When was the last time you sat down, took pen in hand and wrote a long letter to someone? Not counting that list to Santa, has it been weeks, months, or years? It’s not surprising if you can’t recall, considering the ease of text messaging today. With the ubiquity of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram et al., sending an e-mail is considered long format writing. Not that long ago letters were how we kept informed and in touch. They are the pre-digital history social network. This thought occurred to me when I was searching for a blog topic and learned about Universal Letter Writing Week, which happens every January. You didn’t know there was such a holiday? I didn’t either. I think we’ve been missing out. There are hundreds of true stories in the Library’s catalog that are told through personal correspondence, memoirs, and open letters to friends, family, and the world.
I know what you’re thinking. “I’m not interested in some ancient, sleep inducing writing from another time.” That’s not this. I’m talking about timeless true stories, such as Other People's Love Letters: 150 Letters You Were Never Meant to See. How about letters from local legend Patsy Cline? You’ll find them in Love Always, Patsy: Patsy Cline’s Letters To A Friend.
We have stories with contemporary issues of race, mental health, female empowerment, and politics. You can check out The Fire This Time: A New Generation Talks About Race, Hurry Down Sunshine: A Father's Story of Love and Madness, Love In A Torn Land: Joana Of Kurdistan, The True Story Of A Freedom Fighter’s Escape From Iraqi Vengeance. Maybe you want to know about Hollywood movie star shenanigans, family sagas, or a travel odyssey. Check out, I Loved Her In The Movies: Memories Of Hollywood’s Favorite Actresses, Dear Mr. You, and Traveling With Ghosts: A Memoir. Be inspired by true stories of faith, courage and perseverance like, Finding Peter: A True Story Of The Hand Of Providence And Evidence Of Life After Death. Peek into history with Dear Abigail: The Intimate Lives And Revolutionary Ideas Of Abigail Adams And Her Two Remarkable Sisters, and Presidents of War. These books bring to life historical figures and make them relatable to us today.
I hope I’ve inspired you to write someone a letter or even start your memoir. But if I haven’t, come in to the Library and read someone else’s!