Writing letters has fallen out of practice, and the loss of that art isn’t all we lose. Today’s digital communication is full of short-hand texting, gifs, and emojis—a far cry from the long-form letter scribed by hand. New modes of communication have their joys, but so too does the letter. It harkens back to an era when sharing ideas and feelings took effort and time; it was an investment in pen to paper, of heart and soul. And it echoes another time when life was, perhaps, more contained and less fragmented. It also echoes a certain sort of place—one that can be found today in smaller town or smaller circles where people are known in full and over many years. Is this sort of knowing of and investing in others possible in our digital age?
In this episode of Persuasion, Erin Straza and Hannah Anderson invite Winn Collier to discuss all this and more. Collier is a pastor and author who sees value in slowing down and sharing things that matter in ways that won’t be soon forgotten. The discussion meanders in the best sort of way from penmanship to the arts to putting down roots. Listen in to all this and more, and then continue the conversation on Twitter @PersuasionCAPC or in the CAPC members-only community on Facebook. Be sure to answer our question of the day: What’s the last handwritten letter you’ve sent or receive?
Links from the show:
Winn Collier, Official Site
Love Big, Be Well: Letters to a Small-Town Church, by Winn Collier
Theme music by Maiden Name.