{"id":13966,"date":"2012-04-12T00:05:48","date_gmt":"2012-04-12T07:05:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.raisingjane.org\/journal\/?p=13966"},"modified":"2012-04-12T00:05:48","modified_gmt":"2012-04-12T07:05:48","slug":"letters-of-note","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.raisingjane.org\/journal\/13966","title":{"rendered":"Letters of Note"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\tStick with me, sisters, I\u2019m on a roll.<\/p>\n

Yep, like a ballpoint pen, I\u2019m rolling across the open page \u2026<\/p>\n

Woo-hoo<\/em>!<\/em><\/p>\n

On the heels of my Manners<\/a> post in late March, I\u2019m feeling all fired up about …<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

… letter writing, and in my frenzy for \u201cfine\u201d print, I found a website that filled me with wonder:<\/p>\n

Letters of Note<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t need to say another word, do I? You\u2019re probably already linking your way over to the site now.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re intrigued.<\/p>\n

So was I.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s just something about a sealed envelope, folded (scented!) paper, and the elegant twists of handwritten script\u2014letters set my heart to pounding. Ah, the curiosity, the piquant promise in such a small package!<\/p>\n

Okay, okay, I\u2019ll rein it back in \u2026<\/p>\n

Although Letters of Note<\/a> may not offer the full sensory experience of hands-on letter reading, it comes pretty darn close by divulging letters, postcards, telegrams, faxes, and memos from some of the world\u2019s most famous figures.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re talking Helen Keller, Mark Twain, E.B. White, Kurt Vonnegut, Mary Queen of Scots, and over 700 more.<\/p>\n

Glitterati Literati, indeed.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Woman Writing a Letter by Gerard terBorchcirca 1655. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Letters site is a blog-based archive of fascinating correspondence, complete with scans and transcripts of the original communiqu\u00e9s. I still can\u2019t get over the thrill of seeing Harper Lee\u2019s handwriting, up close and personal.<\/p>\n

The collection is updated every weekday, so it\u2019s almost like stopping by to pick up a letter in the mail\u2014a letter that gives you a glimpse into the life of someone noteworthy. It feels a little like eavesdropping on history.<\/p>\n

Bookmark the website for your daily fix, or have updates delivered to you via RSS, Twitter, and Facebook.<\/p>\n

Letters of Note creator and editor Shaun Usher is also preparing to publish a book by the same name in November of 2012 because, in his words, \u201cLetters are small artworks, and this book will be catalogue of beautiful, meaningful objects.\u201d<\/p>\n

Usher has offered a few tidbits to tantalize us in the meantime. His book will include:<\/p>\n