the letters project (beta)

Is freaking 95% of your communication through a tiny screen or a slightly larger screen?

Do you feel better somehow about reading a book or a newspaper or a magazine in front of other people (especially children) than reading something on your phone?

Do you love getting a real piece of mail, seeing someone's actual handwriting, reading that standing at the kitchen counter after you walk in the door before you even put down all your stuff?

Me too.

Also, I love you and your stories. Even if I don't know you for real, I already know that's true. Because I freaking love people's stories. I love them. And if you love the stories, you can't help but love the people, too.

Alright: About a year and a half ago, I decided I wanted to try sending letters to onebrokenteapot readers. I just rolled that around in my head for a while. Much later, I tried writing one or two in preparation. It wasn't working somehow, so I stopped. Then, I started writing short stories or poems or writings about people again like the doer you just read. They're part fact/part fiction, and I love writing those so much, and y'all have told me over the years that when you read them, you feel seen. You feel less alone.

So I'm combining those two things, and I'm excited about it. Yes. I want to try an experiment: I want to send you letters in the mail. Your real mailbox. The one that's usually only got bills and advertising circulars stuffed in it. And I want those letters to have stories in them that remind you that you are not alone. And I want those stories to be about you (fictionalized).

Here's the beta project:

  1. You sign up now, and you pay the cover-the-costs beta price of $5.
  2. In mid-August, I'll email you a list of questions (in an easy-to-complete form) that'll take you about 10 minutes to do. It'll have personal questions on there, so know that up front. And you'll submit it anonymously. I won't know which of the participants you are.
  3. I'll use those questions to create four stories like the one about the doer, the hula hooper, the woman who has time.
  4. In mid-September, you'll get your first letter. 
  5. You'll get letters once a week for four weeks.
  6. I'll send you an email (ha!), and ask you how the experiment went for you.

Wanna to give it a go? Here's the link to pay your $5. I'll see you at your kitchen counter, in my real handwriting.

UPDATE: The beta project is sold out, so please do click here to get first right of refusal on a spot in a possible round two. It would be mighty helpful to know how many folks are interested.