Dear Sunday Letter Writers,

This week, the prompt varies slightly for our Northern & Southern Hemisphere writers, to reflect the different season changes that are upcoming

For those of you writing in the Northern Hemisphere, the prompt is: ‘Write a letter to yourself, capturing the final embers of summer, to read when you feel the first real chill of autumn’.

For those of you writing in the Southern Hemisphere, the prompt is: ‘Write a letter to yourself, as winter loses its grip and spring starts to tease at the edges, to read on the first day that you feel enveloped by the warmth of the new season’.

We can’t quite believe that this marks the 50th prompt of The Sunday Letter Project. If you have been writing every week since the start, we hope that you can take a moment today to reflect about what an achievement it is to have committed to something for such a long time, even if you have missed the odd week here or there.

We hope you also don’t mind us taking a moment of honesty to mention that if you feel that the project has given you something of value over the last year, that we would be so grateful if you could take a few moments to consider if there is anything you might be able to do to give back to the project. We have created a new page of ideas for you, many of which are non-monetary, but still make a huge difference to us.

When we started, we imagined a small circle of people writing alongside us. It is absolutely incredible that there are now 15,000 of us, and we are so grateful that it has reached so far beyond our expectations. However, there is now a lot behind the scenes that is necessary for us to keep it going. We receive hundreds of letters and messages every week and the truth is that it is reaching a point where it is becoming quite a lot for the two of us to carry alone.

If now isn’t the moment where you can offer support, that is more than okay too. We are delighted to be able to support you by inviting you into this practice. Writing your letter is the most valuable part. This project is underscored by community, and we felt it was the right time for us to be open about how things are going for us. If you’re waiting for an email reply from us, we are so grateful for your patience and want to reassure you that your message is important to us, and we will get back to you as soon as we possibly can. The project is a labour of love to us and we take on the labour with gratitude – we just ask for your understanding in return.

Until next week,

Rebecca & Karl

shop project stationery

The Sunday Letter Project was started by Karl & I (Rebecca!) of Wildflower Illustration Co., a small stationery shop & studio based in Cheltenham, U.K.. It’s always been really important to us that the project is open and free for all to take part in. However, supporting us via The Sunday Letter Project shop or Wildflower Illustration Co. helps us keep the project going.

Sorry to say the C word already but we have just listed our Christmas range and personalised cards. Starting Christmas now allows us to put the time and care into your orders, thank you for your support and understanding!

SUBSCRIBE ON SUBSTACK

WOULD YOU LIKE A PEN-PAL FROM THE PROJECT?

Our network of independent shops and cafes around the world act as Letter Keepers, meaning you can write to a pen-pal anywhere in the network without sharing your home address. Members write shop to shop, and you can have as many pen-pals as you like.

To find a pen-pal in one of the places below, you’ll need a local Letter Keeper to use as your return address. Place their address on the back of your envelope rather than your own. Please don’t include a personal home address on letters sent to the shops. This keeps your data private and means our Letter Keepers don’t need to handle any personal information in the shop.

Check back into your local shop from time to time to see if you have received any replies!

NEW!! We recognise that not everyone feels happy to ask a potential Letter-Keeper themselves. We have therefore made a new form so that you can nominate a shop/cafe/museum/libary to act as a Letter-Keeper . We will contact them on your behalf and include all the details necessary for them to consider becoming a Letter-Keeper in our network. Please note that being a Letter Keeper carries a small monthly fee (from £5), which helps cover our admin time co-ordinating 200+ shops across the project. Shops have reported increased footfall as a result, which we hope makes it more than worthwhile.

Nominate a Letter Keeper

The Marine Emporium

Part boat chandlery, part antiques treasure-trove: The Marine Emporium is a unique space for London’s boating community and its friends.

With an exciting new home at the Gossamer City Project, just a stone’s throw from Regent’s Canal, the unit is a whimsical shop - and so much more. Monthly workshops and socials bring people from many different walks of life together to learn new skills and build deeper connections. The Marine Emporium is quickly becoming a hub for the community - so, whether you own a boat, want to expand your skillset or have an eye for antique trinkets, why not swing by and say hello?

Send your introductory letter here:

The Marine Emporium

The Gossamer City Project,

4 Gossamer Gardens,

London E2 9FN

Solgarden with No Bad Books

Tucked in the small downtown of Mebane, NC you’ll find Solgarden Eclectic Giving with No Bad Books Co., Mebane’s oldest gift-shop, celebrating 26 years and counting. Our cozy, eclectic shop is filled with thoughtfully curated gifts, unique finds, and a carefully curated bookstore. We are a women-owned small business with a deep love for community, creativity and the joy of finding the unexpected. We’re also home to Mebane’s Own Fairy, who brings a little extra magic to the shop with fairy hair.

We believe a shop can be more than a place to buy things. It can be a place to linger, read, create, gather, and connect. We host craft events, book events, and kid-friendly activities, creating opportunities for our community to spend time together. That’s why we’re especially excited to be a Letter Holder for the Sunday Letter Project. In a world that moves at a relentless pace, we love the invitation to take an intentional pause and send a little whimsy out into the world.

Send your introductory letter here:

Solgarden with No Bad Books

115 N Fourth Street

Mebane, NC 27302

SHOP TSLP

We meandered closer to the lapping waves. As I surveyed the expanse of ocean, something about the image of her picking her way through the rocks stuck in my head, and my mind wandered into thinking what my life might look like if I was ten in 2026 instead of the early 2000s. As the too-warm waves washed across my toes I felt a deep sadness about climate change. I wondered if I would have been able to see the same world that I was lucky enough to visit on a round-the-world trip in my early twenties. The beautiful, unspoilt sands of the Galapagos, the glacier in Patagonia that was already receding far too quickly when I had visited.

I cast my mind into my teen years. I was a hard-working pupil, but I would take shortcuts if I could find them. Sparknotes springs to mind: a website that summarised chapters of novels that we were studying. Once, I turned in a history essay that was jumbled up mysterious characters from an alternate alphabet, with the meek excuse that the file had been corrupted and that it was all I had to show for hours of work. I was a good enough student that I’m afraid my teachers may well have believed me, which somehow makes it worse. Some really brilliant teachers did, I think, eventually coax the majority of this ‘lazy’ streak out of me. By the time I reached university I took genuine pride in working hard on something and producing work I felt good about. I studied Philosophy at Warwick, where I was also allowed to dip my toes into a hefty amount Creative Writing modules (I even wrote a 30 page book of poetry instead of a Philosophy dissertation, which may well have started as another attempt at getting out of something but certainly didn’t feel any easier when I was actually doing it). I still took the occasional shortcut, but I developed a good sense of agency and the belief that even if it took until the night before an essay deadline, eventually I would be able to coax the words out of myself and more often than not, they would be good enough.

But… what if I had the option, at all of those steps, to ask a robot? What if — before I learned the hard way that starting at a blinking cursor on a blank document is a necessary part of nearly every good piece of writing, I had started a chat with a machine who convinced me that it could do it better, every time? Because, of course it can. Of course a machine can write better than a ten year old, probably better than most fourteen year olds, maybe some sixteen year olds. Of course! And that absolutely terrifies me for the children of the future. Because how on earth can they be expected to develop their own sense of voice, style, poetry… how can they learn to spill their souls onto a page if there is a shortcut a ‘command-t’ away?

Perhaps I’m worrying about nothing. Perhaps I am not giving my younger self enough credit. Perhaps a young Rebecca would feel so horrified about the world she had been handed on a plate that she could reject it simply, cleanly, and vow never to open a page on chatgpt as long as she lives. I do hope that’s what I would have done.

But I think what is, tragically, inevitable — is that there is at least one young writer out there who is going to have her creative voice stolen by AI. Perhaps it will be her parent’s fault for not keeping her away from chat-bots. Perhaps it will be a teacher’s fault for introducing a class to a ‘fun exercise’ where they get a robot to write a story. But I just know somewhere in my bones that there is a version of me who became too reliant on letting someone do the hard bits for me, and it absolutely breaks my heart. One young writer having their voice stolen would be too many. Because the hard things we work through in life become the most brilliantly beautiful things about us. It’s what makes us human.

Dear Sunday Letter Writers,

This week, the prompt is: 'Write a love letter to planet earth'

Did you watch the eclipse this week? I found it such an inspiring reminder of our place in a vast solar system, and it made me reflect on the unlikelihood of our existence at all. Let alone on this absolutely beautiful planet that holds everything we could possibly need. And yet, sadly, humans as a species have not treated it well. Of course, a simple love letter cannot change much. But I like to think that a great number of us coming together and reflecting on our love for the planet, all together on a Sunday, can be no bad thing.

Please do share a copy of your letter with us if you would like to. Either by email (you can just tap reply to this one), or if you'd like to feel authentic you can of course post it to us:
The Sunday Letter Project

26 Suffolk Parade

Cheltenham
GL50 2AE

Please note, any letters shared with us in this way may be published online. 

