Epistolary

I’ve been writing letters since I was 4, to express my concerns. I’m sure there were times when the recipient opened up the letter and said to themselves, “looks like a kid wrote this”.

I write to make an inquiry not only for myself, but for others who might also be affected by someone’s decision. I’ve written letters about seemingly trivial items such as the change in the Canadian Girl Guide vanilla cookie recipe (they’re now made by Dare instead of Mr. Christie) and to find out why the Malt Stop disappeared from the Bay’s (department store) basement on Rideau Street in Ottawa. They made the best chocolate malts and roasted hotdogs!

On a more serious note, in 2002 I penned a letter to former Prime Minister of Canada, Jean Chretien, pleading him not to send our troops into Iraq. I don’t always get a response, but I have received correspondence from places like the White House and Buckingham Palace.

I am not the only artist who has been inspired to write personalized political letters to appeal to government officials or those in authoritative positions. In 1964, writer and poet June Jordan’s proposal letter to R. Buckminster Fuller (an urban planner) landed her a job with him on a project to redesign Harlem. Jordan didn’t have a formal education in architecture, however, she had been independently studying Fuller’s work. Her familiarity with Harlem, since it was her terrain, contributed to her mission to facilitate the improvement of the lives of black people by changing their physical surroundings.