The Whimsy Letter Society is not my first business. But it is probably the one I have been the most giddy over. Let me explain why.
1. Why this, why now
I think it is a combination of things, and if you allow me a bit of your time, I will do my best to paint a picture without being too long-winded.
At about the age of ten, I was given my first library card. While I cannot recall who went with me, I remember with much clarity the building, the centuries-old wooden floor scuffed from the abuse of many feet, the card catalog, the hush of the place, and, of course, the books. Shelves and shelves of books. Worlds I could dive into and occupy for a time. I have never lost my love of books. It is a bit of an obsession really. Every year, I read hundreds of them, in paper form, digital form, and audio form. I also purchase them with great abandon. Books have been faithful companions through all the iterations of my life and all the places I have been.
At around the age of fourteen, I wanted to write a book. I remember writing a chapter on an antique typewriter, no less. Each letter required far more than a gentle click or clack in the form of a forceful strike by my little digits. That typewriter was so old, there wasn’t even a correction ribbon. I remember reading that chapter to my father as I sat on the blue shag carpet and he sat on the edge of my brother’s bed. Although he was impressed, I never went any further. My mind was too preoccupied by characters, dates, and events, for me to be at ease. I could not wrangle them all into a cohesive whole. For this reason, I decided that while I was a consumer of the written word, I would not become a producer of it.
Writing is what I turn to when my thoughts are jumbled or during the darkest of times.
As a teen, I had a stationery collection and I have had a lifelong addiction to journals (most of them started but never finished because there is always another beautiful one with blank pages awaiting me.)
In 1987, yes, NINETEEN eighty-seven, I found myself a freshman in a foreign country. No email. No cell phones. Calling long distance was very expensive. I received one phone call per week from my parents and, on occasion, from other family members. I, on the other hand, made none as they were not allowed on university phones. My lifeline to those I loved and who loved me was letters. The ones I sent. Also the ones I received, delivered to a tiny campus PO Box with a golden door and microscopic window. Letters from grandparents, friends, parents, aunts, and uncles. Letters on cards, paper, stationery, postcards, and, once even, a receipt roll.
About ten years ago, I dreamed of starting a snail mail organization. That idea did not come to fruition and fell by the wayside.
Do you see it? The thread through it all?
Paper. Ink. Words.
A thread woven throughout my life. Faithful. Steady. True.
A few weeks ago, I decided I wanted to bring letters back. Mail delivered by the post office. With a real stamp. Not junk. Not a flyer. Not addressed to “current resident.”
Mail that makes you smile and eager to break the seal. Mail that makes you unplug and forget your “normal” life for a bit. Mail that lets you sigh deeply and relax.
The Whimsy Letter Society was born.
The issue was that I jumped on the name without a clear concept, swept away by the giddiness of the idea.
Then it came all at once: the story, the people, the feelings, the lessons, the laughter.
I lost sleep as names, dates, and backstories competed for my attention. Sleep-deprived, I spent the day doing historical research, teasing out my idea, my characters, their personalities, and their lives. By evening, exhausted, I had a village and its characters. And they had stories to tell.
2. What is The Whimsy Letter Society?
The village of Sea Oak is fictional. The Whimsy Letter Society is not. I am part of it, and I hope you will join me in it.
I believe in the power of the written word and the power of story to change lives. My home is full of black words on paper. In my closets are boxes of handwritten letters and notes.
The Society is real to me and I suspect it will be real to those who resonate with its mission. Letters in the mail that bring joy even if just for a moment.
Letters as refuge.
There is a backstory to how the Society came to be, and I will share it with you through letters. What I will tell you now is that the Society was created by a young woman, a long time ago, in a small village named Sea Oak.
A village where people believe, as I do, that the ordinary pieces of our lives are worth sharing because the beauty of said lives is found in the ordinary. Sometimes loving someone is as simple as putting pen to paper, adding a stamp, and sending a letter on its way.
The Society still writes and you can share in that experience. Each month, you will receive a letter from a resident of Sea Oak, a shorter letter from me (where I will share a bit about my life and unravel fact from fiction), and a few little extras to make a Whimsy Letter feel special. A recipe, a picture, a sticker, or something I have not even thought of yet.
Each letter will be different because each month’s writer will also be different. Some of Sea Oak’s residents are in their 20s while others are in their 80s. Some are feisty or vivacious, while others are quiet and composed. Some love gossip while others avoid it. Some are married, others divorced. You get the gist.
Sea Oak is us.
Sea Oak is a community as I remember it from childhood. It is people doing life together because they understand that we need one another.
When a neighbor’s cow was stuck in a ditch, we went to help. It did not matter if they went to a different church or no church at all. It did not matter how they voted. It didn’t even matter if they were a curmudgeon or the loveliest of beings.
We went because it was the right thing to do. And because when our cow was stuck in a ditch, they would come too.
These are the lessons I learned from grandparents who were children during WWI and who raised families during WWII in occupied France. During some of the worst of times, these are the lessons they learned and left me.
I want to carry that legacy. And because I am the creator of Sea Oak, I get to create the world I have imagined since I was a child. My one thing.
If you were filthy rich, what would you do, Florence?
My answer has always been the same: I would create a village.
And so I did.
3. Who is the Society for?
The Society is for people who miss getting something personal in the mail. It is for people who love paper, ink, books, fireplaces, rainy days, warm blankets, front porches, and, most of all, stories.
It is for people who, on occasion, want to step away from the noise and disappear into another place for a little while.
Mostly, though, I suspect the Society is for those of you who have made it all the way through this very long article thinking, Florence, you are talking about me.
I most certainly am.
4. What is the plan?
On October 1st, I will open membership in The Whimsy Letter Society. Members will receive their first mailing in early November, and another will follow each month thereafter.
Between now and then, I will be sharing prequel letters here so you can get a small taste of Sea Oak and begin to know some of its residents.
Once the Society begins mailing, as I already mentioned, you will receive a letter from a resident and Society member, a shorter letter from me, and whatever little extras I can think of to make opening the envelope a joy.
On social media, I may give you a hint about who will be writing the Society’s letter each month, but more than likely, it will remain a surprise.
I think there are far too few of them waiting for us in the mailbox.
To learn more about The Whimsy Letter Society and Sea Oak, please click here or visit the membership site here.
A Note About Sea Oak
Sea Oak is a fictional place, although I like to imagine that somewhere it could be real. Its people, businesses, homes, and The Whimsy Letter Society are creations of my imagination. From time to time, their stories may brush against real people, places, and events from history or from my personal life. When they do, I have tried to treat the history with care, while allowing the fictional world of Sea Oak to grow around it. And with every letter received in the mail, I will always share what is fact and what is fiction.
While you will not find Sea Oak on any map, I hope that with every letter, it begins to feel a little more like somewhere you know and love.