Until next week, 

Rebecca & Karl 

shop project stationery

The Sunday Letter Project was started by Karl & I (Rebecca!)  of Wildflower Illustration Co., a small stationery shop & studio based in Cheltenham, U.K.. It's always been really important to us that the project is open and free for all to take part in. However, supporting us via The Sunday Letter Project shop or Wildflower Illustration Co. helps us keep the project going.

IMPORTANT NOTE: WE ARE TAKING A STUDIO BREAK FROM 2ND AUGUST TO 18TH AUGUST. ORDERS PLACED IN THIS TIME WILL BE DISPATCHED FROM 20TH AUGUST ONWARDS. AS A THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE, WE HAVE REDUCED OUR SHIPPING COSTS- FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY.  

REDUCED SHIPPING COSTS DURING BREAK:

UK £5.95 OR FREE OVER £20

USA: $21 FLAT RATE OR FREE OVER £200

(does not apply to subscription)

10% off with code AUGUSTSUMMER26

SUBSCRIBE ON SUBSTACK

WOULD YOU LIKE A PEN-PAL FROM THE PROJECT?

Our network of independent shops and cafes around the world act as Letter Keepers, meaning you can writeto a pen-pal anywhere in the network without sharing your home address. Members write shop to shop, and you can have as many pen-pals as you like.

To find a pen-pal in one of the places below, you'll need a local Letter Keeper to use as your return address. Place their address on the back of your envelope rather than your own. Please don't include a personal home address on letters sent to the shops. This keeps your data private and means our Letter Keepers don't need to handle any personal information in the shop.

Check back into your local shop from time to time to see if you have received any replies!

NEW!! We recognise that not everyone feels happy to ask a potential Letter-Keeper themselves. We have therefore made a new form so that you can nominate a shop/cafe/museum/libary to act as a Letter-Keeper . We will contact them on your behalf and include all the details necessary for them to consider becoming a Letter-Keeper in our network. Please note that being a Letter Keeper carries a small monthly fee (from £5), which helps cover our admin time co-ordinating 200+ shops across the project. Shops have reported increased footfall as a result, which we hope makes it more than worthwhile.

Nominate a Letter Keeper

Pen to Paper
To give you a bit of background on our little place here. We are in our 26th year of trading, having opened the original shop at the end of 1999. The business was established by two lovely ladies in 1997. They provided art and design services, but both of their passions were in stationery. Hence the launch of 'Pen to Paper,' the retail arm of 'Monomania Limited,' the name of the original business. I bought the business in 2019 when I wanted to make Brighton my place of work as well as I had lived here for 10 years previously. My own background started in the printing industry when I was just 14 years old, I have never lost my love of the smell of freshly printed paper and the sound of a ream being carefully sorted. So the business was born from a love of stationery and has continued in the same vein. Since our original name was purely based on the previous owners' name, we decided to change our name to better reflect what we do and hence 'Creative Curators Limited' was born. Our philosophy is that we aim to supply everything related to pens and paper, and we seek to curate as many product lines as possible; it is all about the product choice. In addition, we provide online shopping, personalisation services for all our products, a lifetime service agreement for all the fountain pens we sell, support for the local 'Creative Community,' and significant discounts for our local students and businesses. I have to say I have a great team who love what we do and bring significant passion and energy to our success.

Send your introductory letter here:

Pen to Paper 
4 Sydney St,

Brighton and Hove,

Brighton

BN1 4EN

House of Books & Friends

Hello from House of Books & Friends! We are a purpose-led independent bookshop, cafe, and events space in central Manchester, UK with an important mission – to combat loneliness and social isolation. We want every customer or visitor to leave our shop feeling better connected with the community. By reinvesting our profit back into projects and activities “every book sold makes a difference”.

As a Community Interest Company, we believe that businesses can be commercially successful and profitable whilst having a positive impact on the world. The startup of House of Books & Friends was funded by gunnercooke llp and is also supported by the gunnercooke foundation, having strong links with the third sector in Greater Manchester. The ethos behind the gunnercooke foundation is to 'Do Good, Faster', and by supporting and linking House of Books & Friends with charity partners we can help each other deliver on this aim. Our events programme and the work we do with our not-for-profit partners are all designed to inspire connection, collaboration, and connectivity.

Our stunning Grade II* listed bookshop, cafe, and event space is located at 81 King Street, Manchesterand is home to our knowledgeable bookselling team (who eat, sleep and dream books). We hope this will become a home away from home for you too.

Send your introductory letter here:
House of Books & Friends

81 King Street, Manchester, M2 4AH, United Kingdom

Pages & Ink
Pages & Ink is Arkansas's first romance-dedicated bookstore, tucked into Conway with a DIY candle bar right alongside the shelves. We opened our doors in April 2026 after starting out as a scrappy little online candle business, so this space has always felt like it was built one hand-poured jar at a time. We're all about romance curation, cozy hangouts, and giving readers a place that feels less like a store and more like your favorite friend's living room. When we're not restocking shelves or troubleshooting wax, you'll probably find us elbow-deep in event planning, we love any excuse for a themed night.
 

Send your introductory letter here:
Pages & Ink
1018 Van Ronkle St
Conway, AR, 72032
United States

Dear Sunday Letter Writers,

This week, the prompt is: 'Today, as you go about your day, find opportunities to look closer. Insects, flowers, a weathered gate, the grain of wood… so much that we pass daily holds a world of wonder if we can take the time to examine them closely. Write a letter to a friend sharing your experience of a shifted world'

This week's prompt was totally inspired by some incredible insect talks we were lucky enough to visit last week at The Lost Gardens of Heligan with our daughters, where Riyadh Khalaf encouraged us all to 'look closer'… and wow! There really is an incredible, hidden world of insects right under our noses, and it's such a magical shift in how the world feels when you start to examine things a little bit more closely …

If insects aren't your thing (understandably!) then closely examining flowers or leaves is just as amazing. Bonus points if you can find a magnifying glass! 

Until next week, 

Rebecca & Karl 

shop project stationery

The Sunday Letter Project was started by Karl & I (Rebecca!)  of Wildflower Illustration Co., a small stationery shop & studio based in Cheltenham, U.K.. It's always been really important to us that the project is open and free for all to take part in. However, supporting us via The Sunday Letter Project shop or Wildflower Illustration Co. helps us keep the project going.

IMPORTANT NOTE: WE ARE TAKING A STUDIO BREAK FROM 2ND AUGUST TO 18TH AUGUST. ORDERS PLACED IN THIS TIME WILL BE DISPATCHED FROM 20TH AUGUST ONWARDS. AS A THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE, WE HAVE REDUCED OUR SHIPPING COSTS- FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY.  

REDUCED SHIPPING COSTS DURING BREAK:

UK £5.95 OR FREE OVER £20

USA: $21 FLAT RATE OR FREE OVER £200

(does not apply to subscription)

10% off with code AUGUSTSUMMER26

SUBSCRIBE ON SUBSTACK

WOULD YOU LIKE A PEN-PAL FROM THE PROJECT?

Our network of independent shops and cafes around the world act as Letter Keepers, meaning you can write to a pen-pal anywhere in the network without sharing your home address. Members write shop to shop, and you can have as many pen-pals as you like.

To find a pen-pal in one of the places below, you'll need a local Letter Keeper to use as your return address. Place their address on the back of your envelope rather than your own. Please don't include a personal home address on letters sent to the shops. This keeps your data private and means our Letter Keepers don't need to handle any personal information in the shop.

Check back into your local shop from time to time to see if you have received any replies!

NEW!! We recognise that not everyone feels happy to ask a potential Letter-Keeper themselves. We have therefore made a new form so that you can nominate a shop/cafe/museum/libary to act as a Letter-Keeper . We will contact them on your behalf and include all the details necessary for them to consider becoming a Letter-Keeper in our network. Please note that being a Letter Keeper carries a small monthly fee (from £5), which helps cover our admin time co-ordinating 200+ shops across the project. Shops have reported increased footfall as a result, which we hope makes it more than worthwhile.

Nominate a Letter Keeper

Barn Owl Books

Barn Owl Books is an independent bookshop nestled in the historic hilltop town of Malmesbury on the edge of the Cotswolds, UK. Our bookshop is housed in a 400 year old building a short walk from the 12th century Malmesbury Abbey, the resting place of King Athelstan, the first King of England. In our shop you will find a warm welcome, beautifully curated books for all ages, a homely feel which encourages you to stay and browse in one of the many cosy corners and most importantly Amanda, Charlotte and Kirsty who can't wait to meet you and chat books!

Send your introductory letter here:

BARN OWL BOOKS
5 Oxford Street
Malmesbury
Wiltshire
SN16 9AX

Oh Crumbs! Bakery

Oh Crumbs! Bakery is based in the market town of Narberth, in beautiful Pembrokeshire.

