Letteracy Deck opened last June to promote what some think is the old-fashioned art of writing letters and postcards, stamping them, and sending them off through the USPS.
Over the Labor Day weekend, the Deck reached 3,000 pieces of mail written by kids and adults on the harbor in Grand Marais.
The effort, sponsored by Minnesota Children’s Press, received grant funding from the Blandin Foundation. In its funding request, the Press forecasted that visitors to Letteracy Deck would complete 1,400 letters/cards this summer. The results after Labor Day show the effort more than doubled.
In June, Anne Brataas, Chief Creativity Officer at Minnesota Children’s Press, said, “Letteracy Deck’s sole purpose is to provide people of all ages a free seat for the best view of Lake Superior (the south end of Lake Superior Trading Post) to reflect and connect through handwritten letters or drawings.”
In June, YMCA day campers wrote expository advocacy letters called “Love Letters to Lake Superior.” Those were addressed to media editorial pages, elected officials, environmental groups, friends, family members, and worship groups. They were giving these young people civic participation and environmental education.
Over the Labor Day weekend, Letteracy Deck hosted visitors to write, draw, and mail 400 letters and cards in four days.
Titled “Love Letters to Lake Superior Post Card & Stamp Event,” each visitor receives, free of charge, all writing, illustration, and mailing supplies. Included were blank postcards visitors could illustrate in the style of internationally esteemed Cook County Ojibwe artist the late George Morrison. Morrison is well known for using vivid colors in landscapes, drawings, and prints. Samples of his art were on display.
Morrison was honored in April of 2022 with a stamp by the USPS. Each letter/postcard writer received one of those stamps free of charge.
Brataas said, “3,000 cards and letters show the idea of a public letter-writing park is more than a valid approach to building community—it really took off.” She included, “Letteracy Deck exists to renew well-being through reflecting and connecting via mailed cards and letters.” Brataas is inspired by the positive response that 3,000 mailings represent. “It suggests to me that we should create public letter-writing parks around the world as a healing and unifying force of civic good.”
Minnesota Children’s Press is a Grand Marais-based 501(c)(3) charity that mentors rural children in researching, writing, illustrating, publishing, and selling books through its Story Scouts Publishing Club. More information can be found at www.minnchildpress.org and www.storyscouts.org.
