Summer’s arrival is the perfect time to reengage with letter writing

The packing list for sleep away camp is as standard as a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. Throw in stationary and stamps and you can hear the cartoon screech happening in your child’s mind. Do they even know how to address an envelope? Where do you get the material to write about? What’s a mail box? And how do you write something without grazing your fingertips across a keyboard? In today’s digital age, letter writing isn’t simply a lost manner that needs to be resuscitated like gifting care baskets to the less fortunate. Letters are testimony to genuine social graces and human connection.

“I definitely believe that letter writing still serves a purpose in the digital age,” says Katherine Kelly, who teaches English at Darien, Connecticut’s Middlesex Middle School. “There is something special about receiving a handwritten note.”

Thoughtful expressions

The act of choosing the right stationery and putting your thoughts into a personalized note shows time and care. Letters are more notable in today’s culture when a handwritten note without emojis stands out among the more typical pieces of mail. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with embracing the ease of digital communication,” says Kelly, “but taking the time to write or read a handwritten letter brings me a joy that I don’t always experience with digital messages.”

Letter writing benefits

Similar to reading, writing is a cerebral skill that improves with practice. Its benefits are also transformative. Jason Courtmanche, Director of the Connecticut Writing Project and a professor of English and Education at UConn, oversees the annual Letters About Literature contest in conjunction with the Neag School of Education. Participants read a book, poem, or speech and write a letter to that author (living or dead) about how the text affected them personally.

“I enjoy sponsoring the Letters About Literature program because it honors two of the most important things about literacy—writing to an audience and for a purpose, and reading literature to be transformed,” says Courtmanche.

Making an impact

Kevin Daniele, Middlesex Middle School’s 7^th grade Healthy Living teacher, worked with an organization that allows students to write handwritten notes of encouragement to individuals recovering from addiction. Despite the students anonymity for protective measures, the students were able to read through the replies and see the impact they had made on complete strangers from their notes of support.

“I know that my students have really developed a sense of accomplishment and community from writing these letters,” Daniele says. “You can see the lightbulb go off about how their letters made an impact on someone else’s life. That was always the coolest part for me.”

It’s fun and rewarding

An essay on the Boxer Rebellion this is not. Letter writing is an opportunity to reflect, gather your thoughts, and creatively express yourself in the written form. It’s a way to relive key moments or feelings and share them in a personal way. 

Letters also move the spirits. Similar to journal writing, there’s a release of emotions and therapeutic benefits that happen when you put your thoughts to paper. 

Getting started

Kelly suggests beginning the writing process by choosing the right friend or loved one. Consider the dialogue you would have in person with these people — the stories you would you tell and questions you would you ask. Most likely you will be writing more than you would in a text, thus employ conversational devices in your letter. “Make sure to greet the other person, introduce yourself if necessary, and say goodbye when you are finished,” Kelly says. 

Just good etiquette

Aside from thank you notes and condolence letters, any just because occasion shows good manners. Etiquette is essentially an ode to treating others with old-fashioned consideration and respect, and letters are its calling card.

The art of letter writing is a classic form of communication with a myriad of benefits. The writer takes the time to gather his/her own thoughts, eloquently write them down, and the recipient has a treasured keepsake that shows care.

It also honors human connection, Not to mention, it’s great for handwriting practice in this digital age.

As the summer season promotes leisure time, stock up on writing materials, replenish your stamps, and make it a part of your family’s ritual to embark on regular letter writing.

Resources

Letters About Literature Contest: https://education.uconn.edu/letters-about-literature-contest/