We’ve been handwriting letters for thousands of years, but in recent times it has become a lost art as many of us use emails and text messages instead. A loss for us and possibly also for future historians, as not only have letters often revealed intimate thoughts and details of life in the past, but they enable us to touch a piece of history. Emails are unlikely to do that, and text messages certainly won’t! So why not join Ellie as she talks to Dinah Johnson, founder of The Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society, and discover why sending and receiving letters is a special and unique way to connect with each other and our past.
Dinah Johnson
The Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society, founded by Dinah Johnson, aims to inspire and encourage people to write letters to each other, to put the fun and meaning back into sending proper handwritten correspondence, and to celebrate all things letter and postal related. It currently has 400 members from 25 countries, on all seven continents. As Dinah explains
"People are missing out on something so special by not having a letter or two in their lives so before it's too late I'm encouraging a handwritten letter revival together with a quiet revolution in the art of intimacy - by that I mean the one to one connection we don't have so much of anymore. I should say we aren't a penpal club but rather about promoting letter writing between friends and family, and whomever people feel like writing to."
Further Information and a Call to Action
The Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society celebrated its 3rd birthday on 26th October 2020. If you would like to hear more about the Society Dinah has been giving talks via Zoom about the idea behind it and the letter writing adventures they've had along the way. Get in touch to find out more or visit their website.
Discover five centuries of postal history from The Postal Museum in London
You might even be inspired to send a letter or two, so go on, why not have a go? And as the Society says: you never know, the person you write to might write back!