Introducing Writing Wednesdays
For those of us in the stationery business, it is a pleasant surprise to read in various 2026 trends reports, that analog may be back! There is an apparent push for a return to letter writing; you know, the old-fashioned, on actual paper kind. I personally want to jump for joy as a lifelong paper nerd, growing up in the “late 1900’s” (I did a cringey eye twitch just writing those words).
Is it really that surprising, given the rise of AI and technology in general? Yes, it is a bit, while at the same time seeming like a natural reaction to tech moving too fast (and too $$$) and the current state of the world. Social media can be both the great bringer-together, and the great separator, and there are very real fears about monitoring and oversight. And let’s be real: have you ever had the same feelings about an email or text as you can get from a snail-mail-sent letter or card from your significant other, best friend who lives on the other side of the country, or your grandmother whom you almost never get to see? And more importantly, you don’t keep electronic communication in the same memory-laden manner as paper.
Hoarding Paper
I only somewhat jokingly refer to my mother’s side of the family as hoarders. They keep almost everything, whether it is important or worth something or not. If it’s old, they keep it. If it’s broken, they keep it (“we’ll fix it up, and then it will be worth something”) Reader, it does not get fixed. And it will never be on Antique’s Roadshow. Most of it is not even of that much sentimental value. I honestly think it is a remnant of my grandparents, growing up in the 1920’s and 1930’s. They were hard times all around, but especially for rural farm families. You kept it because you might actually use it someday, or use it for parts for something else you needed to fix.
But among the few things I’m glad my family kept was paper correspondence. I mean loads of paper, entire bedroom closets full of boxes and bins of old letters, postcards, ledgers and forms. I recently discovered one of these closets at my grandparents house and was entirely shocked that a small measure of order has been attempted (my grandparents died in 2019/2020 so my mother and her three sisters have been making small inroads). Several bins were labeled as being received by my grandpa and others, my grandma. Diving into a few was not a task I should have tried on a whim. I needed a good solid couple of hours to sort through them. But I did find a number of pieces from even earlier in the family history.
Letter Writing from a Century-ago
In several containers were letters and postcards to and from my great-grandparents. Some of the earliest postmarks I could make out were from around 1907-08! There was even an old ‘Autograph’ book with an entry from 1899! That’s pretty incredible to me! Some families in the US, where I’m located, might have plenty of even older letters. But we as a nation, despite what some are saying, are largely a nation of immigrants. Unless you are Native American, all our families originally came from somewhere else. And things can be very easily lost or forgotten no matter when your ancestors came to these shores. And we are a nation and world of progressive technology. So I think it’s surprising when we do find handwritten items from that long ago.
Writing the World
And the really fantastic thing is paper, ink and a stamp are pretty much the same the world over. Sure, the currency of the stamp changes for each country, but it still boggles my mind a bit to realize those few items can be sent from one distant corner of the globe to the other, in a matter of a few days to a week-ish! We take it for granted in the modern era, with airplanes, overnight shipping and the like, but that is still such a feat to be admired. Pen pals were such a kick to me as a kid. What do you mean I can make a new friend in someplace like Peru, or Kenya, by writing a letter? Again, the internet and social media have rendered this idea obsolete, even laughable by today’s kids, but writing and postal service really opened the world (I could wax poetic forever on books, the written word, and history).
Paper Passions
I have really wanted society to bring back letter writing and sending mail the old-fashioned way for a long time. As a stationer specializing in letterpress, this is even better news. I can share my passion for paper in new (old) ways, to new generations, fingers crossed for longer than a year or two-long fad. So, is analog back? I really hope it is, in some capacity. With that sentiment, I’m starting a blog series I’m calling, ‘Writing Wednesdays’. A weekly or bi-weekly blog where I discuss various aspects of writing and sending paper via the snail. And I’ll also share a few of the family letters I’ve discovered.
Today, here’s a small sampling I nabbed, including a couple postcards to my great-grandmother from 1908 (before she married). I hope you’ll join me for these little reminiscences and paper talk. I’ll give a brief overview on Instagram, and create a Stories highlight. Oh, and there will be a few new products I’ll be releasing to help you with your own paper-driven memories collection.
When was the last time you sent a letter or card through the mail? If you have to think too long, maybe it’s time to get some ink on your fingers. Even if it’s short, imagine your friend or loved-one’s face when they open the mailbox. And then imagine a hundred years form now, someone else reading those words of love, humor, or even loss and feeling connected to their past.
With love, ink, and paper,
Marissa
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