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Comment by matt_wulfeck | Hacker News Reader

Beautiful handwriting. Letter writing is a lost art, both in writing and meaning. Doesn’t anyone know or recommend a pen-pal websites where people exchange hand-written letters just for fun? My hand-writing is horrendous (as my spelling) and I’d love to get better at it.

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If you're simply looking for a pen-pal, you can always write someone in prison. Two sites would be http://writeaprisoner.com/ and http://www.meet-an-inmate.com/ With very limited or no access to email, prisoners remain one of the last pen-pal groups.

This.

Years ago, from Europe, I have been the pen pal of an inmate on death row in Huntsville, TX. It is a great experience and you truly get more than you give. But do it only if you can commit to it, keep in mind that the other person does not have much choice.

I used this association, this page is in many languages (eng included):

http://www.santegidio.org/pageID/44/langID/en/Writing-to-a-p...

The mere mention of pen-pals makes me feel nostalgic. When I was in high school, I had a lot of them. I found them in pen-pal sections of some educational magazines. A couple of them used to write beautifully and one was the finest calligrapher I’ve ever known. My daily waiting for letters via postal mail was a ritual. I was in a village and the mail was not delivered on a daily basis. I still have hundreds of letters I got from all of them. I’m talking about the early 1990’s. One of them is still friends with me, but now we message or call each other :)

> pen-pal websites where people exchange hand-written letters just for fun?

I don't think it can be practiced anymore.

BBC carried an article today on the very topic of handwriting (Do we need to teach children joined-up handwriting?) http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41927258

I recall being forced to learn Cursive Script[1] in early grades, since 'it's all you would use to write Essays and assignments in once you got to high school'. Upon reaching highschool we were always asked to print.

I think it should be dropped in favor of Typing Courses. While I suspect youth are on devices a lot, it's likely mostly touch screens. This also would possibly help children learn more words quicker as well as a useful skill.

I grew up with awful handwriting, to the point of failing Standardized Testing, I recall being one of the first students to be allowed to type it(I suspect it's all done this way now).

Turns out I was holding my writing utensil wrong. With it resting on my Ring Finger knuckle[2]. This grip had my thumb, ring, and middle fingers all bearing down on the tip, causing far too much pressure. As an adult it took a while to learn a proper grip and I now enjoy writing.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%27Nealian

[2] internet example https://i.imgur.com/krdw7sT.jpg

"I grew up with awful handwriting, to the point of failing Standardized Testing, I recall being one of the first students to be allowed to type it(I suspect it's all done this way now)."

I was diagnosed with dysgraphia in 4th grade and was allowed to type most things from then on; except by a couple of shitty teachers who thought I was just being lazy or something (and, not coincidentally, those were the classes I failed and was held back in). This was back in the 80s when learning disabilities were somewhat novel in small-town schools in the south. I was lucky enough to have a computer (a C64, with printer!) at home beginning around that same age. I don't recall if it came into the house before or after my diagnosis...probably just before.

I've always thought I was really lucky to have had a computer at such a young age at the time, but now that I'm thinking of it on the timeline of when I was dealing with having trouble writing and being treated like I was stupid by teachers because of it, I'm seeing that luck and privilege in a new light. Once I got a copy of SpeedScript and later GeoWrite, I was able to do nice reports and homework...it became somewhat of an advantage or at least less of a curse.

I don't know about cursive writing but practising calligraphy is very deliberate and involved. I get into a trance like state when I do it.

I'd love to have something like that. Written letters are way more personal and real than emails.

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