The University of Nottingham

We are living in an age when we are more likely to fire off an email or send a quick text than to commit pen to paper and rely on the snail mail to deliver our words to our intended recipient.

Now, a new literary journal being launched at The University of Nottingham is to reflect on the timeless art of letter writing — in whatever format it happens to take.

The Letters Page, which sees its first edition published on Wednesday October 2, is being edited by Jon McGregor, bestselling Nottingham author and Professor of Creative Writing (Writer in Residence) in the University’s School of English.

The journal will be officially launched by the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor David Greenaway, who will be symbolically posting out printed copies, as well as sending the first pdf version to subscribers via email.

The letter as a form

Professor McGregor said: “Letters are the oldest form of writing, and a key part of literary culture. Through The Letters Page, I hope we can explore what letter writing means to writers and readers today. After a lot of work behind the scenes, I’m very excited to be launching the first issue.”

The Letters Page came about when Professor McGregor began to explore the possibility of creating a new literary journal and started a blog to explore the theme on which it should focus.

He invited responses in the form of handwritten letters sent through the post and the correspondence he received quickly began to focus on the letter as a form — wondering about the differences between letters-on-paper and emails and reflecting on their own letter-writing history.

Professor McGregor added: “The medium became the message, and the idea of The Letters Page — a literary journal in letters — was born. Most of the letters we received were legible, most of the letters had something interesting to say about letter writing; a select few stood out, I felt, as fine pieces of writing regardless of form.