Someone to Write to

New Year, New Format

2011-12-31T12:51:00.002-05:00

Alright: I'm not sure who reads this blog still, but unsurprising as I'm so bad at updating it. However, this new year brings the start of my thesis preparations and -surprise, surprise- it's going to be about communication (with a focus on letters/mail).
So, to aid with my management and upkeep, I'll be shifting focus from blogspot to tumblr; this page will still exist, but more of an archive and reference than a current update of events.
Please visit and follow the new blog at http://someonetowriteto.tumblr.com/
Oh: and please write :)

Maybe- maybe this is just the beginning.

2011-06-05T14:54:00.002-04:00

French the llama, it’s been a long time. Not long after my last post, I went through some health problems that really reshuffled my life. Well, actually, it’s kind of been like playing fifty-two pick up since then, but I am finally getting myself settled back into normal life… or at least as normal as my life gets. This allows for attention to be placed on the smaller but still important side projects that I enjoy. Top of that list is Someone to Write to, and all that it entails. However, maybe I need to enlist help with shameless self-promotion.

Cheers,
Elija

A resurgence, of sorts.

2010-10-14T14:40:00.002-04:00

An open letter:
This project is still very dear to my heart, but I’ve been lacking a little in spreading it about (and keeping on top of this blog). Apologies, and hopefully there’ll be more to speak of soon.
Cheers, and looking forward to reading your letters,
Elija

600

2010-08-27T23:55:00.001-04:00

All the way from the Kingdom of Bahrain, and right to my heart/mind:

“[sometimes] I turn on the AC only to cover myself with a blanket.”

Toronto's First Post Office

2010-05-29T18:30:00.003-04:00

As part of Doors Open Toronto, I went to visit Toronto’s first post office.
Wait. Let me start again.
I had been looking forward to this weekend since I heard about it a couple weeks ago. Over 150 buildings in the city open to the public, for free. This Thursday the Toronto Star had a pull-out guide in it, which I managed to appropriate from a coffee shop. I went through the list, and highlighted the places in my area (accessible by bike) that interested me. On the back page, near the end, this one in particular really interested me:

Toronto’s First Post Office
260 Adelaide Street East
Only operational post office pre-1851. Write a letter with a quill pen, seal it with wax and mail it from the same post office that served citizens from 1833 to 1839.

I think I started hyperventilating I was so excited. And then later when I read it to my mum on the phone, I think I started crying (just a little) I was just so excited. In revealing this, my mother started giggling and saying, “You’re such a neeeeeerd. You’re such a neeeerrrddd!”
Yes, mother. If loving mail this much makes me a nerd, then by golly I am. (Also, I just said “by golly”.)
So I went there today and ended up spending almost two hours writing letters, mailing them, and talking with the excellent staff. I wrote with a feather quill and ink, folded up the piece of paper as an envelope, and then even got to hand stamp (“Franking”) them myself. It- was- AMAZING.
They are open seven days a week, and you better believe that I’ll be going back there. Usually they’re quite quiet on weekends, and I think I want to start sending all of my mail from there, just so I can always hand stamp it. Also, I love the idea of travelling out of my way just to send some mail. Like they used to. The effort seems to make it all the more special and personal. “I worked hard to get this to you.” That kind of thing.

Here’s some information if you’re in the area and interested:
http://www.townofyork.com/service.html

Oh no, a hiatus!

2010-05-17T14:16:00.001-04:00

Time flies when you’re ridiculously busy. I’m back up a bit on letters, and my room has been chaos. However, I haven’t been home too much in the past while for it to be a problem! But my life is getting sorted, my room is getting sorted (painted and shelves!) and my stack of letters is on my finally clean/clear desk.
Let this summer been one of many letters

"And this is a direct quote..."

2010-02-07T10:32:00.003-05:00

The following is an excerpt for a letter I got this week, and it made me smile so widely on the streetcar, I had to share it.

I started to make a list of sorts—My life in 365 days. Each day I write a thought, something that caught my eye, a song, something that I did, etc.

