Come one. Come all. My friends Melissa and Samara (yes! there’s another Samara and we know each other) invite you to tell us your letter-writing stories. We’re hosting an essay contest for all those who love to write (and talk about writing) letters. The rules are as follows:

* Write about a special letter you’ve written someone. When did you write it and who did you write it to? How did you send it? What was the situation surrounding this letter?

Or!

* You can tell us about a letter you’ve received from someone else. How long have you had it? Who sent it to you? What makes it worth holding onto?

* No more than 500 words, please.

* Email submissions to snailmailcampaign(at)gmail(dot)com by April 1st.

We’re excited to hear your responses - and very excited to announce our first-place winner after the entries have been reviewed. The winner will receive a signed copy of my book, For the Love of Letters: A 21st-Century Guide to the Art of Letter Writing . . . and I think there might be some sweet stationery in there too.

Happy writing!

One of the most famous and tragic American love stories is that between Zelda Sayre and writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. The love they shared was zealous and tormented—it eventually turned into a competition. Scott would borrow pieces of Zelda’s prose to include in his fiction and she, in turn, accused him of plagiarism. Zelda had dreams of launching a great writing career but was forced to sit on the sidelines while Scott’s soared. In The Book of Love: Writer’s and Their Love Letters (Plume, 1992), editor Cathy N. Davidson writes, “They virtually destroyed each other with excessive love and excessive living.” This letter was written early in their marriage. It is passionate, powerful, and laced with a strange obsession that would eventually contribute to the couple’s demise.

Spring 1919 or 1920

I look down the tracks and see you coming—and out of every haze & mist your darling rumpled trousers are hurrying to me—Without you, dearest, dearest I couldn’t see or hear or feel or think—or live—I love you so and I’m never in all our lives going to let us be apart another night. It’s like begging for mercy of a storm or killing Beauty or growing old, without you. I want to kiss you so—and in the back where your dear hair starts and your chest—I love you—and I can’t tell you how much—To think that I’ll die without your knowing—Goofo, you’ve got to try [to] feel how much I do—how inanimate, I am when you’re gone—I can’t even hate these damnable people—Nobodys got any right to live but us—and they’re dirtying up our world and I can’t hate them because I want you so—Come Quick—Come Quick to me—I could never do without you if you hated me and were covered with sores like a leper—if you ran away with another woman and starved me and beat me—I would still want you I know—

Lover, Lover, Darling —
Your Wife

Monday’s Blog: Who knew? April is National Card and Letter Writing Month