To be sure, in recent months globally, people have taken up the practice of letter writing anew. They want relationships that matter and need a respite from the inescapable lure of screens. KiKi Klassen, a 28-year-old tattoo artist from St. Catharines, Ontario, has taken this trend to heart. Interactive by nature, she’s started the Lucky Duck Mail Club, a subscription-style monthly mail service. The service went into operation in October 2024. It mails subscribers a piece of Klassen’s work, along with an inspiring quote and message.
Klassen’s enthusiasm for letter writing is closely tied to her childhood. Her mother was a Canadian Union of Postal Workers activist throughout Harriet’s formative years. This experience sparked her passion for the postal service. “Going to the post office has become an activity I do with my mother,” Klassen explains. Through this collaborative experience, their bond is fortified and deepened. It creates an opportunity for her to meet with postal workers, igniting conversations with individuals she would have never crossed paths with.
Although writing the letters is at first a practical task for Klassen, it quickly turns into a moment of contemplation. “When I sit down, I’m forced to reflect and choose my words carefully,” she says. This intentional practice creates a powerful vulnerability, inviting her to share her emotions in ways that feel truly cathartic. She notes that most of her letter-writers come with touching personal stories. What they always say is, “When you write down how you feel, you have the power to be as vulnerable as possible. I’ve had folks write me back and I’ve wept, so many moving stories.
With each new person like Klassen finding their voice and pen, a growing community of letter writers are there. One of her subscribers, 21-year-old Stephania Kontopanos of Chicago already feels this old school approach to communication creates more authentic connections. Kontopanos is intentional about putting her phone away while out with friends or at dinner. She has faith in the power of just being there when it counts. Her membership in the postal clubhouse has more than 1,300 members from 36 nations. This is the beautiful thing with this old school practice that surprises you.
DJ Robert Owoyele, 34, has pushed the idea further by founding CAYA, a monthly “analog gathering” in Dallas. These fun, unique events combine letter writing with fun activities such as coloring and vinyl listening parties. They want to bring everyone together, in a world that is increasingly more isolating and digital.
Most participants agree that being in a letter writing environment is therapeutic. Melissa Bobbitt is all in when it comes to these analog powwows. She observes, “That’s the beauty of sharing your thoughts on paper—that it is a sort of therapy.” “Focusing on one person and really reading what they are saying, and sharing what’s on your heart is almost like a therapy session,” she asserts. As Bobbitt puts it, whatever’s going on when they become friends, it’s like you’re having coffee at home with someone.
Klassen captures this feeling perfectly with, “The girls are going analog in 2026.
Those who are helping to lead this movement point to a digital age’s effect on our social connections. An unnamed source points out that “we live in a digital age that fosters a false sense of connection, but I think true connection happens in person.” This myth drives home the background metamorphosis most people are undergoing at this very moment as they look for deeper, more meaningful ways to communicate and connect.
