Voting is Open in Love Letter Contest

The Bright Star Love Letter Contest that I mentioned in an earlier blog post has moved on to the voting stage. The general public can register and vote for their favorite letter and their favorite "tweet." I will warn you...when I tried to register, the system kept rejecting my e-mail address, saying that it was invalid. I just happened to have more than one e-mail address, so I used another one, and that worked. Hopefully the process will work for you.

Even if you don't want to vote, you might register and take a look at the letters; they have photos of the actual letters, and many are quite creative.

"Changing the World for the Better, One Letter at a Time"

I've just discovered another great Web site! The Love Letter Squad is made up of Janet Gallin and Tresa Eyres, who describe themselves on the Web site as "two San Francisco women on a mission to change the world for the better, one letter at a time."

They have a regular column at Examiner.com and a radio show on San Francisco's KUSF.  If you're not available to listen to the show live (Tuesdays from 7:30-8 p.m. Pacific Standard Time), you can listen to the archives of the show on their Web site.

They also have a "Dear Squad" question-and-answer column and offer love letter-writing workshops.

The love letters discussed on the Web site aren't just between sweethearts; these love letters seem to be from anyone who wants to express a loving thought to someone else.

It's an interesting Web site that I think you'll enjoy.

Love Letter Contest

A fellow blogger and writer has alerted me to a letter contest I think you'll find interesting. The deadline is quickly approaching, though, so if you want to enter, you'll have to hurry!

The contest is related to the movie Bright Star about poet John Keats and his sweetheart, Fanny Brawne. The movie was released last month and was written and directed by Academy Award winner Jane Campion.

Keats, who died at the age of 25, was not only a poet but also a letter writer. Although he lived only a short while, Keats left behind many letters, according to a Web site featuring The Life and Works of John Keats, more than 240 of those letters survive today. Several of them are reproduced at the Web site.

There are two ways to enter...one by Twitter and the other with an old-fashioned love letter, but you must choose one or the other. The complete rules are on the Bright Star Web site. Look for the "Love Letter Contest" link on the main page. You'll also want to click on the "Contest Rules" for more details.

The letters will be judged on content, creativity/originality and presentation/artistic expression of idea. The selection of a winner is a three-part process. First, finalists will be chosen. Then, there will be a public vote, and, finally, celebrity judges will determine the winners and alternates.

Get out your pens, put on your romance hats and start writing! Good luck!