My Life in 356 Days – January 2010

1 This is the start of something new
2 Slow beginning
3 Find the extraordinary in the ordinary
4 Confessed to Teresa
5 J’écrit en français pour la premiere fois
6 Published list
7 Pleated handbag
8 Pleated clutch
9 Pizza at Terroni. Entered from back door.
10 Republic of Doyle
11 Amore 14
12 Watched TV in the morning for the first time
13 While you were sleeping
14 Pasta with clams
15 Stroll in Chinatown & Le Gourmand
16 Can’t understand North American dating rules
17 Fear is the absence of faith
18 Over Me Now – Gloriana
19 “But… ummm” Greek yoghurt & pretzel cookies
20 Last day of vacation
21 Jake Doyle is hot!
22 “Post-It”! Meredith Grey
23 Do you see the future? An unforgettable hug
24 Positive distance
25 Julie & Julia
26 Long but exciting day. Almost perfect. Harbord Bakery chocolate brownie
27 You’re so beautiful. You smell so nice
28 “When I touched her, I felt the best part of me being touched
29 Yummy homemade pizza
30 Waiting for a call that isn’t coming
31 Dipping toes. Waiting February.

Two things really stood out for me when I read this. Number one: I used to do something very similar in high school—in those day planner/agenda things that were forced upon you for things like organizing homework. When I was 15 I started to write down “What I learned” for each day—and I don’t mean what I learned in class or from teachers; just general life stuff. That was also the year I was diagnosed with depression, so some of it is pretty sad(/teen-angsty?) They are kind of funny to look back on now, though, and to see how much has changed. I did make a ‘zine of some of the pages, and a few of them are at This Ain’t The Rosedale Library. That’s all I’ll say.

The second thing, is regarding #15 on the list: I live close to Chinatown, and Le Gourmand is one of my favourite [coffee] places in this city. Not only are their coffees/mochas amazing, but they make these walnut-chocolate-chip cookies that are beyond any cookie you’ve ever had. They’re huge, and just- so- good. Oh, and the tomato/avocado sandwiches are worth mentioning. Anyways, not the point—the point that I was aiming to make, is that I find it really cool that people that live in Toronto who write to me- I may have seen you before. We may have interacted. You could have been behind me in line at the coffee place, next to me on the subway, know a friend of a friend of a friend, etc. But it’s like that with every body. I think it’s amazing that we’re all connected, and yet so rarely see it. We’ve got all these invisible ties to each other, some stronger than others, criss-crossing and spanning the city, the country, the world. Sometimes I get a glimmer of all these invisible strings. It’s like a vast spider-web blankets this cold city, and I feel warm.

Found Addresses, Unknown Addresses

2010-01-24T16:20:00.002-05:00

I went into one of the many wonderful stores of Kensington Market the other day. This one had heaps of old postcards, and the nerd that I am, I had to buy some. Most people would buy blank postcards, for future use. I bought postcards already filled in. The oldest from 1911, and a couple from overseas--just for the AIRMAIL stickers.
On these postcards there are still mailing addresses. Do these places still exist? Do the families still live there? I want to write to them, ask them, but is that an invasion of privacy? I'm still undecided.

As for the sender of all the little notes, and the wonderful Christmas card: I forgot I didn't have your address--I got all ready to write you back, let you know what my current playlist is... and realised I don't have your name, let alone your address. But that's fine. I will keep reading your letters for as long as you continue to write to me, and if ever you want some mail back, just pop on your return address. What I really need to do, is buy more blank CDs. Not just for those who write to me, and want to share some tastes in music, but I also have some mixed CDs promised for friends... I always forget when I leave the house, though...

Also, as soon as I have the chance, I am going to scan some letters--not names or personal stuff, but a sample of the hand writing, and all of the drawings.

A Long Overdue Update

2010-01-08T14:43:00.006-05:00

It’s been five months since my last post. Needless to say, I’ve been a bit slack. Actually, maybe “busy as flip” would be a bit more accurate. In that time, I’ve moved house twice, done a semester of school, and have been seeing a chiropractor twice a week—but those are all stories for another time… and another medium.

However, my love for mail is as strong as ever. A few of this semester’s art projects even centred around my love/obsession with air mail envelopes in particular. Plus, I found a wicked-as wallet that looks like an air mail envelope, almost flipped my shit, and of course bought it. Soooooo awesome. Great convo starter, as well.

Anyways, I hope to bring more life back to this project, and really keep up with it. Please spread the letter love, and I hope to hear from you soon

A quick note...

2009-08-05T01:06:00.001-04:00

To the sender who wrote on large graph paper:

I like your penmanship too.