We try to be a warm and welcoming place for the community to come and hang out with a cuppa and a slice of homemade cake and a good old chat if they want to. We make all our cakes, bread and savoury snacks by hand on site.

We are dog friendly, which I love because I am obsessed with dogs. We have lots of regular dogs who make a beeline for our place whenever they are town.

We host Saturday Socials on a Saturday evening where people can come along and do some crafting while chatting and connecting to other crafters or if you aren't into crafts we have a large selection of board games which people choose from.

As a business we have tried to do things as ethically as we can so make sure all our ingredients are organic and fair trade including our tea and coffee which both come from business who put back into the communities their products come from. 

Send your Introductory Letter here:

Oh Crumbs! Bakery

10 Market Square

Narberth

Sa677au

Olive It

Olive It… is a floral & candy boutique located on Long Island in New York.  We are a floral & candy shop selling mixed flower bouquets, giftware and international candy.  We are celebrating our 3 year anniversary next month.  

Send your Introductory Letter here:

Olive It Boutique

65 Merrick Avenue

Merrick, NY 11566

Catnap Books

We are a new and used English language bookshop in the town of Haarlem in the Netherlands. We have been open two years and carry mostly books but also other things such as cards, notebooks, puzzles and refillable pens. We are a family owned shop started by Selby (me). Recently my husband, Matt, joined the shop full time and we have a part-time employee named Monika. Our daughter also likes to contribute and share her opinion on what books and things we should carry. We are originally from the United States but have been living in Haarlem for five years now. We are excited to be part of the Sunday Letter Project and help connect people from around the world.

Send your introductory letter here:

Catnap Books

Kruisweg 61

2011LB Haarlem

Netherlands

This week, the prompt is: 'On a scrap piece of paper, write down the question 'who would most appreciate a letter from me today and what do they need to hear?' And reply to yourself in a free-flow, stream of consciousness sort of way. Then, write that letter.'

One of the things I love about writing by hand is that it's sort of a direct path to your inner consciousness or wisdom. Often, I think we are too quick to look outside of us for answers, so this week taps into that. 

Of course inspired by the concept of 'morning pages' from Julia Cameron's the Artist's Way, stream of consciousness or free-flow writing requires you to just let the pen flow without being self-conscious about it… try to just listen to where your hands take you. You can throw the paper away after, no one ever has to see it, but you might just surprise yourself with what you discover

Until next week, 

Rebecca & Karl 

IMPORTANT NOTE: WE ARE TAKING A STUDIO BREAK FROM 2ND AUGUST TO 18TH AUGUST. ORDERS PLACED IN THIS TIME WILL BE DISPATCHED FROM 20TH AUGUST ONWARDS. AS A THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE, WE HAVE REDUCED OUR SHIPPING COSTS- FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY.  

REDUCED SHIPPING COSTS DURING BREAK:

UK £5.95 OR FREE OVER £20 

USA: £15 FLAT RATE OR FREE OVER £200

shop project stationery

The Sunday Letter Project was started by Karl & I (Rebecca!)  of Wildflower Illustration Co., a small stationery shop & studio based in Cheltenham, U.K.. It's always been really important to us that the project is open and free for all to take part in. However, supporting us via The Sunday Letter Project shop or Wildflower Illustration Co. helps us keep the project going. 

We have added a few new styles of writing paper this week! Which is your favourite?

WOULD YOU LIKE A PEN-PAL FROM THE PROJECT?

Our network of independent shops and cafes around the world act as Letter Keepers, meaning you can write to a pen-pal anywhere in the network without sharing your home address. Members write shop to shop, and you can have as many pen-pals as you like.

To find a pen-pal in one of the places below, you'll need a local Letter Keeper to use as your return address. Place their address on the back of your envelope rather than your own. Please don't include a personal home address on letters sent to the shops. This keeps your data private and means our Letter Keepers don't need to handle any personal information in the shop.

Check back into your local shop from time to time to see if you have received any replies!

NEW!! We recognise that not everyone feels happy to ask a potential Letter-Keeper themselves. We have therefore made a new form so that you can nominate a shop/cafe/museum/libary to act as a Letter-Keeper . We will contact them on your behalf and include all the details necessary for them to consider becoming a Letter-Keeper in our network. Please note that being a Letter Keeper carries a small monthly fee (from £5), which helps cover our admin time co-ordinating 200+ shops across the project. Shops have reported increased footfall as a result, which we hope makes it more than worthwhile. Registered Charities can join the project for a discounted rate.

Nominate a Letter Keeper

Eryngium Papeterie

Eryngium Papeterie is a small stationery store tucked on an historic Main St in the Pacific Northwest!  Eryngium is the product of a lifelong dream of operating a paper shop that inspires the hand written art of correspondence, and offers high quality paper products from around the world.  The store hails it's name from the noble Eryngium flower combined with the French noun "Papeterie", a fancy box dedicated to stationery and writing ephemera.  Our store promotes the art of letterpress cards with a large selection of stationery goods  and the complimentary antiques and curiosities that bring magic to your desk & Home.  An in-store shopping experience only, Eryngium is proud to participate and foster connections through the penned word- by journal or by mail, write on!

Send your introductory letter here:

Eryngium Papeterie 
1006 Main st.
Vancouver Wa, 98660
(Not Vancouver, BC!)

Ink & Ether

Ink & Ether is a fantasy pop-up bookshop that's a little bit magical, a little bit rebellious, and possibly held together by tarot cards and sheer will. We pop up at markets and fairs around the community, selling fantasy and speculative fiction by women, BIPOC, and indie authors, alongside tarot, oracle, and books for the spiritually curious. If you've ever wanted a book that finds you exactly when you need it, that's kind of our whole thing.

As a pop-up, we don't have a storefront of our own so our good friends at Communitea Coffee have let us use their shop as our home base. Name me a better duo than coffee and books. Together we're bringing analog back.

Write your introductory letter here:

Ink & Ether Books

c/o Communitea Coffee

1015 E Imperial Hwy, C1

Brea CA 92821

Books at the Dragon's Garden 

Books at the Dragon's Garden is an independent bookshop in beautiful Llandovery, an ancient market town and  the gateway to Bannau Brycheiniog and the Cambrian Mountains.

The bookshop has always centred around my passions and ethics, thus we are well known for our carefully curated collection of books about nature, environmental issues, politics, history, folklore and landscape. We also stock the best of contemporary fiction, classics and an inspiring children's section.

We run the Reading the Wild  Literature Festival which takes place in May every year.

I've had a long association with the Fair Trade movement so we also stock journals, gifts, clothes and accessories that are sourced from certified Fair Trade suppliers

The bookshop is a safe, inviting and colourful space, where everyone is given a warm welcome, conversations about books and much more take place and strangers become friends, we're delighted to be able to play a small part in the Sunday Letter Project, slowing down and  making meaningful connections in a world which has become so pressured.

Send your introductory letter here:

Books at the Dragon's Garden,

9 High Street, Llandovery,

Carmarthenshire, Wales SA20 0PU.

SHOP TSLP

This week, the prompt is: 'If your life were a novel and you were the protagonist, what would the reader be willing you to do right now? Write a letter on the topic to your future self or a trusted friend. Do they agree?' 

I always enjoy exercises that help you see things from a different perspective. If this feels like too big a question for you right now, you can always save it for later. 

It was such a joy to talk about the project on Woman's Hour on Monday. You can listen back to the programme here - I'm on right at the end!  Thank you so much to everyone who has supported the project so far to make opportunities like this possible. It feels rather surreal to see how the project has evolved in less than a year, though this being  week 45 does make me feel that the year has gone rather quickly! 

Until next week, 

Rebecca & Karl 

shop project stationery

The Sunday Letter Project was started by Karl & I (Rebecca!)  of Wildflower Illustration Co., a small stationery shop & studio based in Cheltenham, U.K.. It's always been really important to us that the project is open and free for all to take part in. However, supporting us via The Sunday Letter Project shop or Wildflower Illustration Co. helps us keep the project going. Alternatively, you can support the project with a monthly paid subscription on Substack.

SUBSCRIBE ON SUBSTACK

WOULD YOU LIKE A PEN-PAL FROM THE PROJECT?

Our network of independent shops and cafes around the world act as Letter Keepers, meaning you can write to a pen-pal anywhere in the network without sharing your home address. Members write shop to shop, and you can have as many pen-pals as you like.

To find a pen-pal in one of the places below, you'll need a local Letter Keeper to use as your return address. Place their address on the back of your envelope rather than your own. Please don't include a personal home address on letters sent to the shops. This keeps your data private and means our Letter Keepers don't need to handle any personal information in the shop.

Check back into your local shop from time to time to see if you have received any replies!

