The Art of the Love Letter

The art of writing letters is arguably dying, but it’s an art form that has garnered our attention and captured our hearts for centuries, especially when the theme is love. Just as love can take many forms, love letters can also be crafted within a variety of genres.

We’ll begin our workshop by identifying the essential characteristics/elements and techniques of love letters, ultimately examining the evolution of the iconic form – from the traditional love letter produced by 19th century practitioners like Keats and Browning, to the early 20th C variety (paying particular attention to WWII letters via the BBC archive), to contemporary appropriations of the form via The Huffington Post’s Love Letter Project. We’ll also be exploring the appropriation of the form via poems and flash fiction that masterfully maintain the essential characteristics and theme.

As writers, we’ll explore the crafting of traditional prose letters as well as more experimental, multi-genre approaches. And regardless of style, time, or form, the unifying theme will prevail.

*Saturday’s workshop is an optional follow-up included to revise the work you’ve done in the first session.