Write a Letter the Editor Prints

Two letters make every Issue. A few ways to write one that gets read aloud in the editor’s head and then printed.

At the bottom of every Issue there’s a box that says “Dear Editor.” Anyone with an account can write one letter about that Issue, and the editor prints up to two of them in the next one, with the writer’s name. Here’s what makes a letter stand out.

React to One Page

The best letters are about something specific. A cover that stopped you. A First Appearance you can’t stop thinking about. A Curtain Call that made you cry on the bus. “Loved this Issue” is kind, but “The marathon page made me lace up my shoes for the first time in a year” is a letter.

Say What It Did to You

Magazines have printed letters for as long as there have been magazines, and the ones that run are almost always about a feeling or a change. Did the Issue make you call your grandmother, finish the dress, post your first moment? That’s the line the editor is looking for.

Keep It Short

Letters can be up to 600 characters, but most printed ones are two to four sentences. If it would fit on the back of a postcard, it’s the right length.

Lift Someone Up

Letters follow the Dress Code like everything else. Praise the moment, the work, the courage. Never someone’s body. A letter that shines a light on another member is the kind most likely to run.

Ideas Are Welcome Too

You can also tell the editor what you’d like to see. A theme, a prompt, a kind of moment you miss. Ideas like these don’t always get printed, but they get read, and they shape the next Issue.

If Yours Is Printed

Your letter appears in the next Issue with your name, and your name joins the credits. You’ll see a button to save it as an image you can share. If you change your mind later, delete your account and your letters go with it.