NEW!! We recognise that not everyone feels happy to ask a potential Letter-Keeper themselves. We have therefore made a new form so that you can nominate a shop/cafe/museum/libary to act as a Letter-Keeper . We will contact them on your behalf and include all the details necessary for them to consider becoming a Letter-Keeper in our network. Please note that being a Letter Keeper carries a small monthly fee (from £5), which helps cover our admin time co-ordinating 200+ shops across the project. Shops have reported increased footfall as a result, which we hope makes it more than worthwhile.

Nominate a Letter Keeper

Rêve Coffee & Bookshop

Rêve is a little pocket of peace tucked into the heart of Hixson, a place where the coffee is thoughtfully made, the books are waiting to be discovered, and creativity seems to hum quietly in every corner. Local art fills the walls, stories gather on the shelves, and there is always room to linger, dream, make something, or simply breathe for a while. It is beautiful without being precious, peaceful without being still.  Rêve is a warm, imaginative space where people come for a cup of coffee and often leave feeling a little more inspired than when they arrived.

Send your introductory letter here:

Rêve Coffee & Bookshop

1948 Northpoint Blvd, Hixson, TN 37343, USA

The Crooked Shelf, Books & Brews

The Crooked Shelf, Books & Brews is the dream-come-to-life of owners Shelbie & Anthony Frison. We're a proud woman-owned independent bookstore and café located in Troutman, North Carolina, USA. We set out to create a cozy, relaxing, and welcoming "third space" for the community to enjoy their time between home and work; a true haven for the bookish, coffee connoisseurs, and lovers of fine drinks and eats. So, whether you're seeking the latest bestseller or just a cozy corner to sink into with a glass of wine, or a carefully crafted latte, we've got you covered.

Send your introductory letter here:

The Crooked Shelf Books & Brews

153 Frazier Loop, Statesville, North Carolina 28677, USA

Racconti Toscani
I started this shop two months ago. It is a lifelong dream that came true here in beautiful Tuscany.

I come from The Netherlands and all my life I have had a printing company in The Netherlands and Belgium and since 10 years also a publishing company. I sold the printing companies 5 years ago.

I sell typical Dutch products like Delfts Blue and typical Italian products. And of course books in Italian, Dutch and English.

Send your Introductory Letter here:

Racconti Toscani

Via Castello 116

Codiponte

54014 Casola

Lunigiana - Toscan

Johnson's Literary Depot 

Johnson's Literary Depot is an independent bookstore on Main Street in downtown Johnson City, Tennessee, tucked in the heart of the Appalachian Highlands. We opened with a simple belief, a bookstore should be a gathering place, a depot of people, ideas, and community. Between author events, book clubs, and sessions in the stacks (a monthly music night featuring local artists), we've watched our shop become a spot where neighbors and travelers alike slow down and connect. Our resident shop dogs, Winnie & Daisy are local celebrities often the first ones to greet customers when they come in the door. We're also proud of our Kids Read for Free program, which puts children's books into the hands of kids through age 12, because a love of reading and learning starts early and should follow the child's lead. Whether you leave with a new book, a wagging welcome from Winnie & Daisy, a letter from a pen pal, or just a good conversation, we hope you'll always feel at home here.

Send your Introductory Letter here:

Johnson's Literary Depot

333 E Main Street

Johnson City, TN, 37601

United States of America

Archive Gallery

Archive Gallery  is an art gallery and bookshop located just a few miles outside of Philadelphia on the western edge of the lively town of Collingswood, NJ.  What began as a way to sell off a massive lot of inherited used books on science, art, medicine as well as historical odds and ends, has evolved into an art gallery and bookshop featuring local artists, writers and a unique selection of art and photography books. Since opening in January of 2026, Archive Gallery has evolved into a community event space as well, hosting weekly meditation groups, book clubs and a short story reading series.  Archive is a place where you can sit quietly and soak in a lap-size photobook, page through a book of stories, or take in the work on the gallery walls. We are proud to be a part of the Sunday Letter Project and a return to the idea that the very act of writing connects us as humans; that the process of putting words on paper can make a distant, intangible world feel once again, alive.  

Send your introductory letter here:

Archive Gallery

330 Haddon Ave

Collingswood, NJ 08108-1241

USA

Dear Sunday Letter Writers,

This week, the prompt is: Write a letter to someone you feel proud of. If no one springs to mind, write it to yourself'. 

Most of us have a tendency to be harsh on ourselves. But perhaps if you start with a letter – 'Dear …' , I am proud of you because…' and just allow the pen to take you on a bit of a journey. One of the things I love about writing by hand is that often you don't even quite know what will flow from your pen until you see it on the page in front of you. You may surprise yourself with this one. 

This feels like a good time to remind you, if you need it, that it's never too late to return to the practice of Sunday writing if you've had to take a break for whatever reason. We hope that your Sunday Letter can be something that stays with you and enriches your life, but your dedication to it may naturally ebb and flow. You can think of it like a trellis: it provides the structure to guide your branches and keep them growing in the direction of your intentions. Some weeks you may meander away from the path and that's okay: what matters is that the trellis holds firm for when you are ready to rejoin. 

Until next week, 

Rebecca & Karl 

As the project is growing, we are experiencing increased media interest which is really wonderful, and we are delighted to be reaching wider audiences. The one thing journalists are always asking for is accounts from people who have been taking part in the project for a while. If this is you, we would really love to hear from you. A short paragraph about your experience in the project is more than enough, and please just state if you're happy for your full name, first name or 'anonymous' to be used. Please simply reply to this email or submit this new form, here. 

If you take the time to do this, we would like to extend a thank you in the form of a discount code for our digital downloads. We are extending this code on trust - as we think you're a lovely, honest bunch! Please use the code SUNDAYREFLECTION for 40% off all digital downloads. Thank you so much in advance for your time!

SHOP DIGITAL DOWNLOADS

SUBSCRIBE ON SUBSTACK

Nominate a Letter Keeper

Sip & Read

Sip & Read in Wijchen, the Netherlands, opened at the end of februari '26. After 25 years of working in logistics, my dream of my own bookshop came true! Sip & Read is a cozy bookshop with a variety of genres. It is also possible to sit down and have a (non-alcoholic) drink.

The goal of Sip & Read is not only to provide in the next read, but also to connect people. For instance during bookclubs, cozy coloring workshops and bookish events. Everyone is welcome in the Sip & Read community!

The Sunday Letter Project is the perfect addition. Writingto and receiving letters from a pen pal is a true gift. We cannot wait to connect with new friends across the world!  

Send your Introductory Letter here…

Sip & Read

Spoorstraat 3

6602 AV Wijchen

The Netherlands

Shop Around the Corner Books

My name is Amber and I own Shop Around the Corner Books in Northern California.  At the bookshop, I carry new books, a large section of classics, vintage books, and a cozy children's section.  I also stock puzzles, art supplies, journals and stationery.  We are thrilled to be a part of the Sunday Letter Project and hope to connect with people from all over the world.

Send your introductory letter here…

Shop Around the Corner Books

1244 California St,

Redding,

CA 96001

10th Street Bookery

As a longtime lover of books, I opened my tiny used bookstore in the downtown area of my hometown, Fort Smith, Arkansas, in 2025. Because the space is quite small—a former barbershop—I decided to focus primarily on nonfiction books and bookish gift items. Over time, I have curated an interesting and diverse collection of books on just about every topic, along with selections of classic literature and poetry, including similar offerings for children. I truly believe there is something here for everyone.

To my delight, the community has embraced my little shop and all it represents. I instantly fell in love with The Sunday Letter Project because I believe a bookstore should be more than a place where books sit on shelves. It should reflect, welcome, and support the community in which it is located.

Here at 10th Street Bookery, I want all book lovers to feel welcome and valued, regardless of age, race, gender identity, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation, and I strive to reflect that philosophy in my inventory and the atmosphere of the shop. I have learned that there is no single type of person who is a reader or a book lover. The love of books transcends the labels that might otherwise divide us.

I am excited for my customers to find pen pals from around the world with whom they can connect, exchange ideas, share stories, and build meaningful friendships. My hope is that these connections will enrich lives, broaden perspectives, and remind us of the many things we have in common, no matter where we call home.

Send your Introductory Letter here… 

10th Street Bookery

7 North 10th Street

Fort Smith, AR 72901

USA

Bunbury's Coffee & Books

Bunbury's Coffee Shop is a cozy, comfy little yellow bright spot in the heart of Piermont, NY convening community, providing respite for hikers, walkers, and cyclists traveling from all around the lower Hudson Valley & the go-to spot for our local coffee drinkers and muffin lovers – both young and old.  On any given day, we are privy to witnessing love blossom, children growing and people reuniting.  Aspiring artists, writers and all creative beings convene at the shop to embrace the warmth, energy and fragrances of the fresh baked goodies made on the daily.  Named appropriately after “Bunbury's” in the Oscar Wilde play, The Importance of Being Earnest, we are also home to Bunbury's Books, a self-publishing arm of Bunbury's that helps authors publish their works; showcase local authors and have curated an eclectic mix of used books.