More Chalk Graffiti (and blisters)

2009-07-03T01:12:00.003-04:00

So my epic journey began tonight walking a friend home. We started out in my neighbourhood of Spadina and Bloor, walked south on Spadina to College, then east on College. At Jarvis we cut across the Allen Gardens, and continued east on Gerrard. We parted ways at Parliament, because my feet were starting to be sore and I still had to walk home. This whole time I kept making her stop so I could write this web address on random flat surfaces.
I then made the trek home, via north on Parliament and then west on Wellesley, again, stopping sporadically to chalk things up.
Now I'm finally back at home with my feet up and giving my blisters a rest before I attack Kensington Market tomorrow.
Hope to hear from you soon!

Chalk Graffiti

2009-06-14T01:39:00.001-04:00

Walking home from a birthday gathering, I remembered I had cleverly stowed away some colourful chalk in my bag. I proceeded to write this blog address on as many possible surfaces, hoping against hope that a) it wouldn’t rain before people could see them, and b) people would go to this website. So if you’ve come here after reading my chalk scribbles along Bloor Street: thank you and welcome. Read about my project, and please: write to me.

Return Fan Mail

2009-05-29T19:07:00.002-04:00

My dear loyal followers (if you exist):

How sorry I am that my posts have been... non-existent. It’s been a bizarre whirlwind time as of late, but I promise to be more on top of things. I hope.

Around mid-April, whilst procrastinating final projects and exams, I wrote two “fan letters” to comedians I follow from Australia: Rove McManus (http://www.rovedaily.com.au/home.htm), who’s kind of like the Conan of Australia, but better; and Hamish and Andy (http://www.fox.com.au/shows/hamishandandy/), who sometimes go on ROVE, but have their own daily radio show. All three gentlemen are extremely funny and I can’t wait to get back to Melbourne to try and meet them personally (dream big, I know).

So a couple of weeks ago, late night checking my post box, I find a brown package from Australia. It turned out to be Hamish & Andy’s double CD, autographed by the pair themselves. Needless to say there was a bit of a nerdy freak out session, followed by telling everyone I could the story. However, there was no actual note or letter attached, which selfishly bummed me out. I then wrote them back (including, amongst other things, an autographed CD of a new/awesome Canadian band http://www.winhara.com/) so we’ll see if anything more comes of that.

Checking my post box this arvo, I found another hand written letter from Australia. Inside was a card and a note from Rove (zomg, heart palpitations, much?) and him even saying to keep an eye on his vlog for a mention.

Oh. Wow.

I wish I could express in this blog just how much I am freaking out/excited, but that many exclamation marks would just be annoying/ridiculous. I will keep you all updated on whatever comes of that.

In the mean time, please keep those letters coming. There’s been a bit of a lull in post, which might mean I need to do some more promotional stuff.

Side Projects and Future Projects

2009-04-09T11:32:00.000-04:00

I have been flat out with school this past month, thus the lack of blogging.

Last/this week I’ve finally written a couple of letters back. I will get to everyone who’s included a return address, hopefully by the end of the month. Yes, the project/experiment goes on, and I’m very excited to see for just how long. Please keep sending me letters, and also telling others about it.

My roommate would like to extend an invitation of sorts of his own. He’d like for people to send him hate-mail. The letter can be addressed to someone you know, a stranger, the general public, or my roommate himself, he would just love to read your hate. So please: go ahead and direct your anger to my roommate in this side project/off-shoot. Same postal address, just make them out to Damien, c/o Someone to Write to. Thanks guys—he’ll be happy to receive your rage.

This summer should be exciting. I will have a lot more time for letter writing, as I won’t have homework with whatever job I (hopefully) get. This also will allow time for other projects I have cooking in my brain, and will definitely love input/participation. I’ll keep you posted.

The End of the Beginning

2009-03-19T02:08:00.000-04:00

To those of you who actually read these posts: I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve last written. Anyone who’s ever been in school will know that sometimes it can really carry you away, and you just have to go along for the ride. What’s keeping me sane at the moment is knowing that with every assignment I complete is one less thing I need to work on.

This project, as far as the assignment part goes, is over. But really, this has just been the beginning. I will continue to promote this website, ask for people to write me letters, read all the letters, and write letters back. (On that note, I have been able to get back to some of you, but as I was saying, I’ve been on homework overload.) It has been amazing reading all of the letters you have sent me, and it always brightens my day when I check the post box and see new mail.

