What is all this Word of Mail nonsense?
The idea is to bring connections to the strangers we may some day pass on the street, in the grocery store, at the library, and never realize it, to create a web of dialogues between human beings, words spoke silently on paper, with pen and ink.

What do I do?
Open your local White Pages, pick a random name. Address an envolope to this Stranger and write a letter or maybe paint a picture on a postcard, even create a greeting card. Be creative, or be simple, share only what you want to, and never be overbearing.

The best way to go about writing a letter to a complete stranger is not to jump straight into a rant about your senile mother, but to gently ease your stranger into a personal connection with you. Introduce word of mail to them, Include a link to the Word Of Mail website (http://dancingfoe.org/wordofmail), write a few sentences about it. Let them know you are not going to stalk them or murder their children, and maybe tell them your first name, or initials.

Once you’ve introduced all this to them, begin your letter, write about your cat, a good day you once had, hopes and dreams, the purpose of your life, the intriguing idea of connecting with strangers on a near anonymous level, art, music, your passions, something that piques your interest and hopefully your Stranger’s. Ask questions–not personal ones, if you state you love the beatles, ask them, “Do you like the beatles?” One bright and kind idea is to include a stamp in your envelope.

If you get an angry letter back, don’t respond, throw it out and try again with a new Stranger.

Do’s and Don’t’s

Don’t ask a bunch of personal questions. Never ask for their phone number or their children’s names.

Do be polite, and do explain why you’re writing to a complete stranger.

Don’t ever call them by their name. Always start your letter with “Dear Stranger,” and nothing more. Using their first name might create some confusion of whether they know you already, even if this information is easily accessible in a phone book. Just don’t do it.

Don’t use foul language. Keep it clean. Who knows if your Stranger is a minister or is just a human being disgusted with obscenities. Like I said, always be polite.

Still Clueless?
Here’s a model letter to guide you.

Dear Stranger,

I’m writing to you as a participant of the Word of Mail project. Word Of Mail (dancingfoe.org/wordofmail/) is an ongoing project to bring connections between complete strangers by sending letters to random names plucked from the phonebook. Each envelope contains something different a piece of art, a card, a letter, to a new and strange person we’ve never met. Feel free to respond, create your own connections with a stranger from your phonebook, or just toss this out and mutter, “That’s odd.” There’s no pressure, no obligation, no expecations, this isn’t chain mail or junk, it’s a project between people living in the same area, with no knowledge of each other’s lives at all.

A few days ago was Christmas, and as usual I’m feeling slightly depressed that it’s all over. It seems to go by just a little too quickly, between all the gift exchanging and cooking there’s hardly a moment to sit back, look at the tree and the family around you, and just enjoy the season. Do you ever feel this way about holidays? As I get older I feel more obligation to give the perfect gift, even though it seems like that perfect gift is either out of stock or way too expensive. What’s the best gift you’ve ever given? I think the best present I ever gave was a scrapbook of my mother’s life, it was personal and handmade, and if it brings tears of joy to their eyes it’s more like a present to me than a present for them.

I have issues with the weather here. I didn’t move to Florida in the middle of the night, so why is it sixty degrees two days before Christmas? I can’t stand sunny Christmas mornings, it just reminds me too much of springtime. I love the snow, but I love that we get enough to enjoy it and not enough to create problems on the roadway.

I hope your season is joyful.

Sincerely,

L. F. (you can give your full name, nickname, or initials)

Get It?

Good. If not, email me with any of your questions and comments. If you’ve got an idea to expand the Word of Mail project, go ahead and email me, I’d love to hear it.
elizabeth.grace@gmail.com

Email any pictures or if you received a response and I’ll post them here.