How to Inspire Kids to Adventure Into Letter Writing

Karen Benke | The Children’s Book Review

With the Shelter-in-Place order in effect and after-school writing adventures at The Writers Nest on hold, I wondered how to continue to write in community with the children (girls ages 8-13) who love to write together. Then it hit me. The Snail Mail Museltter Adventure!

Back in 2014, I started a handwritten letter + envelope surprise subscription for kids, to get them interested in snail mail. Once a month for a year, I wrote the Museltter, addressed, stamped and sent it all over the United States, even to Canada, Brazil, and one to China. When my editor, Jennifer Brown, and I met for lunch in NYC (missing those days!) and she asked what I’d been up to, I told her about the Muselletter. Her reply was to send her a book proposal. I always listen to Jenn. In 2015, WRITE BACK SOON! Adventures in Letter Writing (Roost Books/Shambhala) came out with contributors Neil Gaiman, Wendy Mass, John J Muth, Natalie Goldberg, Jane Hirshfield, Gary Snyder, Albert Flynn DeSilver, and many other poets and writers, who generously share their love of writing by hand and what sent/received letters mean.

Now, in 2020, I’ve brought The Museletter back, since finding a letter in your mailbox feels (almost) like a hug from afar. With the help of assistants Cat Clive and Dog Raz, we’ve organized a Snail Mail Museltter Adventure that includes weekly letters from me, snail mail buddy partners, an inscribed copy of one of my books, email check-ins, envelope surprises, and even a Zoom Party to share our creations. If interested in joining, please visit www.karenbenke.com or email karen [at] karenbenke [dot] com.

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About the Author

Karen Benke’s the author of the bestselling RIP THE PAGE! (with Chinese, Korean and Russian editions), LEAP WRITE IN! (Chinese edition), WRITE BACK SOON! and Rip ALL the Pages! 52 Tear-Ou Adventures for Creative Writers (all available through Roostbooks.com and Penguin Random House). The founder of The Writers Nest, an after-school hub for young writers located in a converted lumber mill in Northern California, she directs Creative Writing Adventures, a nonprofit program of CalPoets. Visit her at karenbenke.com and on Instagram.

Karen Benke  wrote What Can You Write With? (How You Can Take the Pressure off Emerging and Reluctant Writers). Discover more articles on The Children’s Book Review tagged with Creative Writing, Karen Benke, and Writing Tips.