April is National Card and Letter Writing Month

It is possible that within a generation we will no longer communicate via letters and cards. Written communication may become entirely electronic. Letter writing is waning in our society, as e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook become the source for personal interaction.

In 2008, the U.S. Postal Service announced National Card and Letter Writing Month to coincide with the airing of the HBO series John Adams, based upon the Pulitzer-prize winning novel of the same name by David McCullough.

John and Abigail Adams were devoted to each other and wrote letters on an almost daily basis. It is through these letters that historians have been able to gain much insight into the lives of the Adames, the U.S.A. in its early years, and society at the time.

Encouraging people to write letters is the purpose of Paper Scissors on the Rock’s push of National Card and Letter Writing Month on Lopez Island. “I received weekly letters from my father when I was in college,” said Ron Hall, PSR owner. “I looked forward to those letters. And I believe my father shared more with me via the written word than he was ever able to do verbally. When I moved away from my hometown, my father would write letters rather than call. Dad had a written correspondence with his brother from the 1930s until 2006, when he passed away.”

Hall has encouraged other businesses and organizations to participate in the promotion as well. The post office will feature an art display by Aurore Maren. The school librarian, Cindy Gugich, will “encourage students to write a letter by supplying pencils, stationery and envelopes which they can personalize with stickers or drawings.” Also, examples of how a letter is constructed will be made available.

The local library will highlight books and films that feature writing. “One of my favorite books of last year was the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Shaffer & Barrows) which consisted entirely of letters,” said Lou Pray, head librarian.

Paper Scissors on the Rock carries many card lines and boxed stationery, pens, paper and envelopes. Maud’s Used Books and Islehaven Books and Borzoi will feature books related to letter writing or have letter writing themes, such as 84 Charing Cross Road.

“Paper Scissors on the Rock will stamp your letter or card and take it to the Post Office during the month of April,” said Hall. “We want to encourage people to take a moment to write a letter to a friend or family member. Caffe La Boheme and Isabel’s Espresso offer great environments for letter writing, and we hope people will enjoy a coffee or tea in these ‘great good places”.

“If we take a little time one night a week to write a letter or card to someone, we begin a dialogue that can go much deeper than a 140 character Twitter message.”