Writing letters may be seen as a nostalgic form of communication, but it’s also one of the most intimate (plus, who doesn’t love opening their mailbox to find a handwritten letter just for them?). Putting pen to paper allows the letter writer to express their thoughts and feelings freely and openly; in turn, reading letters can give you a sense of the person, of a place, and of a time that you wouldn’t otherwise get.
Listen to one of these stories that are told through letters. Make sure to have paper and envelopes ready–you’ll want to write and send letters of your own when you’ve finished listening!
Told through letters and journals, the women of a small English village soon use their joint song to lift up themselves, and the community, as the war tears through their lives.
Listen to an excerpt The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir
“Even though each of these letters of condolence is personalized with intimate detail, together they hammer home Rilke’s remarkable truth about the death of another: that the pain of it can force us into a ‘deeper . . . level of life’ and render us more ‘vibrant.’ Here we have a great poet’s reflections on our greatest mystery.” —Billy Collins
Listen to an excerpt The Dark Interval
“A smart-as-hell, fun-as-heck novel composed entirely of recommendation letters…Beyond the moribund state of academia, Schumacher touches on more universal themes about growing old and facing failure.” —Newsweek
Listen to an excerpt Dear Committee Members
“A jewel . . . Poignant and keenly observed, Guernsey is a small masterpiece about love, war, and the immeasurable sustenance to be found in good books and good friends.” —People
Listen to an excerpt The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
The high-spirited correspondence between New York Times bestselling author Paul Auster and Nobel laureate J. M. Coetzee. Over three years their letters touched on nearly every subject, from sports to fatherhood, film festivals to incest, philosophy to politics, from the financial crisis to art, death, family, marriage, friendship, and love.
Listen to an excerpt Here and Now
In 1960, Jennifer Stirling wakes in the hospital and remembers nothing. Searching for clues, she finds an impassioned letter, signed simply “B,”from a man for whom she seemed willing to risk everything. In 2003, journalist Ellie Haworth stumbles upon the letter and becomes obsessed with discovering their story.
Listen to an excerpt The Last Letter from Your Lover
Roald Dahl wrote letters to his mother from early childhood through adulthood. This collection of letters provides an unprecedented glimpse of the author through his own eyes—a life punctuated by tragedy, creative stagnation, unexpected fame, and fantastic adventure.
Listen to an excerpt Love From Boy