A few facts about the letters I’ve received thus far:

the running count is 19; from locations including New Zealand, India, Vancouver, New York, and Toronto.

8 letters include drawings

4 letters didn’t have their postage marked (so it was returned to the sender so they could write me some more)

most of the letters made me laugh

I enjoyed reading every single one of them, especially on a crowded subway car

Someone suggested that I scan the letters and post them, to show the differences in hand writing, etc. I am planning on doing that soon, and just including excerpts from the letters. I find it interesting that two of my friends, one male one female, have very similar handwriting. I know when I analyze my own writing I can see it’s a combination of my mum’s and dad’s, and similar to certain strangers’.

So keep logging on, there’s a lot more to come.
And as always, please keep those letters coming.

Everything in Transit

2009-02-26T14:47:00.000-05:00

For the most part, I check the Someone To Write To PO Box on my way home [from downtown]. Then, because I’m too excited and impatient, I start to read whatever letters I get on the subway for the five remaining stops home. The two letters I got yesterday were hilarious. The first was from a friend who’s currently teaching English in India, and I was shaking with uncontrolled laughter on the crowded subway when I read her comment on monkeys:

“Speaking of monkies, there are tons of them here, and they’re annoying as shit. Not even because they break into the kitchen and steal your food, but cause they’re aggresive little bastards and if you try to chase them away without something seriously long and heavy, they’ll chase you right back. However, the Tibetan word for monkey is “Piew”—as if you were smelling some nasty garbage—and whenever one comes around all the kids yell “piew, piew, piew!” which generally makes up for the annoyance of stollen food and the terror of being eaten by a raging, rabies-infested, screeching primate. I pretty much piss my pants every time I hear them.”

I’m used to people looking at me funny, especially when I’m laughing, so that didn’t really bother me. I like to think that people were more curious as to what I could be reading than annoyed by my suppressed laughter in a small, crowded metal tube.

The second letter I started to read but didn’t finish before I had to get off the train. It was also laugh-out-loud funny and I got more looks. It wasn’t until I got home and finished reading the letter that I realized that my friend had actually drawn and picture of a naked lady on the back of the last page—the page that was clearly visible to all on the subway as I read and laughed at the first page. Oops.

This project as my class assignment is due in exactly three weeks. However, this PO Box, and this project will continue. I’d love for more letters to reach me in time to be apart of the “class presentation” but I will continue to read all those that come after.

I’d also like to add another quote from my friend(in India)’s letter, which she signed off with:

“According to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, it is making other people smile that gives life purpose. And according to those Harvard neurologists, he knows what’s up.”

(PS: the title of this blog is the title of a Jack’s Mannequin album that I currently have on repeat and can’t seem to listen to enough.)

The Seventh Letter

2009-02-11T22:49:00.000-05:00

Tonight I got into a disagreement with a friend. So much so, that I found myself shouting. I haven’t yelled at someone since I was about thirteen. I’m not used to getting angry—just upset.
I left the house to go grocery shopping and decided (since it was next door) to check my post box. And there was this lonely letter—my seventh letter.
The first six letters came from people I knew—family, a camp friend, school friends, and a friend’s friend. This letter was from someone I didn’t know, someone I have never met and who has never met me. And all the way from New Zealand.
The letter is six pages long, and I just finished reading it. And wow. It is everything I hoped this project/experiment would bring—a window. I small snippet of someone’s life. It was beautiful. And sad. And truly, deeply personal. And the letter became more than just a window—it became a mirror. I saw so much of myself in the words that were written. And I crave to know more, to hear more from this person, and their life, their story. So please: continue to write. To all those who have yet to write, please do. I am here, waiting, to read all that you have to say.
And so, to give you a better idea of maybe what it’s all about, I’d like to share a bit of what was written:
“You said these letters must be personal. But me? I’m not really sure what that means. Maybe I’m just stupid, but I don’t think you can really define ‘personal.’ I think it has a different meaning for everyone, depending on who you are. Personal could mean anything, whether it be the details about yourself, your history, your feelings/emotions, or anything you don’t tell anyone about.”
And that’s absolutely true—all of it. Personal can be anything—it’s up to you what you write, what you say, what you divulge. Anything and everything, I’ll read it all.

