In this personal essay at Salvation South, a new magazine edited by the founding editor-in-chief of The Bitter Southerner, Shelley Johansson retells her family’s story against the background of World War II. I know my great-grandmother felt that she was helping the war effort when she sewed bandages – her pride radiates off the page […]
letters
Posted inEditor's Pick
Under the Wheel
“I have always been drawn to stories about people who try to escape — escape their neighborhoods, their families, their histories — and who instead become what they were running from.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Enduring Legacy of Elijah McClain’s Tragic Death
“In summer 2020, the nation’s attention turned to the killing of a 23-year-old Aurora man. His death prompted a flood of more than 8,500 letters from outside the state of Colorado—all begging Governor Jared Polis for justice. We read every one.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
On the Trail of a Mysterious, Pseudonymous Author
“Late last spring, a strange, beguiling novel began arriving, in installments, in the mail. Who had written it?”
Posted inEditor's Pick
For the Love of Mail: Letter Writing in a Pandemic
“To mail a letter is to send something out in the world with a faith that it will reach its destination. Writing is the same way. We write with hope that our work, like a letter, will find its way to where it needs to go.” Lauren Markham muses on the magic of the U.S. […]
Posted inNonfiction, Quote Posts, Quotes
How Simple Human Connection Can Help Save People from Suicide
Therapist Ursula Whitehead regularly texts her clients between sessions to help them understand that they are not alone.
Posted inNonfiction, Quote Posts, Quotes
She Kept Every Letter
“It is so essential to morale that army and navy officers of the highest rank list mail almost on a level with munitions and food.”
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Ten Letters A Day: To Obama With Love, and Hate, and Desperation
Jeanne Marie Laskas goes behind the scenes in the White House mailroom where “50 staff members, 36 interns, and a rotating roster of 300 volunteers” read and processed the 10,000 emails and letters President Barack Obama received each day during his eight-year presidency.
Posted inBooks, Nonfiction, Quotes
On ‘Remaining in the Shadows’: Elena Ferrante on Anonymity and Writing
After so many years, are you still sure about your decision to remain in the shadows? “Remain in the shadows” is not an expression I like. It savors of plots, assassins. Let’s say that, fifteen years ago, I chose to publish books without having to feel obliged to make a career of being a writer. […]
Posted inNonfiction, Reading List
‘Yours Lovingly’: A Collection of Stories About Writing Letters
A man writes to a convicted killer. Fan letters to a troubled country star. Letters by parents. Here are five stories about the letters we write to one another.