Send your introductory letter here:

Bunbury's Coffee & Books

460 Piermont Avenue

Piermont, NY USA 10968

Dear Sunday Letter Writers,

Firstly, a quick thank you, as last week we reached well over 100 sign-ups straight from The Sunday Letter Project for ‘positive post’ for the organisation ‘Give a few words’. It really is so wonderful to think of all those people being cheered up and the difference it could make. We are so grateful for your enthusiasm for initiatives like these.

This week, the prompt is: Write a letter that forms a short introduction to one of your favourite topics or subjects.

I really love hearing or reading someone talk about something they are passionate about. Often, even if the topic isn’t something we might be naturally something we’d be drawn to, there’s a special kind of gold dust that gets sprinkled in a topic when it comes from someone who loves it.

I think this would be a really fun one to do together with a friend and prepare your letters at the same time, or perhaps a nice one to donate to From Me to You or Give a Few Words . But it would also be a lovely introduction letter to send to any of the almost-200 worldwide Sunday Letter-Keepers*. Where will you share your knowledge; and who might write back!?

Until next week,

Rebecca & Karl

*Please do not include a return address unless you have a local letter-keeper where you can collect replies. Any letters sent to shops with personal addresses on will need to be redacted for data handling/protection reasons.

SUMMER ‘26 AT WILDFLOWER ILLUSTRATION CO.

NEW SUMMER WRITING PAPER

As you may know, The Sunday Letter Project is powered by a small stationery studio in Cheltenham, England called Wildflower Illustration Co. In fact, it’s just me and my husband Karl running nearly everything behind the scenes! There’s never any requirement or obligation to use our paper to write your Sunday Letters. However, we are so grateful for your support if you happen to love what we do.

We’re so pleased to introduce a new range of Summer Writing Paper today that can now be personalised by you at home with some rather clever software that allows you to visualise and edit exactly how you would like your name (and address, if you like) to look. You can see them all here.

After placing your order you’ll be invited to edit your design, and once that’s approved it will come back to us for printing and packaging (which all happens by hand in our studio!) You can view a demo here.

For our U.S. and EU friends - who are often excluded from ordering because of shipping or tariff restrictions, we have introduced a printable version, too.

This is the first time we have offered this, but we know that it’s fairly hard to find nice writing paper designs these days and we hope this helps make it a bit more accessible.

PRINTABLE LETTER WRITING PAPER

SUBSCRIBE ON SUBSTACK

Beyond Text Bookstore

Hello from Beyond Text Bookstore in Los Gatos, California!

We chose the name Beyond Text because we believe a book is never just text on a page. It’s also illustrations, memories, conversations, emotions, unexpected connections, and even the smell and weight of the book itself.

We’ve been open for two years now, and my favorite part of running a bookstore has been watching people connect through stories.

That’s also why we love letters. A good letter is a little story, a conversation, and a connection all at once. The Sunday Letter Project feels like a natural fit for our bookstore, and we’re excited to help connect pen pals from around the world.

Send your introductory letter here:

Beyond Text Bookstore

318 N. Santa Cruz Ave, #A
Los Gatos, CA 95030
USA

HOME

Home is a cozy little shop just north of Boston in the heart of Winchester, Massachusetts, a quintessential New England town first settled in 1640. Since our opening nine years ago, Home has established itself as the go-to shop for a carefully curated collection of unique goods for living and giving. At Home, you are just as likely to find the perfect mug for your morning coffee, a quirky kitchen tool, or a classic glass for your favorite new cocktail as you are to find the softest blanket for the best new baby, inspiring art and gifts, or a greeting card that captures the perfect message. We are small town shop deeply committed to featuring quality products but more importantly, to creating and cultivating a space in the community that welcomes, lifts, and inspires every visitor.

Send your introductory letter here:

HOME

2A Mt. Vernon Street

Winchester,

Massachusetts 01890 USA.

KD’s Books

We are an indie bookstore that has been part of our community in historic downtown Lee’s Summit, Missouri (a largish suburb of Kansas City) for over 35 years. We have books and events for all ages and interests, and love bringing readers together and connecting with them.

Send your introductory letter here:

KD’s Books

207 SE Third St,

Suite 102, Lee’s Summit, MO 64063

The prompt for this week is to 'create an evidence file for all the good in the world'.

You can pack your envelope full of little anecdotes and stories, scraps and drawings that form a picture of the world viewed through the sunniest lens you can muster. Take a look at the example that me and my daughter put together this weekend above. By paying attention to the small, good things around us, we can change the course of the day for both ourselves and the recipient of our letter. We had so much fun pulling together some delightful items from our scrapbooking and art pile, and there is something so joyful about knowing that it will reach another human's hands and hopefully make them smile. 

You may already know the perfect recipient for this sort of letter - perhaps you know of someone personally who could do with a little cheering-up. However, if you would like to turn your letter-writing this week into a good deed, we have linked up with the organisation 'Give a few words' who have a special campaign running today for Loneliness Awareness Week. Between 10am and 11am  (UK Time), they will be live-matching anyone who signs up here with someone in need of 'positive post'. This may be someone in a care-home, someone experiencing loneliness or having a tough time. You will receive a match according to interest - e.g. 'Jack lives in a care home and likes poetry, Everton, nature and walking'.  It will be a one-off letter*, and you can read some of the lovely comments people have made after receiving the letters on their instagram. 

Anyone from around the world can join in, and you are also welcome to scan and email photographs of your letter if postage costs are a barrier for you. 

“They were lovely, I did get a little emotional but I am going to save them for ever and the next time I feel a bit low, I am going to get them out to read again”

Please do share any photographs of your letters this week with us too (you can just reply to this email!) - we'd love to curate a selection of positive post which also may serve as inspiration for other Sunday letter-writers in the future. It really doesn't have to be beautiful or perfect – in fact imperfections only make them more charming and joyful, in my opinion! This is a lovely one for children to get involved in too, as long as you have the permission of their guardian*. 

Until next week, 

Rebecca & Karl 

*please don't include return addresses or particularly personal details for data protection reasons.

The Sunday Letter Project is powered by Wildflower Illustration Co., a small bespoke stationery studio and shop in Cheltenham, UK. We are committed to keeping the project free for everyone to join, but buying something from our shop or subscribing to our monthly Wildflower Paper Club is a really great way to make it possible for us to keep going. We keep our subscription small but we release a few new slots every month and there are some available for June at this link. 

IMAGE 1 - sign up for JUNE

IMAGE 2 - joyful offline summer supplies including our 'from the cutting room floor' scrapbooking packs

IMAGE 3 - Summer Card Bundle

SUBSCRIBE ON SUBSTACK

SUPPORT THE PROJECT

Analog Books

"Analog Books is a local family owned, independent community bookstore offering new books, book related gifts and a number of book related events throughout the year. The curated selection covers multiple genres and interests including a large selection of indigenous and LGBTQIA2S+ titles; a substantial children and YA section; an entire wall dedicated to pens, fountain pens and ink; and a well-read, friendly staff ready to suggest your next favorite read.

The steampunk-themed interior offers an eclectic analog experience including a large collection of antique film and movie cameras, projectors and typewriters topped off with a hand-build, cedar strip canoe hanging from the ceiling.

And, of course, Hugo and Copper, the bookstore's resident cats."

Send your Introductory Letter here:
Analog Books Inc.

322-6 St. S. Lethbridge AB T1J 2C8

Athena Stationery & Cafe 

We are two best friends (Daphne & Becca) who wanted to bring a stationery shop to our city because we both came from places where stationery shops were a staple. We felt that with our combined skills and creativity we could bring something unique to Winston Salem. We are all about fostering our community of artists and helping them on their journey to finding their voice, spreading their message or gathering to meet like minded individuals. We had our grand opening this past weekend and it could not have gone better. Our community really showed up and we can't wait to introduce this project to them.

Send your Introductory Letter here:

Athena Stationery & Cafe, located at 1004 Brookstown Ave. Winston Salem NC 27101.

The Inked Garden

The Inked Garden is both a book and flower shop. Angela, the owner, has been a wedding florist since 2019 and since leasing her studio space, felt the pull to create a place where people could come together. The shop is located in historic St. Peters, Missouri and is a Hallmark-at-Christmas inspired place where they value books, blooms, and community! 

Send your Introductory Letter here:

The Inked Garden

19 Main Street

Saint Peters, MO 63376

USA

31.05.26

prompt

“Clear the dust from the mirror.”

Most of what we see is coated by a layer of our habitual perception. Instead of seeing things how they really are, we see our accumulated ideas of them instead. Write a letter noticing something you haven’t been seeing clearly recently

Dear Sunday Letter Writers,

The prompt for this week is to ‘clear the dust from the mirror.’

Most of what we see is coated by a layer of our habitual perception. Instead of seeing things how they really are, we see our accumulated ideas of them instead. Perhaps you could write a letter noticing something you haven’t been seeing clearly recently.