Posters, Post-Its, and First Letters

2009-01-28T15:37:00.000-05:00

So it has now been just over a week since this little corner in the blog-o-sphere was created. I’ve been busy with school and busy with promoting this web-page. I have created hand written posters and put them up around my school. I’ve also written the site address on a ton of post-it notes and have been putting them up sporadically in an assortment of places. I slipped a couple into some books and around the stationary section in Pages on Queen and the giant Chapters at Richmond & John (areas in downtown Toronto). It’s been fun to try and be inconspicuous, no matter how successful I actually am. I have a full pad of post-its in my pocket, ready to stick anywhere and everywhere.
Friday afternoon is officially check the letterbox time. And I got mail! My first two letters! One of them made mention/pointed out the juxtaposition of this project: the advanced technology of an internet website, available/accessible to almost anyone in the world, to the “old fashion” way of communicating—most popular back when the world was larger, but you knew very little of it. It’s interesting that in order to get people to join me in the letter writing revival, I have to use these new ways of communicating: e-mail, blogs, and Facebook.
In the process of promoting this project/experiment, and explaining it to people, I’ve entered a lot of different and interesting conversations. I’ve realized that this project is more layered than I originally thought, and has a lot of little components to it. Yes, it’s about letter writing as a [dying] art form, but it can also be about new technology vs old technology, ways of communicating, the tonality of hand writing, the uniqueness of our hand writing, the sharing of thoughts on paper/for an individual vs the sharing of typed thoughts for the internet, and almost any other way you want to interpret this. I was actually watching a bit of stand-up (thanks YouTube!) and this one guy that I’m ready into right now (Danny Bhoy) was talking about letter writing vs e-mail. And that with all the instant messaging type communication, you don’t have time to let your answers/response settle. You get your message/thoughts out as soon as you think them, sometimes without actually thinking or censoring/editing yourself. With a written letter it takes time, and maybe by the time you go to post it, you don’t feel that way anymore, or you’ve come to your senses in what you’ve said.
Anyways, I guess I will leave off at that, and kudos to anyone who actually read this entire gab. I’ll try and keep updates more regular, hopefully Friday afternoons, at the very least, after I check my post box.

Spreading the word

2009-01-17T15:03:00.000-05:00

So, I have started spreading the word about this project. I've made a Facebook note, e-mailed those who are not on Facebook, and posted on the PostSecret web forum. Yes, I am an avid PostSecreter. And yes, PostSecret/Frank Warren helped inspire this project. In fact, while trying and failing to come up with a name for this little experiment, I did what I always do when I'm lost for inspiration: I read PostSecret. I have all four books and almost five hundred secrets saved on my computer. And what do you know? One of the secrets saved was this:

And I guess that helped add another dynamic to this project. I have so much stationary and so few people to write to. And I can't be alone in this. So here I am: someone to write to.

(for those unfamiliar with PostSecret: http://postsecret.blogspot.com/)

The Beginning

2009-01-16T14:57:00.000-05:00

My name is Elija and this is an art project.
This is an open invitation to write me letters. These letters can be any length, any subject. The “requirements” are that they are a) personal, and b) hand written. They can be anonymous, or you can include your return address if you want some sort of response.
I love letters. I love writing them and sending them, and I love to get them. I truly believe that letter writing is an art form. The idea that you are creating something so uniquely personal, and are never going to see it again, intrigues me. There is only one copy, for one person. There is no mass forwarding, no copy and paste, no undo. The act of ink on paper—making a permanent mark, and even if you cover up with whiteout, still exists underneath.
My intention for these letters is to share them. I’ll be keeping this blog, updating it when I receive letters—telling people where they’re from, what they’re about, and possibly excerpts. The letters can be about something that happened to you today, a personal story, a personal story involving us both, or something you just need to share. Feel free to sign your name, and include your return address if you’d like me to write you back. (I will not be sharing any contact information, just the contents of the letters.)
My name is Elija, and I’m a student at the Ontario College of Art & Design, in Toronto, Canada. I’m twenty-two, a Scorpio, and one of four children. And hopefully, I’m someone to write to.
I look forward to your letters.

Someone To Write To
PO Box 68588
360a Bloor Street West
Toronto, Ontario
M5S 1X0