• Login
  • Donate
  • Programmes
    • Young Writers Programme
    • London Voice
    • Connect events
    • Young Writers Festival
    • Young Mentors
    • Young Writers Residential
    • Folio Academy Mentorships
    • Philip Pyke Memorial Prize
    • National Writing Day
  • Writers
    • Our ambassadors
    • Our writers
    • Become a First Story writer
  • Schools
    • Partner schools HUB
    • Resources for partner schools
    • Become a partner school
    • Sample writing by participants
    • Free writing resources
    • Free Festival Toolkit
    • Free copyright education resources
    • BBC Teach x First Story resources
  • Locations
    • East Midlands
    • Greater London
    • North West
    • Yorkshire
  • About
    • About First Story
    • News
    • Impact Report 2023/24
    • Impact stories
    • Staff and trustees
    • Vacancies
  • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Newsletter sign-up
    • Make a donation
  • Menu
  • Skip to left header navigation
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

First Story

Creative writing charity for young people

  • Login
  • Donate
  • Programmes
    • Young Writers Programme
    • London Voice
    • Connect events
    • Young Writers Festival
    • Young Mentors
    • Young Writers Residential
    • Folio Academy Mentorships
    • Philip Pyke Memorial Prize
    • National Writing Day
  • Writers
    • Our ambassadors
    • Our writers
    • Become a First Story writer
  • Schools
    • Partner schools HUB
    • Resources for partner schools
    • Become a partner school
    • Sample writing by participants
    • Free writing resources
    • Free Festival Toolkit
    • Free copyright education resources
    • BBC Teach x First Story resources
  • Locations
    • East Midlands
    • Greater London
    • North West
    • Yorkshire
  • About
    • About First Story
    • News
    • Impact Report 2023/24
    • Impact stories
    • Staff and trustees
    • Vacancies
  • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Newsletter sign-up
    • Make a donation
Letters Live cast on stage

On Letters (Live)

22 March 2019 //  by First Story

Dear Reader,

There is creativity in writing a letter. A proper letter is considered, crafted. Good letters tell us stories, using detail to draw us in. Great letters reveal their writer’s world and showcase their unique voice. Like this intimate and poignant letter from Ronald Regan to his son.


‘Mike, you know better than many what an unhappy home is and what it can do to others.’

– Ronald Regan

The best letters reveal things about the writer and the recipient. Although, letters aren’t usually written with a large audience in mind.

Nevertheless, on 9th March hundreds of people packed into Union Chapel in London, for a special benefit performance of Letters Live, the wildly popular event format pioneered by Jamie Byng at Canongate.

With the line-up top secret until the evening begins, performers including Benedict Cumberbatch, Katherine Ryan, Juliet Stevenson, Thom Yorke and Noel Fielding surprised everyone, as they took to the stage to read out remarkable letters from history.

Touching, funny, shocking, hilarious letters. Letters Live is such a simple format, but it works so brilliantly. Probably because letters uncover all walks of human experience.

The success of Letters Live shows how much we want to hear other people’s stories.

So, if you’re ever thought about writing a letter – do it. Spend some time on it. Be specific and make it personal.

One of my favourite letters is from Kurt Vonnegut to a group of students at Xavier High School in New York City, in which he writes:


‘What I had to say to you, moreover, would not take long, to wit: Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.’

– Kurt Vonnegut

Thanks to supporters like Letters Live, we’ll continue creating spaces for souls to grow.

With much gratitude,

First Story

Category: Supporter Stories

Previous Post: « 100-Word Story 2018 Winners
Next Post: #Merky Books Collaboration »

Primary Sidebar

Newsletter

Above Footer

First Story's funders include

Footer

Contact us

44 Webber Street
London
SE1 8QW

020 7481 7777

info@firststory.org.uk

  • First Story East Midlands
  • First Story London
  • First Story North West
  • First Story Yorkshire
  • Vacancies
  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • Safeguarding
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Notice
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Site Footer

© First Story Ltd. All rights reserved | Registered Charity No: 1122939 | Company No: 06487410