How are you managing to make sense of this COVID-19 global pandemic? I confess, I haven’t written a single letter in a long time. I feel so bummed-out by the coronavirus situation, the different government responses to it, the massive layoffs, and the resultant, ever-increasing world-wide death toll. I am overwhelmed AND often paralyzed […]
Penmanship Revisited
Today is John Hancock’s birthday. Let’s celebrate by talking about penmanship. Last month a friend sent me an article featuring a business with robots writing thank you notes. Human handwriting is being mimicked, complete with smudges. “Grrrrr,” I say. We’ve come to that? Everything has become so fake. To counteract that robot story, a current […]
25 Years of Graceful Envelopes
At last, here’s some “eye candy”- the 2019 Graceful Envelope Contest Winners with their Put Your Stamp On It masterpieces. There is no question, The Graceful Envelope Contest elevates “mail art” to museum quality levels. Every year, since 1994, the Washington Calligraphers’ Guild and the National Association of Letter Carriers team up to sponsor the […]
Letters to the Dead
“It gets very lonely sometimes. No one talks to me anymore.” – Andy As many of you know, my youngest sister died early this year of a drug overdose. Andy, short for Andrea, was my favorite family member. She was quite skilled at telling you what she felt you wanted to hear. Andy was […]
The Write Way makes the news
Randall Beach: A passionate letter writer spreads the word By Randall Beach Sep. 28, 2019 (Reprinted courtesy of The New Haven Register) When Carol Christmas was a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service, she noticed she was delivering fewer and fewer real letters. She also noted that on those rare occasions when she did […]
Climate Strike at the New Haven Green
Let’s face it, there is nothing more important than attending to the place we call “Home,” the planet Earth. Last Friday, I participated in a local rally for the Climate Crisis. It was designed by The New Haven Climate Movement, a group of determined New Haven high school students with some help from students from […]
Postcards to Voters
Speaking of volunteering your penmanship to a cause, I recently offered to hand write postcards to voters for the local mayoral campaign. The cards I worked on are addressed to the folks who live in apartments that are inaccessible to canvassers- knocking on doors. These neighbors are a serious voting block and they deserve time […]
Cinque’s story
“They call me Cinque. I am a rice farmer and a proud husband and father of 3 delightful children. One beautiful day in the Spring of 1839, while I was walking along the road in my native country of Sierra Leone, 4 strong men jumped out at me and held me down. They tied my […]
Yes, Yes, Yes…
Indulge me. Take a deep breath in, and exhale. It’s 2019. Time to take stock and reflect, set goals, make resolutions. Four days in, I’m still knotted up in details for improving myself. Yes, I’d like a full makeover, but realistically, let’s be kind. So, I’m reminded of a quote from Jon Kabat-Zinn, the father of […]
2018 Graceful Envelope Winners
Whatever the Weather… As a former letter carrier, I can talk from experience about the daily challenges the weather poses. During the course of a single day, a kaleidoscope of possibilities can occur with rain, chill, humidity, varying degrees of sunlight, heat, and wind. Snow, hail, sleet, and ice feature big during Winter months when […]
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