value of gifts under $20 (not to exceed $50 per year per household) per post office regulations.

P.S. If you're planning ahead, National Postal Worker day is July 1st.

Mark Your Calendars for February 7th

Letter writing is on the upswing. Here's a couple of fun socials that are being held pre-Valentine's Day, all over the U.S. of A. If you know of any others, tell us in the comments!

Penny Post's Correspondence Club will have their inaugural meeting on February 7th from 6-8PM. They are based in Alexandria, VA and it is free to attend with some supplies provided. 

L.A. Pen Pal Club has a meeting at Paper Pastries studio in Glendale, CA also on February 7th from 6-8PM. You do need to R.S.V.P. to attend!

Traveling Postal Club will be back at the Griffith Station Post Office in Atwater Village, CA. The event is from 11AM-1PM on, you guessed it, February 7th. (Conceivably, you could go to this in the morning and L.A. Pen Pal Club in the evening!)

The fun isn't confined to the Sunshine State. There's also the Cleveland Letter Writers Club who is also meeting on February 7th. It's from 6-8PM which seems to be primetime letter writing time based on these events. The gathering of scribblers is being held at The Root Cafe.

OK! Who did we miss? Are you hosting an event? I will tell you that I am tempted to Live Stream on YouTube during some of these. It'll depend on if I can figure it out. What a strange world we have! 

Neither Snow, Nor Rain, Nor Lack of Video Chat...

 

We had a great time at Sunday's L.W.A. book club with member Alyssabeth discussing Neither Snow, Nor Rain by David Leonard. If you missed it, here's the recording over on our YouTube channel. Oh, and here's Alyssabeth's lovely face that you all missed out on. 

Our next book is Dear Mister Rogers, Does It Ever Rain in Your Neighborhood: Letters to Mister Rogers. Mister Rogers is getting a postage stamp this year; so we thought it was a good pick. We are having an open-call for our guest. Simply take a photo of yourself with your favorite childhood book and put it on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #LWAbookclub. We want to read with and talk to you! Please join us! 

Thanks again to our guest Alyssabeth for being such a good sport!

L.W.A. Book Club This Sunday

This Sunday we'll be discussing Winter's book club pick with L.W.A. member Alyssabeth. Tune in and chat with us live or watch the archived YouTube stream afterwards. Remember you can always add suggested books to the list on our Good Reads page. 

• Next Discussion
  January 21st (Sunday), 3pm Central
• Current Book
  Neither Snow nor Rain: A History of the United States Postal Service by Devin Leonard
• Special Guest
  L.W.A. Member Alyssabeth
• Participate
  On the group page on Goodreads, using #LWABookClub on Instagram and Twitter, and joining in via chat during the online discussion. Go to the YouTube page of this video to participate in the chat!

Missed a discussion? View our Past Book Club Meet-ups on YouTube.

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December Virtual Social

Live Video for our holiday virtual social is happening at 3pm Central on December 3rd. That's this Sunday, but check a time zone calculator for what time that is in your side of the world. If you can't make it live, the recording will be up on You Tube for you to watch at your leisure. Either way, you can participate all day long with #LWASocial on Twitter or Instagram. Cozy up with your snacks and favorite pens and get a dent in those holiday cards, why don't ya?

 P.S. Image from Lucy Halcomb on Instagram.

National Postal Museum Card Workshop

The National Postal Museum in Washington D.C. always has a lot of events. They've been holding a card making party for a couple of years now. If you have the opportunity, why not join them?

Fountain Pen Day 2017

Friday is the 6th annual Fountain Pen Day, always held the first Friday in November. Check out the resources list for tons of fun pen links. Maybe take the time to review your pen collection. It's a good reminder to do regular pen cleaning an maintenance for those of us who are pen care challenged. How will you celebrate? May I suggest you write a letter?

 

P.S. Folks in Washington D.C., my good friend and L.W.A. member Katy is hosting a fountain pen meet up that day at her store Upstairs on 7th. On Friday, November 3rd from 6:30-8:30. There will be festivities of the edible variety and everyone is welcome to share their pens while we celebrate. If you’ve never been to a pen gathering and just want to know what the fuss is about, please join (Katy will show you the ropes)!

L.W.A. Book Club This Sunday

This Sunday is our Autumn quarter book club. Please join us for a video discussion at 3PM Central time. We're talking Dracula with the Evil Supply Co. It doesn't get more seasonal than that. I should have titled this "Pumpkin Spice Book Club."

• Current Book
  Dracula by Bram Stoker
• Special Guest
  Atticus of Evil Supply Co.
• Participate
  On the group page on Goodreads, using #LWABookClub on Instagram and Twitter, and joining in via chat during the online discussion. Go to the YouTube page of this video to participate in the chat!