Literary Hub » Correspondence

Dear Bill: Letters From a Young John Updike to His Editor, William Maxwell

Dear Bill: Letters From a Young John Updike to His Editor, William Maxwell

“Elizabeth keeps falling down the steep stairs here. Send the checks. I need the money.”

By James Schiff | October 21, 2025

Collaboration, Not Competition: How Betty Smith Helped Her Fellow Writers

Collaboration, Not Competition: How Betty Smith Helped Her Fellow Writers

Rachel Gordan on the Epistolary Relationships Maintained by the Author of “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn”

By Rachel Gordan | January 29, 2024

Julie Schumacher on Thirty Years of Correspondence With Her Late Friend, Melissa Bank

Julie Schumacher on Thirty Years of Correspondence With Her Late Friend, Melissa Bank

"If I were writing to her now, which I suppose I am, I would tell her that I will remember her."

By Julie Schumacher | August 2, 2023

Literary Fanmail: The Letters of Harold Bloom and James Merrill

Literary Fanmail: The Letters of Harold Bloom and James Merrill

Heather Cass White Unearths the Correspondence Between a Poet and His Faithful Reader

By Heather Cass White | December 20, 2022

“I Am Disgusted with Things as They Are.” Ralph Ellison on the Injustice and Poverty of 1937 New York

“I Am Disgusted with Things as They Are.” Ralph Ellison on the Injustice and Poverty of 1937 New York

Invisible Man Describes His Life in Harlem ">In a Letter to His Mother, the Author of Invisible Man Describes His Life in Harlem

By Shaun Usher | November 5, 2021

All About Basket: A Letter from Gertrude Stein About Her Beloved Dog

All About Basket: A Letter from Gertrude Stein About Her Beloved Dog

“In short he is a happy fool, and a great comfort, and some day you will meet.”

By Shaun Usher | November 2, 2021

Best Reviewed
Books of the Week

The Pleasure(s) of Pen(s) on Paper

By Danielle Taschereau Mamers | October 25, 2021

Read Tove Jansson’s short story composed of bizarre fan letters.

By Walker Caplan | August 9, 2021

Elizabeth Bishop">Inside the Long Friendship of James Merrill and
Elizabeth Bishop

By James Merrill | April 1, 2021

A Young V.S. Naipaul Writes to His Dad About Wanting to Fit in at School

A Young V.S. Naipaul Writes to His Dad About Wanting to Fit in at School

It Can Be Hard to Find Your People at Oxford

By V.S. Naipaul | November 23, 2020

The Beauty of Artistic Correspondence Through Collage: Ray Johnson and William S. Wilson

The Beauty of Artistic Correspondence Through Collage: Ray Johnson and William S. Wilson

Elizabeth Zuba on the Friendship Between an Artist and a Writer

By Elizabeth Zuba | November 20, 2020

in a Pandemic"> For the Love of Mail: Letter Writing <br

For the Love of Mail: Letter Writing <br

in a Pandemic">

in a Pandemic">For the Love of Mail: Letter Writing
in a Pandemic

Lauren Markham on the Daily Magic of the US Postal System

By Lauren Markham | September 4, 2020

Letters of War, and the End of Youth

Letters of War, and the End of Youth

Claire Messud on Her Family's WWII Correspondence

By Claire Messud | May 22, 2020

Highly recommended: the intimacy of correspondence via voice message.

Highly recommended: the intimacy of correspondence via voice message.

By Jonny Diamond | May 4, 2020

Dear Eavan Boland, I Wanted to Send You a Letter

Dear Eavan Boland, I Wanted to Send You a Letter

Amy Robinson on the Poet Who Changed Her Life

By Amy Robinson | May 1, 2020

A Poem by Jericho Brown"> 'Correspondence' <br

'Correspondence' <br

A Poem by Jericho Brown">

A Poem by Jericho Brown">'Correspondence'
A Poem by Jericho Brown

The Tradition">From his collection The Tradition

By Jericho Brown | April 8, 2019

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