Sincerely,

Dear _____,

This project has successfully concluded.

Thank you. It has been a pleasure.

Sincerely,

Joe

33.3%

Dear _____,

The following is an excerpt from a recent article in Letterworks International, a news agency "dedicated to promoting and reporting the written arts." They've covered LTBL before, but today they released an update. Here's a preview:

-

"ALBANY, NY -- A non-scientific study conducted Sunday in the Albany, New York suburb of Latham on the progress of Let There Be Letters seems to indicate that the project is one third complete. Of the twenty-six backers, a total of nine have already had their orders fulfilled, said Joe Parslow, the project's founder. We sat down with the writer to discuss the feedback he has received from contributors.

'It's overwhelmingly supportive,' Parslow said on Sunday. 'I'm not even halfway through the project, but I've already heard both thanks and praise.'

When asked how smoothly Let There Be Letters (or LTBL) was progressing, Parslow was no less optimistic: 'True, it has been just over one month since the project went live and only a third of the backers have their letters, but I haven't felt rushed or pressured at all. Everyone's been very patient, and I'm thankful for it.'

-

Any publicity is good publicity, right? Even when it's from a fabricated news agency? Maybe you weren't fooled -- I'm no journalist. I just thought it was time for an update.

- Joe

So It Begins

Letters are being written...

An Example of a Bad Letter

Dear _____,

I've heard some would-be letter writers express discomfort at the prospect of writing a letter. Why they feel this unease, some of them say, is because of their uncertainty with what is expected of them and their uncertainty with how what they write will be received.

But these are good things. If you're new to the craft, you can go at it without bias or influence.

In the hopes of describing what not to do, I thought deeply about the advice I would give to those with the above fears and decided to provide and example. So, the following is an example of a bad letter:

Envelope:


Page 1:


Page 2:

-     -     -

Maxim: Any letter is better than no letter.

- Joe

Posta Aerea

Dear _____,

Two days ago I received my first proper letter from a fairly new friend of mine named Alex. She's from central England but is currently an au pair in Turin, Italy, so I imagine she has been writing letters aplenty lately. I was lucky enough to receive this one:

Envelope:

Page 1:

Page 2:

Page 3:

Page 4:

[Click any page for a larger image.]

Thanks for the letter, Alex. Keep an eye on the post -- you can expect a response.

- Joe

Beta Testing

Dear _____,

Shortly after I submitted the project proposal for Let There Be Letters to Kickstarter, I sent -- for the first time in over a year -- a letter to someone with whom I wasn't already corresponding. The recipient wasn't a stranger, but it was someone I hadn't seen in over a month -- my eleven year old nephew, Bryce.

I used handmade Nepalese paper created from the Daphne bush (Daphne papyracea, or the Lokta plant) -- which is nice and thick, textured, and with visible filaments throughout -- and a simple #2 pencil. This letter doesn't quite contain the neatness or density I'll be shooting for in my LTBL letters, but for an eleven year old boy who rarely gets any mail at all it did the job.

- Joe

Let There Be Letters!

Dear _____,

This is the blog for Let There Be Letters, a letter-writing project currently hosted by Kickstarter.com. In this blog you can expect to find descriptions of the project, images of letters sent and/or received, updates on the project's progress, and any behind-the-scenes information fans of the project might want to know about. Let There Be Letters still has two months left on Kickstarter, but this will be the place where LTBL will continue after that time has run out.

The rest of this entry is the description of the project as given on Kickstarter. Refer to the LTBL page over there for more information.

-     -     -

HERE'S THE GOAL: To help fund the proliferation of letters. To be rewarded by receiving one or two (consider your options, because there are plenty). To help Let There Be Letters send letters to other people, too. To connect with people, to add a touch of strangeness to certain lives.

HERE'S THE REASON: Because handwritten letters touch us differently than other forms of communication. Because the style is dying. Because you want to hear from us. Because we like to write. Because it is good to hear the sincerity of strangers. Because honest endeavors for the public good ought not to go ignored. Because we're silly, and serious about it.

This is not just the funding for the project, this is the project.

HERE'S WHERE YOUR CONTRIBUTION GOES: Paper, parchment. Pens, pencils. Postage. Paints, perhaps. Pictures.

Envelopes, small and large. Shipping fees.

If Let There Be Letters gains enough support, after it's successfully Kickstarted a website will be established to host the project indefinitely.

HERE'S THE DEAL: Choose your reward and contribute (not necessarily in that order). If the project is a success, you'll be contacted for the information relevant to your pledge.

HERE'S THE FINE PRINT THAT IS ACTUALLY THE SAME SIZE AS THE REST OF THE PRINT: By "1-page" we mean at least one side of at least one page. By "at least one side of at least one page" we mean possibly more, but certainly no less.

A mailing address, or an address you'd like to use as a mailing address, is clearly required.

This isn't your grandmother's kind of correspondence. Forget the conventions associated with letters -- we'll write our own way.

Letters will be written in English. Entirely. Or almost entirely.

If you choose a recipient other than yourself, permission from the recipient is suggested, but not required. What's required is that you are legally able to contact that individual -- Let There Be Letters will not violate your restraining orders.

If you choose a recipient who does not happen to be you, anonymity is available upon request. Which is to say, if you would like the letter to go unsigned then it will go unsigned.

If you do not select a topic, be advised that Let There Be Letters is all about quirkiness.

By "respond" we mean send an additional letter of (at least) 1-page to the original address after receiving a response from the recipient.

By "original artwork" we mean a drawing, sketch, photograph, or painting at least as large as an average playing card.

HERE'S THE BEST PART: If you have an idea for a letter that isn't mentioned here, let us know. We're interested.

Sincerely,

Let There Be Letters