With regards to the article: IN THE ’60s, A FUTURE CANDIDATE POURED HER HEART OUT IN LETTERS by MARK LEIBOVICH (July 29): Thank you for the glimpse into the collegiate dalliances and uncertainties of Hillary Clinton through the letters she wrote to John Pevoy. The snippets shown (I regret but understand that they were not able to be reprinted in their entirety) offer access to the refreshingly unpolished thoughts of a young woman even Mrs. Clinton doesn’t know anymore. That is the beauty of letters—they capture the musings and emotions of the moment but last a lifetime and beyond. We may very well be witnessing the last generation to have their stories told in their own words through letters. This is tragic. Without leaving tangible, eloquent evidence of ourselves, our descendants will think our lives are as emotionally void as our IMs and MySpace pages—which have yet to prove staying power. And if our online profiles ultimately expire, then what honest portraits of daily life have we painted?

I was at a wedding this past weekend and ended up speaking with a friend of a friend about my book. Toward the tail end of the conversation he said, “Isn’t it sad how our handwriting has suffered greatly because no one writes letters anymore.” Although, I purport there have been a great many losses as a result of lack of letters in today’s world, but I don’t think handwriting is one of them. I tried to explain to him that Poe had horrible handwriting and when I see scans of his letters online I am grateful that I’m not the one who had to transcribe them. He was still skeptical saying, “I’m not so sure about that. . .” Low and behold! Robert Fisk of The Independent comes to my rescue today in an amusing piece about the horrible handwriting of those who have gone before. Today’s lesson: Don’t be embarrased by your penmanship—write letters anyway. Someone will take the time to transcribe them someday.

Whatever it takes to get people writing letters I suppose. I am usually not an advocate for the elder Hilton sister (who is?), but in this case I applaud her for giving her father a handwritten note for Father’s Day and for following it up a few days later with a thank-you note to the scores of people who have written her while in jail. The queen of T-mobile has brought out the inner letter writer in hundreds of fans as well as the Duchess of York (can we still call her that?) Sarah Ferguson, too, wrote a sympathetic letter to Paris earlier this week offering her support.

To me, the saddest part of the whole story is when Kathy Hilton announced that this is the first time in Paris’s life that she has been alone. Why not just wear an “I’m a bad mother” t-shirt. Who doesn’t send their child into the wilderness (or at least up to their room) for long periods of time to think about what they’ve done. Solitude is good for the soul—the kind that Paris appears to lack.

Now if Paris keeps sending thoughtful handwritten notes to her fans when she gets out of jail, then may lightning strike me if I say another bad word about her.

. . .well, Katie did something right anyway. According to this week’s People magazine Katie Holmes and daughter Suri were shopping in the Ladies in Waiting children’s store in Shreveport, La.—where Katie is filming the upcoming Mad Money—and the shop owners gave Suri a pink picture frame with her name on it. In response to the thoughtful gift, Katie sent the boutique a thank you note on “Suri Cruise” personalized stationery. Katie has her daughter off to a good start in the way of manners and meaningful gestures.

The note read:

Dear Melissa and Pam,
Thank you so much for the beautiful frame for Suri. It is so sweet and reminds us of our wonderful visit to you store and our time here in Shreveport. It was a pleasure meeting you and we thank you again for the unexpected treasure!
We wish you the best!
Warmly, Katie & Suri