You may have noticed that we have been working on the Letter Keeper page of our website to share more about the wonderful shops and establishments who have now joined our network. This is a work in progress, but eventually all links will be clickable. You can send this page directly to a local shop if you would like them to consider joining the network – there is a form for them to fill out at the bottom should they wish to apply for more information.

We are also working on a section on this page of real-life stories from our letter writers who have been using the network. If you have been writing to someone via the network, we would love to hear from you with a short paragraph about your experience. We are also very keen to hear from anyone from Gen Z who has been enjoying their writing experience - this is for a potential press feature.

Thanks as always for your support!

Until next week,

Rebecca & Karl

Image source: Pinterest

BACK IN STOCK

A wonderful talking point and beautifully hand-printed by artist Fran Dellafera, our Sunday Letter Project Tote bags are back in stock. Limited number available.

SHOP NOW

A NEW WAY TO SUPPORT THE PROJECT

We are often asked, especially in store, how people can support The Sunday Letter Project. We are always so pleased to hear that the project is having such a positive impact on so many people’s lives, and very grateful to anyone who asks. Until now, our answer has been to take a look at our digital downloads page or our shop.

We have now turned on the option of a paid Substack subscription. This is set at the lowest amount that Substack allows: £3.50 a month. The prompts and these emails will always be free - the paid subscription is simply a way for those who want to support the project to do so, whilst keeping everything open for everyone else.

If a monthly subscription isn’t for you, we‘ve also added a simple ‘support the project’ listing here.

SUBSCRIBE ON SUBSTACK

ONE-OFF SUPPORT

Would you like a pen-pal from the project?

Our network of independent shops and cafes around the world act as Letter Keepers, meaning you can write to a pen-pal anywhere in the network without sharing your home address. Members write shop to shop, and you can have as many pen-pals as you like.

To find a pen-pal in one of the places below, you’ll need a local Letter Keeper to use as your return address. Place their address on the back of your envelope rather than your own. Please don’t include a personal home address on letters sent to the shops. This keeps your data private and means our Letter Keepers don’t need to handle any personal information in the shop.

Check back into your local shop from time to time to see if you have received any replies!

LETTER KEEPER SPOTLIGHT

Piccola Stella

“My shop and our patrons are so excited to be a part of The Sunday Letter Project! I’m a NYC transplant that moved to the countryside of Lancaster Pennsylvania, in a little village called Elizabethtown. I worked as a film archivist for the last 15 years and when it seemed that the road was coming to an end, I decided to open a creperie /tea parlor in the heart of our little downtown in December of 2024. The last year and a half has brought so much magic from our community including a proposal between our two favorite regulars (Jack & Alexa) , and intimate wedding celebration ( Devin & Sierra), community food drives, and countless celebrations within these tiny little walls. When I read about The Sunday Letter project it sounded exactly like I , and my fellow community were craving.”

Send your Introductory Letter here:

Piccola Stella
11 S. Market Street

Elizabethtown PA 17022

It’s a beautiful thing

“We run a coffee shop in a small market town in South Devon. We are very keen on creating community here, the whole town is like that, we have loads of independent shops and the town itself is ancient with several historic buildings. Sir Walter Raleigh was arrested here in 1603 on treason charges.

Our coffee shop is staffed by young adults with additional needs and we support various local projects and are also part of the national ‘ chatty cafe’ scheme which aims to help people struggling with isolation and loneliness.

We do some crafty workshops here too and Ashburton is known for its artists and craft people. We are just on the edge of Dartmoor National Park so loads of nature stuff going on too.”

Send your Introductory Letter here:

It’s a beautiful thing

56a East Street

Ashburton

TQ13 7 ax

Bunbury’s Coffee Shop

Bunbury’s Coffee Shop is a cozy, comfy little yellow bright spot in the heart of Piermont, NY convening community, providing respite for hikers, walkers, and cyclists traveling from all around the lower Hudson Valley & the go-to spot for our local coffee drinkers and muffin lovers – both young and old. On any given day, we are privy to witnessing love blossom, children growing and people reuniting. Aspiring artists, writers and all creative beings convene at the shop to embrace the warmth, energy and fragrances of the fresh baked goodies made on the daily. Named appropriately after “Bunbury’s” in the Oscar Wilde play, The Importance of Being Earnest, we are also home to Bunbury’s Books, a self-publishing arm of Bunbury’s that helps authors publish their works; showcase local authors and have curated an eclectic mix of used books.

Send your Introductory Letter here:

Bunbury’s Coffee Shop

460 Piermont Ave, Piermont, NY 10968

When we opened our bricks-and-mortar stationery shop in 2023, we found that a theme began to emerge: there is a general, human longing for a simpler time. For a time when people wrote letters, lived more slowly, and had more time and space for consideration. So many people who walk through our doors express a quiet sadness about the fact that ‘no one writes letters anymore’.

With so much talk in recent years of how dependent we have all become on technology, it occurred to us that letters may well pose the perfect antidote. In a busy, tiring world full of screens, writing a letter can take you right back to basics and remind you of what is really important.

We know how hard it can be to find time for things like this, so we thought that a collective, weekly movement would be a powerful way to create a letter-writing ritual. The concept is simple: you sign a free pledge on our website and commit to writing one letter a week, on a Sunday.

We hope that you will be able to keep your promise to yourself, and fall in love with the ritual of letter writing. Choosing an ink, adding in stickers or photographs, picking out an envelope. The way that handwriting holds emotion and feeling within its distinctive lines. The way it freezes time and provides a portal into a moment that can never otherwise be revisited. The enormous, unique feeling of delight when you spot an envelope on your doormat with scrawled ink and know that someone has set aside that time, thought, and energy just for you.

This community space is not designed to replace the connection that you will find in your letter-writing. That’s a unique, special kind of joy that cannot be replicated on a screen. However, we do appreciate that these decisions do not have to be black and white: we are grateful for the power of the internet in uniting like-minded souls, and believe that we are curating a unique, reflective community. It makes sense to create a place where we can talk, inspire and share. A space to celebrate an art form that deserves to be celebrated and preserved.

Please do introduce yourself in the comments!

Dear Sunday Writers,

The prompt for this week is to write a letter that contains an invitation. This could be a small, simple invitation like a picnic, or maybe you might like to dream up something more elaborate like a full day out.

If you like, you could pull together and plan as many details as you can, so that all that is left is for your recipient to accept or decline. Putting it into writing makes it so much more exciting! How lovely to think of all the summer activities that might be set into motion this week.

We reached a new milestone this week: there are now 12,000 of you! How incredible? Thank you for being here.

Until next week,

Rebecca & Karl

A NEW WAY TO SUPPORT THE PROJECT

We are often asked, especially in store, how people can support The Sunday Letter Project. We are always so pleased to hear that the project is having such a positive impact on so many people’s lives, and very grateful to anyone who asks. Until now, our answer has been to take a look at our digital downloads page or our shop. This week we are adding something new.

This week, we are turning on the option of a paid subscription. This is set at the lowest amount that Substack allows: £3.50 a month. The prompts and these emails will always be free - the paid subscription is simply a way for those who want to support the project to do so, whilst keeping everything open for everyone else.

For paid subscribers we will be introducing occasional bonus posts, and, most excitingly, we will have a weekly community post that invites letter-writers to comment and share ideas, inspiration and photographs of their letters, as well as get to know other writers from around the world. Letter-Keeper shops will also have a space to share stories and information about their shops. We have wanted to build something like this for a while now, and Substack feels like the perfect home for it.

If a monthly subscription isn’t for you, we’ve also added a simple ‘support the project’ listing here.

SUBSCRIBE ON SUBSTACK

ONE-OFF SUPPORT

Chapter House Books

“Chapter House Books opened in 2025 and is run by a wife-and-husband team who met and fell in love working in a bookshop together -- so opening one of our own felt pretty inevitable. We’re tucked off the main street in downtown Fayetteville, NC, and we carry new, used, and vintage titles going as far back as the 1800s, with an emphasis on indie publishers and hidden gems. Our community has built up around our Read Around the World book subscription and our Philosophy Book Club that meets every week in the shop and draws a wonderful crowd. The bookshop collie, Phoebe, has also become quite popular. We know our community will love to connect with fellow book lovers wherever you are.”

Send your Introductory Letter here:

Chapter House Books

225 Franklin Street

Fayetteville, NC 28301

“Pocket Libraries is a tiny community library in Nairobi, Kenya, started by two bookish dreamers (Sanaa and Wasim) who mostly wanted a cosy place where people could sit, read, and talk about books. Since opening, it has somehow grown into something much bigger than the two of us expected. We now have over 3,000 books and a community of readers of all ages, although children, tweens, and teens seem to have quietly taken over the place (we’re okay with this). On any given day you might find children sprawled around the place reading and colouring, someone carefully choosing their next fantasy series, families popping in after lunch, or people staying much longer than they planned because they’ve started talking about books with complete strangers.

