Big Projects
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Sent Seductively
Of all the letter-writing topics we explored this year, I was most excited about love letters. However, I noticed something. The love shared always aligned with the traditional family values of the times. I read countless love letters from people in heterosexual relationships, traditional families, or love shared by friends. It’s not that homosexual relationships didn’t exist at the time; they just had to be better about hiding it. However, letters provide an intimate way to share private information, so there are homoromantic letters; we just didn’t read any this year. Therefore it’s time to take a deep dive into one of history’s homosexual love affairs, specifically those of famous…
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Dear Callie (aka an open letter to my calendar)
Whenever I am confused, Callie is the first thing I turn to. Callie always knows what is next and how to guide me about my day. Callie reminds me when it is time to leave, wake up, and go to sleep. I live based on its command. I spent many hours staring at Callie, looking at it for answers, so I decided to make it pretty. I created a color key to understand Callie without even reading the words I had written down. It worked for a while until I started joining clubs, and then I hit a problem. There weren’t enough colors. I tried placing Callie in different locations:…
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Perfecting the P.S.
Olivia dives deep into Ray Bradbury's famous letter "I Am Not Afraid Of Robots" to reconsider the positive uses for these robots that Bradbury is in support of.
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Last Love
Eleanor sat up in her bed. “Would you like more tea?” one of her maids asked. “No.” The word barely audible against her faint breath. “I want to write,” she mumbled, “get me my quill.” The maids rushed to her side with quill and parchment, fear in their eyes. They knew that Eleanor was in pain and that writing would only cause her more, but they would not deny the frail young women her wish. When she was healthy, Eleanor would write daily to her friend Fredrick. She would wait by the window for the postman to see if Frederick had written back yet, and twirl around in delight when…
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The Anne Frank Dilemma
Due to letters, we have found a way to preserve people and their lives. Millions of letters were sent between families during WWII, and over time collections of them have been formed, both personal and private, that have an ornate effect on people. They expand both people’s knowledge of what it was like to be in the war, sparking a historical interest. Ones in museums and online collections have further shaped opinions on the war, allowing people to feel connected with the past. There is no question about the vitality of the letters, but when reading such personal letters feels unethical, why does one continue? The Dear Bessie letters raise…
