The Letter
Dear Reader,
When I was in college, I had my heart broken by someone but couldn’t tell the person how I felt, so my then roommate told me about the concept of the letter–if you couldn’t tell the person who broke your heart what you were feeling, you could write them a letter addressed to that person, but instead, send it to a trusted friend. It was a cathartic experience for me, and ever since, I’ve offered to be a heartbreak reader to a friend in need.
Life can be heartbreaking, and we have collectively experienced a lot of grief in recent times that needs an outlet. That’s when I then remembered the letter, and started to think about my lifelong love of writing and reading letters—whether historical letters, love letters, or letters from friends—this dying art form of expression and exchange that has given us deeper insight into history and was our primary method of communication for thousands of years deserves to stay alive, and has inspired me to do The Letter Project. Here, we provide a platform for venting and coming out with whatever is locked inside or haunting one. We’re keeping it anonymous because it’s easier to write freely, and I want OyeDrum to feel like a friend who’s receiving your letter.
I’ve enjoyed these letters so much that I’ve decided to keep this project going. So, the anonymous letters submission will be an ongoing project. If you’d like to know more, sign up for our newsletter to get the details of the new submission guidelines for this ongoing project.
We hope you enjoy these letters. I’m always amazed at the vulnerability and courage from all of our contributors. Thank you for sharing a part of yourself with us.
Onwards,
Amarantha
Founder/Publisher
The Letter: That Was The Night
Dear Phillip, You were my first boyfriend. I gave away my womanhood to you, right there in your parent’s living room on what I remember being a pullout sofa. It might have been one of those days after we tripped out on LSD—all sensations magnified back then in the...
The Letter: Little Children
Dear little children of the future, You've had it hard, so much harder than anyone should. I see you standing on the rubble of your neighborhood, a place you loved ferociously and knew intimately because, for one thing, there was no other place to go. Your grandmother...
The Letter: Dearest Americans
My dear fellow Americans, “I, too, sing America” said the great writer Langston Hughes and I am calling on our country to see my face reflected in our future forward. Once upon a time, there was an eight-year-old me, who saw unlimited possibilities. Her parents had...
The Letter: Because Forget & Remember
Dear Ken, Because before & after have been worth it. Because if & then turned out OK. Because now & then weren’t the best or the worst. Because time & again we wake up managing. Because full enough but finish on empty didn’t happen too often. Because...
The Letter: A Magical Cure
Dear Matthew, I pause from writing and nail-biting, see your blue eyes staring at me from the shrine above my desk. I caress the canvas while I pine, feeling the rough texture bearing your likeness, smell your cologne, finger the stone-hard metal of your miniature...
The Letter: Overturned
Dear Higher Power, I’m struggling. Surrounding myself with supportive poet Goddesses to lift my spirits forlimited intervals of time. Around us, democracy crumbles. Hard-fought advances inwomen’s autonomy have been overturned. Only now I’m 75, not 25, lack time...
The Letter: Sorrow Palette
Dear Cat, When you were fifteen and navigating the awkward stage of middle-teendom, youchallenged me with the words, "You love my brother more than you love me." In the yearsthat followed, I heard that phrase not twice, not three times, not ten times, but so manytimes...
The Letter: Star Trek
Dear Paramount+, I’m writing to ask you not to abandon your commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. I know that many big corporations (including media and broadcasting) are pulling all their DEI initiatives to appease a bloated orange puppet king and the many...
The Letter: Hoy Es Otro Día
Estimada Abby, Hoy es otro día que duermo y lloro. Tengo mil cosas que pasan sobre mi mente. El día que mi corazón fue destrozado no dejo de pensar en mi vida. Todo cambió a una oscuridad profunda. No tenía ni un motivo para levantarme por las mañanas. El momento en...
The Letter: Manner of Farewell
Dear If I could reach you, we might share coffee and a biscuit, maybe warm bread in silentcompanionship. Share aloneness and make considered observations of the drab andextraordinary, find both in each, laugh because of nothing. The safe harbour of...