Pick up a pen and write a letter

Australian writer and photographer Richard Simpkin initiated World Letter Writing Day (WLWD) in 2014, marked every year since on September 1.

In the 1990s, he started writing letters to various Australians he saw as legendary, and he was always excited to read their replies: "Some were typed, the others were handwritten, and at the bottom was the legend's signature which only they themselves could personally do." he remembers.

The letters led to a book project, "Australian Legends," with Simpkin meeting, photographing and interviewing 80 people who had reacted to his letters. 

No short cuts

People are more expressive when they write a letter, Simpkin argues on his website. "We try not to make spelling mistakes when we write, we usually take pride in our hand writing and we all want our letters to look and sometimes feel special to the receiver." People make more of an effort, he concludes.

Without forgoing emails, texts and social media, Simpkin urges people to pick up a pen and write the occasional letter, too.

Click on the above picture gallery to find out more about the age-old art of letter writing.