âLynne Kolzeâs book has everything you need to know about the history, art, and science of letter writing. It will educate you about letter writing, persuade you that you should write more letters, and, finally, inspire you to find a pen and piece of paper and start writing. The results will change your life.â --John Kralik, Author of A Simple Act of Gratitude and Three Bodies by the River.
In her book, Please Write: Finding Joy and Meaning in the Soulful Art of Handwritten Letters, Lynne Kolze artfully combines personal memoir, engaging historical and scientific facts, and the stories of other letter enthusiasts to explore the ways in which handwritten letters have influenced human history, touched our deepest emotions, enabled the sharing of knowledge, changed, and even saved lives.
Ms. Kolze argues that handwritten letters are still a valuable and needed form of communication, mostly because of their ability to enliven and deepen interpersonal connections, enhance intimacy, spread kindness and create joy. The authorâs lifelong love of handwritten letters, as well as her adept and sensitive storytelling skills shine through in this inspiring new book.
âLynne Kolzeâs book has everything you need to know about the history, art, and science of letter writing. It will educate you about letter writing, persuade you that you should write more letters, and, finally, inspire you to find a pen and piece of paper and start writing. The results will change your life.â --John Kralik, Author of A Simple Act of Gratitude and Three Bodies by the River.
In her book, Please Write: Finding Joy and Meaning in the Soulful Art of Handwritten Letters, Lynne Kolze artfully combines personal memoir, engaging historical and scientific facts, and the stories of other letter enthusiasts to explore the ways in which handwritten letters have influenced human history, touched our deepest emotions, enabled the sharing of knowledge, changed, and even saved lives.
Ms. Kolze argues that handwritten letters are still a valuable and needed form of communication, mostly because of their ability to enliven and deepen interpersonal connections, enhance intimacy, spread kindness and create joy. The authorâs lifelong love of handwritten letters, as well as her adept and sensitive storytelling skills shine through in this inspiring new book.
When I told people that I was writing a book about handwritten letters, some of them could not hide their skepticism, probably because handwritten letters seem about as relevant to their lives now as eight-track tapes. Still, and somewhat surprisingly perhaps, many more people had a different reactionâan undeniably positive response. With smiles and delight, these letter enthusiasts happily shared heartfelt experiences related to sending and receiving handwritten letters. They told me deeply personal, sometimes even transformative stories about the impact a certain letter or collection of letters had on their lives. There were stories of changed lives, filled hearts, unforgettable kindnesses, deep passions, even terminated relationshipsâall because of letters. With a long exhale and a sense of sadness and resignation, my fellow letter enthusiasts then lamented the end of the âgolden ageâ of handwritten correspondence. Perhaps you, too, have long ago given up on the idea that handwritten letters could be part of your life. If so, I encourage you to look at recent societal trends. There is a glimmer of hope on the horizon; younger generations are showing a renewed enthusiasm for handwritten correspondence, and I, for one, am optimistic about the future of handwritten letters.
During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, for example, sales of cards and stationery thrived, according to recent surveys.1 âEveryone is experiencing digital fatigue, which is realâ so we are turning to tangible things,â market analyst Andrea Bell explains. âAnd we have more time on our hands than ever before. We are experiencing moments of self-reflection and quiet, and for many, using that time to send a card or letter feels like the right thing to do.â2 To me, letters represent something deeper, more lasting, and more meaningful than other kinds of communication. Specifically, they give voice to our deepest emotions, encourage our creativity and most earnest self-expression, and enable us to share love from the depths of our souls. Letters symbolize connections, intimacy, caring, commitment, and sharing with others, heart to heart and mind to mind. The letters we write represent and record all that it means to be humanâthe loves, losses, frustrations, achievements, dreams, sorrows, and existential dilemmas we may face. What could be more important than that? I am not ready to let go of the handwritten letter. It may seem irrational to some to cling to an old form of communication given the ease, speed, and predictability of computers and smartphones. Yet it is precisely because of the sameness and one-dimensionality of technology that I crave the analog, highly tactile, and the deeply personal nature of handwritten communications. Because you have picked up this book, maybe you do, too. This book is for letter enthusiasts who regularly write letters, for those people who once loved the letter-writing process but have given up on the activity, as well as for those who are interested in writing letters for the first time. Here, I share my love for handwritten letters through my own personal lens, as well as from the perspectives of artists, authors, historians, storytellers, and other letter lovers. This is not a scholarly review. I do not dwell on the history of letter writing (though it does get a quick overview), tease apart the letters of famous authors, or provide prompts for writing the âperfect letter.â
Instead, I explore the meaning and value of handwriting letters from my own and othersâ experiences, as well as from a broader societal standpoint, driven by my curiosity and a desire to celebrate a form of communication that has linked humanity for thousands of years. When used with positive intent, a letterâs greatest value is as a platform for the best of who we are at our most authentic, loving, and playful selves. I encourage anyone who adores letter writing to dust off your oldâor pick up a newâfavorite pen and add some joy to the lives of the people you know and hold dear. Letters are one of the greatest gifts we can give. Why not initiate a new, positive, and loving exchange with someone you adoreâfamily, lovers, neighbors, friendsâ using one of the oldest, most authentic forms of interpersonal communication there is? Dear readers, please, do write!
I had a feeling when I chose this book to review that it would appeal to me enormously and I was not wrong. What a wonderful tribute to the humble letter!
In a world that sometimes feels frantic and abbreviated in everything it offers, where anticipation is lost with the ease of immediate gratification, and the keyboard is the tool of choice for all things written, Lynne Kolze has written a charming book about handwritten letters and how they should still have a fundamental place in our technology-centred world. And I have to say I agree.
Kolze's focus is the writing of letters, yes - but it is so much more than that. There is no doubting her passion for the subject and her writing is precise and structured and engaging throughout. The book is split into chapters which address a particular aspect of handwritten letter-writing in turn and its many contexts. She discusses her personal enjoyment of writing them and receiving them; their history and development; their delivery; their stamps; the stationery and pens used to write them; postcards! I could go on.
Personally, I found the sections about the history of letters the most illuminating and especially the anecdotes that Kolze includes about letters in relation to known world incidences, like the Titanic and Columbus' discovery of the New World.
But the personal relevance of letters to Kolze was also interesting and the inclusion of examples from her family's past as well as her reflection on letters she has sent and received all added to her appeal to us readers to give snail mail a go.
There is no doubt that handwriting is a dying art but Kolze discusses pockets of die-hard letter writers who value the emotional response that the paper and its contained script can create and are making it their personal mission to spread the word (pardon the pun). Kolze puts forward a compelling argument for us to reconsider our communication options, extolling the deeper meaning that letters can engender beyond their immediate receipt.
And it is true: there is something more satisfying about a letter, more than an email or text. Whether it's the time taken or the sentiment enclosed or the physicality of it, I don't know but I'm sold and will be writing letters imminently, having my first recipient earmarked already.
A real homage, charmingly told and well worth a read.