Recently, I finished reading ‘The Correspondent’ by Virginia Evans. It is a book about a woman named Sybil, who wrote letters. Sybil wrote letters for the majority of her life, and they were her preferred means of communication; I can relate; I hate talking on the phone too.
In the book, Sybil writes to friends, family, authors, and the Dean of a university, all with different energy and intentions. She resolved some issues, came to terms with things, and even made an unexpected friend from her letters.
When she was writing, she had no fear, no filter, and put her heart and mind on the page.
While reading this book, it inspired me to find pen pals, so I cracked open my laptop, headed to Facebook, and joined a few pen pal groups.
I was able to find a few that I clicked with and started writing, but first I had to buy paper and envelopes. Isn’t it strange how in 2026 a lot of us don’t have letter-writing paper on hand? I also had to figure out international postage; math is not my strong suit, but I got it sorted and learned there are global stamps. I learn something new every day.
I’ve sent letters to England, Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, and wrote one to a woman in Germany today. It’s been fun to put my thoughts on paper; there really is something so calming about sitting down and writing to another person, someone you don’t know and can tell just about anything.
I have to find a good way to share photos with my pen pals, but figured this would be a good place to do so until I get that sorted.
I’ve had pen pals on and off throughout my life, so jumping back in felt natural. I may have overcommitted, but I figure not all who I’ve contacted will end up being regular correspondents, so it should be fine.
I’ve started reading The One and Only Vivian Stone; we’ll see how that turns out. I also started The Last Castle, a book about the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. I always love learning the history of places. Sometimes I struggle to pick a new book when I finish one.
Until next time!
X,
Alyssa
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