A small Toronto group is keeping the art of letter writing alive.
As digital communication dominates daily life, a small group of Torontonians has chosen a slower, more deliberate form of connection — one stamped, sealed and sent through the mail.
Once a month, members of the Toronto Letter Writing Society gather around a long table scattered with stationery and craft materials. Some compose replies to pen pals, while others draw, decorate envelopes or simply sit and write. Though the society’s name emphasizes letter writing, the group is happy to be a space for anyone wishing to put their hands to work, even folks just passing through the post office.
“We’ll get people coming through, like tourists or people coming to check out the museum and they’ll stop and be like, ‘Oh, this is cute!’ and start writing something,” said co-founder Jessica Lewis.
Canada Post reports that the number of annual letters delivered has decreased by around 3.5 billion over the last 20 years, and the future of mail delivery in Canada has become increasingly uncertain.
Founded in 2018 by Lewis and Andrea Raymond-Wong, the Toronto Letter Writing Society is a free, monthly drop-in that meets at the city’s First Post Office on Adelaide Street. Open to anyone, the group brings together people who want to disconnect from their phones and reconnect with tactility in whatever way suits them.
“I feel like every month I’m like, ‘We won’t be that busy,’” Raymond-Wong said. “And then it’s like, ‘Oh my god, we need more chairs.’”
While the society draws people of all ages, Lewis and Raymond-Wong have noticed a shift: more recent attendees tend to be younger.
They aren’t entirely sure what is attracting Gen Z to the craft. They posit that the experience of receiving tangible written communication from a loved one likely holds some novelty for a younger generation, and looking at pretty things never hurts, but they’re sure that phone fatigue has something to do with it.
“As soon as you open your phone, it’s bad news,” said Lewis.
“You don’t do as much with your hands anymore, and there’s a level of connection lost to what you’re doing.”
Lewis and Raymond-Wong explain that letter writing is more than just an alternative to constant digital communication — it’s also a mindfulness practice. Raymond-Wong describes the time taken for reflection as “sort of like a journal, but you’re sending it to someone else.”
For some participants, the society has facilitated connections that feel deeper than digital communication allows. The chatter waving through the historic building is so organic that you wouldn’t know who are lifelong friends or society neophytes until a “lovely to meet you” hug clarifies. Even the folks joining the social via Zoom make an effort to connect with one another.
Armina Andriasian is now a regular in-person attendee, but her involvement began virtually while she was earning her master’s degree in aerospace engineering abroad in 2023. Through the society’s pen pal network, Andriasian developed close friendships with people she had never met face-to-face.
“When you send an email to somebody, or a text, you’re like, ‘Happy Birthday,’ a bunch of emojis, ‘all the best,’” she said.
After taking the time to design, craft and write a letter, Andriasian said they become compact pieces of tangible art — more intentional than digital correspondence.
“It’s like, ‘Here’s a little piece from me to you.’”
After nearly 10 years of socials, the group has fostered community through shared interests and the nation’s postal workers’ dedication. But with the federal government lifting the moratorium on door-to-door delivery across the country last September — meaning Canadians would have to get their mail from community mailboxes or post offices instead of their homes, some analog hobbyists are fearful of potential disconnects in the country’s communication network.
Jse-Che Lam, a society member and retired teacher, says that she’s spoken to people who “couldn’t care less” about the slow extinction of home mail delivery, not realizing that the effects of the lifted moratorium on closing rural post offices nationwide, announced alongside the sunsetting of door-to-door delivery, could be “devastating” for northern communities.
“It should be a nation builder. No one’s made that point of how this connects our country,” said Lam.
“We need to stay connected.”
