'Women of Letters' Event in NYC

What better way to celebrate National Women's History Month than by highlighting the international project Women of Letters.

I've been reading everything I can find on Women of Letters since first hearing about the project by Marieke Hardy and Michaela McGuire of Australia. The two women have been hosting Women of Letters events in Australia since 2010 and recently brought it to the United States.

According to an article in Brooklyn Magazine, Hardy describes Women of Letters as "a celebration of women, words, and the lost art of letter writing."

Each month, a carefully selected panel of women read letters on a particular theme. The women are writers, but many are also actors, comedians, singers, etc. On March 13 at Joe's Pub in NYC, a panel of women, including actor/director Kathleen Turner, will read aloud "A letter to the night that changed me." Later in the month, the Australian event will be on the topic of "A letter to my happy accident."

Tickets to the New York events cost $20 each, and the Victoria, Australia, events cost AUD$23.50. All of the money goes to charity. In Australia, they've raised more than 500,000 for an animal rescue shelter, Edgar’s Mission, and the New York events will benefit the New York Women’s Foundation.

Additionally, some of the letters have been curated into books that are available via the Women of Letters website. 

In an article in Elle magazine last month, in response to a comment about whether or not letter writing is a dying art, Hardy said, "If anything, it's enjoying a revival. Nostalgia is definitely a big reason for this, and it's probably as much a rebellion against how digital our lives have become. Most of us spend all day in front of a screen, worrying to varying degrees about our privacy and how much content we're putting online. Sitting down with only a sheet of paper and a pen seems so delightfully simple and quite comforting in comparison."

I am so happy to discover that not only are there a couple of letter writing fans out there curating such events, but also that there are so many interested women that the shows are sold out every month. How lucky we lovers of letters are to have such proponents out there spreading the word. Oh, I do so wish I were going to be in New York this Friday!