The Return of the Letter
Is the pen mightier than the keyboard?
I’m interested in taking the idea of old school communication as far back as possible. To the pen and paper. The handwritten newsletter.
Update: Here is the order form if you want to buy a copy of of The Handwritten Newsletter.
You know, letters sent via mail. Paper letters that take up to a week to arrive. Letters, or newsletters, written by hand. Something you can open and hold in your hands and read without the background lighting up like this screen. Something tangible that you know another human being wrote. Something uniquely human. Well - I’m planning to do just that and I am inviting you to be part of this.
Why?
Mostly because things are moving too fast. All things. We’re losing touch with what it means to be human and I believe we must reclaim it and hold on to it. We must relearn to do things slowly and deliberately and focus on one single thing at a time.
Do I do things slowly and deliberately every day? I am typing this while glancing over at my cellphone and keeping an eye on the NFL draft (that I’m not even interested in.) Does that answer the question?
I was an avid writer of letters when I was young(er haha). I had pen pals from all over the world and probably had over 20 at any given time. There was nothing better than receiving a letter in the mail. There are few things that beat that even today! Do you have any idea how freaking exciting it is to open a letter that another person has written? The rush of endorphins will elevate your spirits for hours. Hours! Instead of the seconds of thrill you get from a text response on your cellphone.
My first handwritten newsletter will be a short story based on a dream. All who subscribe will get a handwritten edition of this story and most likely an illustration. I doubt I will get trampled by subscribers but I might limit the first edition to ten copies. Yes, there would have to be some kind of subscription rate. At least to cover the mailing. I’m thinking of charging $10 each for these inaugural editions. Each will be numbered, first come first served.
For those of you younger ones unfamiliar with the concept of letter writing, think of it as a handwritten NFT. Who knows, your inaugural copy might be worth more than a Bored Ape some day.
I have no idea what I’m doing but I’m still going to do it! OK, talk to me. What do you think? Who wants a copy of this newfangled analogue marvel? Contact me and let’s make it happen!
Press the heart button as a sign that you read this thing. Even if it will only ignite a few seconds of endorphins it still counts! Comments will generate higher levels of endorphins, so I highly recommend you write one. I always respond to comments!
I guess I’m an old fashioned modernist. As you can likely tell from my photo (and it is me, not an NFT), I’ve been on the planet Earth for a while and have seen strange things like rattlesnakes and rotary phones, and have received a great deal of handwritten (or at least typewritten [remember typewriters, anybody?]) cards and letters when paper cards and letters were the principal means of communication.
Yet when the age of glorious internet fell upon us, I was there with hands outstretched to receive its glorious conveniences because I enjoyed the benefits of obtaining information for which I am a glutton without the need to walk down to the physical library on their inconvenient schedule.
And so now I am a hybrid human/electronic creature, made of flesh and IP addresses that feed me information and entertainment and my addictions and my heartshaped notices of new events and happenings while I still 100% relate to the old-school traditions of walking down to the coffee café and reading a paper note from a friend in a far land, and therefore love your idea Minna, if not in cellulose reality at least in spirit.
"A handwritten NFT" - absolute genius explaination 🤣