The London Letters Pen Pal Club began its life in 2019 with the hope of bringing together letter writing enthusiasts from across the globe to celebrate the joy of receiving letters and the power of the written word.
Over the years we've grown slowly but surely in numbers each week, and we're so proud to now be a 1700+ community of snail mailers! We have members from different countries, ages, religions, sexualities, political views, careers, disabilities, and genders - and whilst our differences vary dramatically, we are all united by a love of letters.
'Letter Writer of the Month' is a monthly journal entry where we invite one member from the club to give us an insight into their journey with letters. Some have always been letter writers from a young age, others only began when they signed up to the club. Our members all have a unique story to tell, and we hope you'll love getting to hear it.
Our Letter Writer of the Month for March is Member No.858 - Darcie.
"It’s taught me to be patient and waiting only builds an eagerness to hear what my penpals have to say. I think to take the time to write and send a letter is love in a form. It shows you care enough to sit and take time with this. In a world where most things can be done for us, hand writing is still ours which no one can take over."
Name: Darcie
Age: 31
Job Title: Counsellor
Location: West Midlands, UK
Member since: July 2025
Tell us a little about yourself and how you became interested in letter writing?
I am a counsellor from the West Midlands and often my days are spent looking at a screen. I am constantly required to be in communication if needed and when I do have the brief respite of seeing someone in person, it’s for a short time until I head back to my work computer. I realised just under a year ago that this does not work well with what I need so that’s where I started to look at ways I can create more offline life. Which is how I found letter writing. I have been journaling for over ten years now so the act of writing is not unfamiliar to me, but having someone to write to was something new and exciting.
What is it about letters that you think makes them special?
I love the art of writing a letter. It’s not something you can do (or I can do certainly!) anywhere with no preparation. It means I need to be intentional with my time to sit and write and the space that creates feels wonderfully present. For some time now I have found myself attracted to the slower side of life. And writing a letter is slow, even more so when you wait for the reply. It’s taught me to be patient and waiting only builds an eagerness to hear what my penpals have to say. I think to take the time to write and send a letter is love in a form. It shows you care enough to sit and take time with this. In a world where most things can be done for us, hand writing is still ours which no one can take over.
What type of things do you write in letters compared to digital communications?
When I hand write I have to consider more what I want to say and how. I can cross words out or rewrite but it can change the look of the letter so I try to avoid mistakes. Typing is less thoughtful at times, I can do it anywhere, drop it and pick it up at any time. And this can be a really good asset for that reason. But when I write I think who you are shines through more than a text or an email. It encourages me to be creative as well, I try to practice certain types of art and have included them in letters before. I use wax seals on the envelopes, I want my penpals to enjoy the experience of opening and reading what I’ve said. You can’t mirror that online.
Do you have a favourite letter, either famous or one you have received personally?
I love to read love letters from the past. I don’t have a favourite one, but reading how much love was shared and how open the individuals were, especially as it was their only way to tell someone at times, it’s saturated with love and just reading it makes me feel I can capture a little bit of it. I hope that one day I will have the opportunity to receive a letter like that!
Do you feel any positive benefits to your mental health when you write?
For me letter writing is a space to connect that fits well with what I am intending for my life. It’s a slow method with little pressure and something that I can take my time with. My mental health has improved with letter writing and I like to make an event when I reply, to make it more of a self care activity.
Describe your letter writing set up. Do you have a favourite pen or paper? Where are you when you're writing?
I keep all my writing stuff together in a big box so when I go to write I take it down to the dining room table. I usually put something on in the background like music or occasionally a show and I normally make a hot drink. I love my fountain pens but they drive me mad at times so I stick to a good old biro! I treated myself to some personalised writing paper from Etsy so it feels very special to use. When writing I try to make sure I have a few hours free, it usually doesn’t take me as long but I can’t stand the feeling of being rushed, so then I can really take my time to write and seal my letters.
What made you sign up to our pen pal club and take a leap of faith by writing to a stranger?
I was very nervous when I first signed up to the penpal club! I had never had a penpal before so when I read about the opportunity I knew it was one I should go for, it felt like I was fulfilling a childhood dream in a way. I was worried I wouldn’t connect with anyone or that my penpal would never reply, I learnt a lot about patience during this as one of my penpals was working to an offline life like I was ! And so didn’t reply to my initial email for some time. But everyone was so friendly and welcoming! I liked to take the time to email before writing, it helped reassure me of who I was speaking to before I shared my address!
Do you believe letters still have a place in modern society?
The impact of letters went down as communication became so much more instant and easier. But now I think they’re becoming more and more special, it’s easy to wish someone a happy birthday over text, but you always get excited when a card comes in the post. I grew up when computers were still new and phones were basic, I remember a time before social media and how free it was. Letter writing is not just a way to go back to the past but it’s a way to show love and intention! You can’t force a bot to write it for you. They show we care.
What role do you think letters will play in the future?
I think with AI (which I loathe) letters will be more common again as it will be the way to show you wrote something. There’s so much rubbish it spits out and it makes us lazy, I do believe that if we constantly rely on something like AI then eventually we will stop having the skill all together. I think there is an emerge of anti-AI out there (myself included) and with it will come the individuals who use letters to prove how necessary it is. I think in time hand writing, letter writing and postcards etc, will be encouraged to show the effort that is made. In my ideal world we will scrap AI all together and start to use slow communication like letter writing again. I don’t know if that will happen around me, but it’s certainly the path I am going down.
What would you say to someone to encourage them to give letter writing a try?
I would say to just be yourself and write what makes you happy! It’s scary when you first write, we’re not used to having to wait a long time to see how someone reacts but it is good to do so! Let someone struggle to read your handwriting, I know my penpals will have struggled! Let them into your little world one letter at a time and get into theirs too! Theres no pressure with letters, sometimes I take weeks to reply because I want to really sit and make the time. And no one minds because they’re doing the same. Long live the slow life! When you write you learn so much about yourself, and I am so glad I took the leap!
A huge thank you to our Darcie for her time, and we hope you enjoyed getting to know her! Why not take that leap of faith and join our pen pal club too? We're always open to new members, and you can learn more about the club here.
