Keep calm and countdown to LetterMo!

It’s hard to believe that it is already February tomorrow! Are you ready? Here’s a quick checklist:

• Postage stamps  – Did you know? You can pick them up in more places than just the post office. Supermarkets, drug stores, convenience stores. They may not be the fanciest ones, but at least your letters can be sent out. (Just check on the rates for domestic or international). You can order your stamps online too.
• Pens and Ink – while we love a good fountain pen or gel pan, there’s nothing wrong with using a good ol’ ballpoint, even if you, ahem, picked it up from the dentist office (and we love a typewritten letter too).
• Stationery – again, it doesn’t have to be fancy! Lined notebook paper or a page from your sketchbook. You can make envelopes (here’s a tutorial, or simply take apart one and trace) and some countries have pre-stamped envelopes.
• Postcards – easy to write a short note; some countries have pre-stamped postcards that can be sent anywhere in the world.
• Washi and stickers – fun and nice, but not necessary.

The letter writing community is lucky to kickstart the year by having two different programs during the month of February. Why February? It’s the shortest month of the year and often not the best weather, so letter writing is a great way to pass the time while staying cozy indoors.

So what are the two different programs? A Month of Letters, or as we call it LetterMo around here, was started by writer Mary Robinette Kowal who took a month break from the internet. International Correspondence Writing Month or InCoWriMo, is an obvious nod to NaNoWriMo for the inspiration to write every day.

So what are the differences between #LetterMo and #InCoWriMo? See the chart below.

You can see there are various elements of LetterMo that require a team of dedicated volunteers who run things behind the scenes. It is a strong community built over the years that welcomes newcomers each year and shares their knowledge of the program and love of mail.

You may wonder, do people participate in both? There are definitely people who do the crossover as well as write and send out more than one letter a day! If you want to see some of the mail that is sent out, visit our Instagram profile and check out our stories – #LetterMo2023.  Tag us if you want to share and we may repost! 

With people around the world discovering or rediscovering the joy of the written word received by post, we hope letter writing will no longer be classified as a “lost art” but more of a revival.

If you’re stuck for what to write about, check out the calendar of occasions below!

Let us know in the comments where you can get stamps other than the post office in your country, especially outside of North America or UK. 

Are you ready? Come join the fun – sign up today! See you in the forums!