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August 16, 2007
Interview with Samara O'Shea: For the Love of Letters: A 21st-Century Guide to the Art of Letter-Writing
Samara O'Shea is the author of For the Love of Letters, a modern guide to letter writing rife with examples and anecdotes of all types of written communication: love letters, break-up letters, thank–you letters, apology letters, sympathy letters, cover letters, (and emails). Published in April by HarperCollins, O'Shea guides fellow letter aficionados, as well as those less versed in the art of letter writing, on why to write a letter, how to start, what to say, what language to use, and how to deliver. Including historical letters, quotes, and personal examples of letter-writing successes and failures, O'Shea tackles letter-writing in our modern era. We here at Modern Letter Project HQ were excited to interview O'Shea about her new book, find out what she thinks of email, what it means to write a letter, and how she feels about the Modern Letter Project.
MLP: First, can you tell us a little about yourself? Where you are from?
O'Shea: I was born in Philadelphia. My family moved a few times while I was growing up but we were always near that city. I went to college in Pittsburgh (Duquesne University) and moved to Manhattan immediately after graduation to pursue a career in magazines. I worked and played in New York for six years and have recently purchased a home, which brought me full circle back to the Philadelphia area.
MLP: We're curious: how did you get into writing letters? What are your earliest memories of writing letters – when and to whom?
O'Shea: My earliest memories of writing letters consistently are when I was in 4th grade—though I know I wrote them before then. I asked my cousin Kate to be my pen pal, and she and I wrote back and forth until we were in Jr. High. By then it was notes to pass in class (remember no text messaging back then) that I spent most of my time writing.
MLP: When you are thinking of writing a letter, where is your favorite place to write?
O'Shea: It doesn’t matter. I’ll write letters anywhere. My desk. The library. Starbucks.
MLP: What are your favorite kinds of letters to receive?
O'Shea:Thank you notes and correspondence letters. The kind that say, “. . .just thinking of you and thought I’d write.”
MLP: Do you have any favorite stationers or stationery stores?
O'Shea: Any time I go into a small town I love looking for the local novelty shop to see what type of stationery they have. Those stores are full of so much character. As far as chains are concerned, I’m partial toward Papyrus.
Now, on to your book:
MLP: In your book you stress letters are the “connection between yesterday and today.” How do you think this connection is changing as fewer letters and more emails are exchanged?
O'Shea: Let it be known that I am a fan of e-mail and now that we have it I think it’d be devastating to lose, but I also think we should take time to include letter writing in our lives in addition to digital forms of communications. I have two problems with e-mail. The first is how lax we are with our language. We toss off quick, mindless messages, whereas in a letter you’re likely to spread the language out and put more thought into what you’re saying. Also, e-mails are ephemeral and they can disappear easily and accidentally. I encourage people to print out e-mails that move them and put them in a shoebox as they once would have done with letters. This will be evidence for generations to come of what our everyday lives were like.
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