We also run storytimes, craft activities, reading programmes and community events, a lot of these targeted at children. We’ve always felt that libraries are really just an excuse to build communities - books happen to be the thing that bring everyone together.

The Sunday Letter Project also felt like a very natural fit for us. Sanaa has always loved lettersand handwritten things, and we’ve found that people really respond to small, thoughtful human touches. For the last couple of Christmases, we put together book hampers and included letters to strangers inside them - little (sometimes long!) notes written for whoever happened to open the box. Unexpectedly, it ended up being the thing people talked about most afterwards.

Looking forward to being part of this and seeing where the letters travel.”

Send your Introductory Letter here:

Pocket Libraries Foundation

PO Box 2007-00606

Nairobi

Bloom & Bindings

Bloom & Bindings is a cozy indie bookstore and gift shop, located in historic downtown Boonville, Missouri. Where shelves overflow with stories, candles flicker softly, and every visit feels a little like coming home. It’s the kind of place where readers linger, conversations bloom among stacks of books, and cats, coffee, plants, and unique finds add to the magic. It is cozy, welcoming, and touched with whimsy. It is a place to slow down, take a breath, and relax for a bit.

Send your Introductory Letter here:

Bloom & Bindings

315 Main Street

Boonville, MO 65233

SHOP TSLP

For over ten years, my husband and I have run a stationery shop. It began as a passion project in our spare time alongside demanding jobs (him a teacher, me a trainee solicitor), but quickly grew into a thriving online store that led to us focusing on it full time, and then a physical shop that we renovated ourselves. Central to the soul of it has always been the idea that writing something down by hand is a beautiful way to brighten someone’s day in an increasingly digital world. I have always felt that writing unlocks something important about the human experience. It allows us to connect to parts of ourselves that otherwise lie dormant, and to communicate with others in a deeper, more meaningful way.


Our move towards putting anything and everything online has always concerned me. Social media, whilst brilliant for some things, seems to encourage a mean streak in many. And beyond that, there is a sadness about losing the things that the digital realm replaces. Handwritten post-it notes scribbled for family members to find later are replaced by texts that never land as softly. Conversations with friends become fragmented, guilt-ridden shards that never quite reach the heart of what we want to say to each other.

After opening the physical shop and meeting hundreds of customers a month, we began to realise we were not alone. This sadness for the parts of us that we are losing is felt by so many. ‘It’s such a shame that no one writes letters anymore’ was something we heard over and over again as people spotted our table stacked with letter-writing paper. Simply offering writing paper for sale wasn’t going far enough. We decided to explore something more decisive. ‘Perhaps we need to start a letter-writing movement,’ I joked to Karl.

I thought about what I needed in my own life. Despite loving letters, despite knowing from experience how beautiful and powerful they could be, I still didn’t write as many as I wanted. I had two young children and a business, so busyness was a reasonable excuse. But I still found time to waste on social media. So we made ourselves a promise: once a week, we would write one letter. We chose a Sunday, as I think it still retains a sense of its slower, reflective roots even for non-religious families. The letter would have no requirements other than being words on a page, written to someone else or to our past or future self. We wrote out a pledge:

‘I pledge to write one letter each Sunday,

to myself or someone else, as an act of reflection,
connection and calm.

I believe in the power of carving out a pocket of time

for myself, and I am committed to this ritual

as a way of creating balance in my life.’

We pinned it to the fridge. The joy it brought us was almost immediate. We fell in love with the practice quickly, and it wasn’t even difficult to stick to: the pleasure of writing, the creativity we began to bring to it, sketching birds we’d spotted in the park that week, making our own envelopes, choosing coloured inks, experimenting with dipping the nib mid-sentence. Our seven-year-old daughter got involved too, penning notes and drawings for her baby sister and her cousins.

We created a simple website and invited others to make the pledge. We called it The Sunday Letter Project, and watched in awe as it grew. Within a few weeks we had reached 1,000 signatories. A month in, we stood at 2,000 members. I did the maths and realised that in a single year, we’d be creating over 100,000 letters.

At this point, we began to receive a common request: ‘Can’t we write to other people who have also signed the pledge?’ We were initially unsure about facilitating the sharing of home addresses, and reluctant to take on more than we could manage admin-wise. But people had already started writing some of their weekly letters to the shop, mostly with no expectation of a reply, just to get their words out and have them read by somebody. These letters were such a joy to receive, and they gave me an idea.

I wondered if other independent stationery or bookshops around the world might want to sign up to receive letters too. It required a leap of faith, but this would mean we could create a pen-pal network without anyone ever needing to share their personal address: members could write shop to shop instead, increasing footfall in independent shops, boosting real-world social interaction, and connecting writers across the globe. We were thrilled to see how quickly the idea caught on.

At time of writing we have over 140 shops signed up across the U.K., France, Sweden, America, Canada, Australia, India, Argentina and the Philippines, and 12,000 signed pledges, equating to well over half a million letters annually. We hope to keep growing a network that is already bringing so much joy as people discover pen-pals amongst others committed to keeping the written word alive.

Some accounts from participants:

“To give the gift of time, we live in such an instant world and to make the time to write and then take the time to read a letter is a joy. The meditative qualities of writing took me by surprise, but a nice surprise.”
“I have been able to reconnect with friends with whom I had lost touch. I have been able to affirm and thank people who make my life lovely. My very favorite experience has been receiving a return letter from my college professor of Children’s Literature 45 years ago. Her letter had such wonderful voice, it was like sitting to have a chat with her.”
“The joy of showing our grandson how to post a letter. He is three years old and when I took him to the postbox to post a letter to his Mummy and Daddy, as soon as he had put it in the box he wanted it back. I had to gently explain he needed to wait for the postman to bring it to his house. It is so important to teach children that not everything comes from a screen.”
“I enjoy the specialness of using a particular paper and handwriting. Plus I feel something wonderful is felt by the recipient of a real letter, especially as I’ve noticed that I have been really speaking from my heart when I’ve been writing the letters. As though I’m saying what I really want to say rather than glossing over it. It’s a daring thing to do.”
“It’s been an emotional journey writing letters to some people in my life; they may never get to read them but I got to shift stuff out of my head. Other times I’ve enjoyed the challenge of describing the sounds the rain makes when I listen, or the prickliness of a savannah sun when travelling on a Sunday.”
“Remembering and considering those around me. Not so bent on being busy but making space to let someone know that I see them. Reconnecting to my humanity.”
“It’s become a Sunday ritual for me. I decide who to write to, pull out my stationery and decide what to say. No politics, no current events except for which birds I’ve seen in the past week. 3 pages, envelope, find a pretty stamp and into the mail it goes.”
“Reconnecting with my uncle that lives a long distance. We were pen pals 20 years ago & he was thrilled to get another letter recently.”
“I was diagnosed with several chronic illnesses that left me depleted and hopeless. Then I read Virginia Evan’s ‘The Correspondent’. And suddenly I wondered if writing letters might be a pastime that would fill the hole I was feeling. Each Sunday I sit down and use your prompts to write letters. You two are a match made in heaven. And I thank you both for making my Sundays full of sacred time and joy.”
“Writing one letter a week seemed a perfect thing to add into my week. And I HAVE found joy in thinking about who I want to write to that week. It is extra special when the recipient lets me know the joy they had at finding a piece of mail. It’s all connection and I think it might be something we are all craving to some degree.“​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"'This too shall pass'

Nothing lasts. Everything is impermanent. That's the bad news. But also the good news"

– Bjorn Natthiko Lindeblad, I May Be Wrong

Dear Sunday Letter Writers,

In one sense, every part of our lives is temporary. But some things feel especially short: a season with a child, a view from a window in spring, a bouquet of flowers. It might be something beautiful that comes to mind, or it might be something hard – “this too shall pass” encompasses both sadness and relief. 

This week, perhaps you could touch on this topic in a letter to someone. You may not even know who you are writing to until you start. It might be to yourself, or for someone else to read later. Letters have an ability to freeze time: to capture the essence of a moment remembered. You might think that a photograph can do this too, but, by sticking a camera into the moment we are changing the way in which it unfolds: adding a different observer. By recalling something in words we are performing a more gentle preservation. As today unfolds, ask yourself which moments are the most fragile, temporary ones. And then seek to capture them. 

Until next week, 

Rebecca & Karl 

SIGN UP NOW FOR MAY LETTERS

The Sunday Letter Project was created by Rebecca & Karl of Wildflower Illustration Co. - a small, independent stationers in Cheltenham, UK. We design, print and package all of our stationery in-house from our little studio at the back of the shop.

Each month, we prepare a carefully curated 'mail-club' called 'The Wildflower Paper Club' - designed to help you keep your stationery drawer restocked and to spread some paper joy around the world. It is the perfect companion to your Sunday Letter Writing commitment – arriving on your doorstep as a gentle reminder to keep writing and connecting. 

