July 2021 Newsletter.

Hello Letter Lovers...

"Postcards in the Park"

This July 24th Dublin based letter-lovers are meeting up to celebrate all that post  (or is it mail?) has done to keep us afloat this last year! Thanks to An Post for supporting the meet-up. I can't wait...lots of exciting bits this July, including our 4th Birthday on July 27th! More on that to come later. 

On penpals and the pandemic, my own Irish penpal Kat was recently interviewed for this piece from Metro UK. Kat, a wonderful advocate for mental health, talks about how letter writing during Ireland's lockdown(s) helped her meet new people around the world! 

"Paperbacks & Postmarks"

Congratulations are in order to friend of the archive Carolyn Porter, author of "Marcel's Letters: A Font and the Search for One Man's Fate"! Carolyn's phenomenal book has been selected as the September Book Club read for the Smithsonian Postal Museum! I'll be there 'with bells on' for Carolyn's talk on this must-read for letter lovers on September 13th! 

August Birthdays!

Do you have a Birthday in August? Would you like a surprise Birthday Postcard? I started sending these in January of this year and I have adored it! If you'd like to sign up for a card or suggest a friend or family member, reply to this email! 

From the Desk Of...

Every month we aim to write and share relevant blogs on letter writing or collecting! This segment of the newsletter is where you'll find them all in one place. 

July's Letter Writing Guide comes complete with the original 1940s mail-order packaging! While researching this blog I discovered something that might surprise you? The origin of the spiral notebook is disputed! 

This month the letter movie for The Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society was the 1987 "84 Charing Cross Road". So on that theme our July Book About Letters had to be the source material! 

Can you guess what color Ireland's Iconic green Post Boxes were originally? I did a little dive into the history of these beauties on the blog here. P.S. How cute is this little toy post box I found for my desk?! 

Recently while exploring the Portobello area of Dublin I happened upon a treasure trove of brightly colored...letter boxes? Mail slots? Click below to read my brief history of this domestic necessity! 

Giving Back is Great

From Me to You is the letter writing charity that matches folks fighting Cancer with eager letter writers. If you're interested in learning more about how you can support this wonderful charity, check them out here.

Earlier this Summer Alison and Brian were interviewed for The Telegraph about how their friendship and From Me to You began. It's a brilliant article that you can read here and we're so, so happy that this wonderful charity is getting the attention and appreciation it deserves.

Letters Connect is Calling! If you love letter writing you have to join us for a Letter's Connect workshop. Alison and Lucy, founders of Letters Connect, hold fantastic virtual events once a month. July's theme? Cocktails! A portion of the proceeds goes to From Me to You...what's not to love?! (Here we are in May after our "Laughter Yoga" session)