We carefully limit the number of subscription slots each month to ensure we can dedicate the time and attention each pack deserves. By keeping our numbers small, we're able to focus on quality over quantity, creating special, collectable editions that reflect our commitment to craftsmanship and detail. New sign-ups in May to either the monthly or quarterly subscription will also receive one of our ribbon bookmarks as a welcome gift. No code needed! 

SIGN UP NOW

Ratty Books

"Ratty Books is an independent children's books and bits shop located on Main Street in charming Jeffersonville, New York. We specialize in a curated selection of illustrated picture books and classic children's literature, and we have been gradually expanding to include graphic novels and books for all ages.

Named after a beloved character in the classic children's novel “The Wind in the Willows” by Kenneth Grahame, Ratty Books is inspired by the rolling hills, creeks, and rivers of the Western Catskills.

Our name is a daily reminder of the interplay between outdoor beauty and inner imagination that has been the foundation of children's literature for centuries."

Send your Introductory Letter here:
Ratty Books

PO Box 417, Jeffersonville, NY 12748

SOJOURN BOOKSELLERS

"Sojourn Booksellers is a bookshop for all ages and interests -– we are passionate about the written word and the power of stories to inspire, entertain, educate, and connect. We believe that books are vital companions on the journey of life. Our bookshop shares space with several other businesses under the Guild Designs umbrella -- Centralia Stationery Company offers unique letterpress stationery and greeting cards; Daisy Lounge offers wonderful craft cocktails and mocktails; and Guild Designs offers vintage and antique furniture and objects -- it's a whole vibe! Together, we host a monthly Silent Book Club -- a community reading night. The Sunday Letter Project is a welcome addition to our project and our collective desire to slow down, to be more intentional and connected, and to savor the good things in life." - Kristin Carlson

Send your Introductory Letter here:

Sojourn Booksellers

1040 Main Street

Stevens Point, Wisconsin 54481

United States of America

Kin Coffee and Craft House

"Located in Holland, Michigan, is built on the belief that community is family—our KIN. We've created a cozy space that invites you to slow down and savor good coffee. Whether you're sitting face to face in meaningful conversation, journaling your thoughts, sending a postcard or letter, or simply taking a quiet moment to relax, you're welcome here just as you are."

Send your Introductory Letter here:

Kin Coffee and Craft House
1200 Ottawa Beach Rd, Holland, MI 49424, United States

 Dear Sunday Letter Writers,

Inspired initially by an episode of Bluey (an Australian cartoon about a family of dogs…!), my seven-year-old daughter and I play this game often: I have to pretend that I was born yesterday, the world is new: I am amazed by everything. I love it as much as she does - it's both beautifully silly and accidentally profound. This week I'm inviting you to play too… you can send it to anyone you like who you feel might enjoy it, or tuck it away to read in a few years time.

Thank you so much to those of you who sent your 'Dear Stranger' letters to the shop last week. We have such a lovely collection gathered in our pigeon holes, and our customers take such delight in them. There is, of course, no need to send your letters to us, but it's so wonderful to see such a beautiful embodiment of the project, it makes it feel very real to us, and means more than the 'social media' numbers ever could. We would SO love to write back to every single one of you, and we really try to get back to as many as we can… but we can't manage them all. So, if we haven't been in touch please know how much we appreciate every single letter that arrives at the shop. 

This week, we shared this beautiful video of one very special item that we have been sent. 

As Spring approaches fast, it's a lovely time to renew your pledge if you've let it slip (that's totally fine, by the way - we'll always be here, whenever you want to come back), or perhaps you're new here and looking for some new stationery to begin? We've prepared a very special, Spring illustrated version of our popular Sunday Letter Project Starter Pack. The link will go live at 9am UK time. Numbers are quite limited as we assemble these by hand and the lovely sky blue folders are hand-made by another small UK business. It's a pre-sale, with all items planned to reach you in time for 22nd March, the first Sunday of Spring! 

Until next time, 

Rebecca & Karl

The Sunday Letter Project 

Prompts can be great for helping you bring some letters into being through our rational, thinking brains. But I think other letters should enter the world through more mysterious modes. 

This week, if you're looking for inspiration, we recommend that you begin writing a letter with no particular aim or purpose: just write what you need to write. Allow the letter to just 'be' without planning or overthinking. 

You can even save the greeting for the last thing you write, once you've figured out who the letter might be to. And deeper than this, sometimes we say the most when we say almost nothing deliberately at all. Let this be a reminder that you don't need a purpose for writing, you can just share the contents of your human head with another, and that will be enough. More than enough ♥

 Happy aimless writing! Until next time:

Rebecca & Karl

The Sunday Letter Project 

Happy New Year! I hope you have had a few weeks of rest and celebration, and are being gentle with yourself as we enter 2026. It is a strange time, really, to be setting our sights on achieving perfection in the darkness of winter. Spring is a much better time for grand overhauls! If you have joined the project for the New Year, I am glad that you have found a positive and realistic aim for yourself — Welcome, and I hope you will find it as fulfilling as many of us have. 

My advice to you, if you ever don't have time on a Sunday for a letter, is to get the tiniest something down. Even if it's a light-hearted scribble to yourself on the back of a receipt. That way — if you want to re-do it on a Monday then of course you can. But if you don't, you've still kept that promise to yourself. It's that little tiny bit of accountability that has kept the momentum up for me so far – I hope it works for you too!

We have a little gift for you today. As an additional prompt for such a momentous occasion (your first letter of 2026!), I've put together a 'Garden of Connections' postcard for you. You can print it out, if you have access to a printer, or just ponder it on-screen. I thought you may wish to imagine the flowers in this garden to represent all of your connections in your life, currently — however big or small. Some of these connections will be the type of flower that requires little effort or maintenance. Steadfast, hardy. Others will require much, much more care and attention. Perhaps, there are some flowers in your garden that have been wilting. Take some time to consider which flowers are the most deserving of your attention this year, and maybe colour them in, add names, or write out a little yearly plan of the letters you hope to write to these flowers/connections. I hope you enjoy! 

The prompt this week is subtly related. I hope it may help you look ahead to a bright, fresh year and feel excited about the seeds you can nurture. In the dead of winter, we can still tend to the soil and lay the foundations for a beautiful year of connection ahead.

Until next time:

Rebecca & Karl

The Sunday Letter Project 

 LINK FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

As we reach the end of 2025, I wanted to write an honest reflection of my first season in the project. Tomorrow will mark my fourteenth week of SundayLetter Writing, and I have been thinking about what I've learnt so far. I often openly admit that the projectwas created for myself as much as anyone else – letterwriting is something I have always loved, and yet, something I have never done as much as I would have liked. This was my attempt to change that. 

So far, I have written far more letters than I have personally received. I expect that many of you who have joined from the beginning will have found thesame. But also – it hasn't mattered one bit. Thetransformational part has been the act of writing itself, not the number of replies. 

For me, I think what has been the most important, life-changing part of it all has been that little promise I made to myself. The act of turning my attention away from almost everyone else in the world and focusing it on one recipient who matters greatly to me. When it has come down to it, the people I have really wanted to write to this year have been a small handful of people I already love and know dearly. Not every letterhas been, or will be sent or posted. Some have been written late. But, for me, making and keeping that promise to myself has taught me something pretty wonderful: that I am capable of change and of keeping promises to myself. I am capable of doing the things that really matter to me. That might sound silly, but I think it's quite powerful in today's world of stolen attention and disconnection.

I'm really proud of how far the project has come, and the growth of the pen-pal network. But most of all, I feel proud of my commitment to myself. In another world, perhaps a world where someone else made this project, I can imagine that it might have been something I joined with every good intention, but then let it fall by the wayside. If that's been you, I want you to know that it's not too late. Time and weeks mean nothing at all, really. If this has been just another thing making you feel bad, please feel free to hit that unsubscribe button. But if you want to give this another chance, I hope this email might help you believe that you can do this for yourself, too, and start again today.  

With the growing space that appears as my life has slowed down (I made the decision in November to only visit Instagram on Wednesdays and to try and live as much of my life offline as possible) I've realised that one of the really powerful, satisfying things about letter-writing is that it's the placing of energy in thecorrect place. 

I think so often in this day and age, we put energy in places that don't really serve us. That might be pouring hours of our precious time into a doom-scroll, or it might be worrying about what 'other people' think about us and our achievements (or lack of). It might be curating a perfect image of a life that doesn't really exist, or it might be time spent crafting and re-crafting an email that won't get more than a second glance. Whatever it is, in your life, that is sucking your energy and placing it somewhere that it doesn't belong: letter-writing is the opposite of this. And I really believe that it can help us take a step back and steer our lives in the right direction. 

Until next Sunday,

Rebecca 

PS. If you want to get in touch, you can just hit thereply button. I'd love to hear how you've been getting on, too. I'll be honest: I might not be able to reply to every single one, but I can do my best.