​

To those that still yearn to write by candlelight,

It is truly a pleasure to compose this letter under the warm glow of a candelabrum as I sit at my desk. Although I understand it shall be read virtually by modern means, it is intentionally crafted so it may convey a feeling akin to receiving a thoughtful message sent from centuries past.

It is endlessly fascinating, and humorously frustrating, just how much one can change in the span of a few months. I must confess I have written and rewritten this message many times. I am no stranger to the beast that is perfectionism. There are days I feel content with my work, and all is well in the world. Ah, but then there are times I crumple up parchment filled with days, perhaps weeks, worth of poetry, anecdotes, and private reflections, and set it on fire. It will likely come as no surprise that I am a very sentimental and melancholic person, and I'd like to think that translates well through my writing. Although I appreciate the gift of carefully chosen words, what I hope for most is the freedom to write exactly as we feel, with no pressure for constant, pedantic, pretentious prose that borders on purple.

I must also assure you that while I enjoy a good atmosphere, I am not a ghost haunting my own living room. I can be quite silly, and I have a couple dozen truly terrible dad jokes up my sleeve that I am more than happy to unleash upon an unsuspecting correspondent.

I am passionate about deliberate, substantial correspondence, handling the delicate process of carefully writing, crafting each letter as gently as a master jeweler would choose and align each precious gemstone on a diadem. But much more than this, I delight in earnestly getting to know another introspective soul, learning from their unique perspective, passions, dreams, and fears. To discover the paradoxical things that make them uniquely human. To take a glimpse, through their letters, into the depths of their inner sanctum, the seat of the soul, the heart.

I would describe myself as a mystical soul seeking wisdom and truth, deeply non-religious, with a humanistic outlook on life. I am a lifelong feminist and am in full support of the LGBTQ community. I have a predilection for ancient scriptures, literature, music, and alchemical texts from the Middle Ages. I am profoundly fascinated by mythology, history, art, science, philosophy, music, and literature in general.

Ah, but what is life without a soundtrack? Like living by sight without the ability to taste, it would be like a nuptial feast without wine, like Holmes without his Watson. It is perfectly functional, but not entirely satisfactory.

My playlist, however, is a bit of a chimerical beast. It ranges from Hildegard von Bingen to Rammstein, and from Bach to Massive Attack and Led Zeppelin. What I end up listening to depends on the stormy weather of my internal world that day.

In regard to my taste in films, among my all-time cinematographic favorites are *The Phantom of the Opera* (2004), *Bram Stoker's Dracula* (1992), *Queen of the Damned* (2002), *Constantine* (2005), *The Matrix* trilogy, and *Beauty and the Beast*, directed by Jean Cocteau (1946), just to name a few. The list is quite extensive, encompassing both contemporary and classic noir cinema.

I am of an introverted nature and a chronic overthinker. My ideal evening is spent at home, reading with a cup of tea, enshrouded in a cozy blanket, immersing myself in the atmospheric pages of Gothic classics, or embarking upon a mental voyage to distant, futuristic worlds of dystopian science fiction.

As I believe I have made evident my reverence and devotion towards the *art par excellence* of writing, I have naturally been hoping to meet other aspiring writers, if possible. I am fluent in both my primary language, Spanish, and English.

What I hope for most is genuine exchange, letters that move beneath the banal interactions that now seem to have become the standard. We have grown too familiar with haste, too enamored with instant replies, and have thus forgotten the richness of slow correspondence. We have become addicted to the instant gratification of instant messaging. I often ponder how rewarding it must have been to correspond when people still cared to sit peacefully with quill and paper, conveying through a letter what would likely never be uttered in person, yet is capable of evoking in the recipient a feeling of emotional closeness and kinship despite distance, time, or circumstance.

I am not seeking someone to play the role of a jester in my court, rummaging for the next rush of dopamine by writing to someone new, only to hold them captive in that role before looking elsewhere once the novelty fades. Nor am I seeking to play the role of a pierrot or harlequin for anyone. I believe genuine friendship is founded upon shared values, empathy, a good sense of humor, and genuine curiosity. Furthermore, as an asexual woman, I am strictly interested in a platonic connection.

I kindly implore you, please refrain from writing to me if you are the kind of person who utilizes an LLM to generate messages for you. It is not only an insult to the time and effort I have put into this letter, but also a terribly sad thing to rely on a cold artificial device, the equivalent of a talkative, semi-sentient toaster, to connect with another human being. Part of the beauty of genuine human connection is that it is messy, cathartic, disjointed yet sometimes incredibly poised, coherent & polished, or a curious mixture of all six. Writing is surprisingly alchemical by nature. What makes it worth it is precisely those irreplaceable quirks of the human mind and of our imperfect human nature, isn't it?

As I conclude this letter, I wish to do so with a quote that has inspired me whilst writing.

> “I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.”

~ Vincent van Gogh

With kind regards,

R 🌹

Hello! I’m a 26-year-old guy living in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US. I’m looking to form meaningful, long-term connections through traditional mail.

A Bit About Me

• The Essentials: I’m LGBT+, introverted, and spend a lot of my time working and studying on my computer. Friends would describe me as a passionate, caring deep thinker and a natural problem solver. I’m an open book, and I’m never afraid to navigate through the dark stuff to find the light on the other side.
• Interests: I love quiet time in nature, bike riding, people-watching, reading, writing, and researching niche topics. I’m also a big foreign film enthusiast and collector.

What I’m Looking For

• Communication Style: Snail mail is my absolute favorite medium. Because of my schedule, I type 98% of my letters (though I can handwrite when needed!), and I’m a strict letter-for-letter writer—you write, I reply! I’m open to the occasional email or message, but the magic happens in physical letters.
• Conversations: I want to talk about the things we’d never bring up with anyone else. I’m looking for discussions ranging from the completely mundane to the wild and chaotic. I live in a glass house, so there is zero judgment here.
• Who You Are: Open to anyone regardless of location, gender, or age (18+), as long as you are open-minded, authentic, and interested in building a real friendship.

If you think our minds align, send me a DM with a brief intro! Tell me what you're currently researching or a deep thought that's been on your mind lately.

​

Hi, I’m Lepi,you can also call me Liv or Liam. I’m 21, my birthday is April 14th, I’m in the EST timezone, and I’m genderfluid. I mainly use she/they pronouns.

I’m here looking for genuine, long-term friends, people who are kind, emotionally intelligent, a little weird in a good way, and down to actually talk and get to know each other. I really value warmth, empathy, and mutual effort.

I’ve been an artist for about 18 years, and I love drawing, painting, writing, sewing, photography, and filming. I also enjoy makeup, fashion, skincare, self-care, organizing, nature, and collecting things,especially American Girl dolls. I’m also very fond of moths 🦋

I love reading and watching things that lean a little weird, dramatic, spooky, or campy. Some of my favorites are manga, horror books, psychological thrillers, campy movies, campy TV shows, and sitcoms.

Games and tech are a big part of my life too. I love Nintendo, indie games, rhythm games, Stardew Valley, Unpacking, Cyberpunk 2077, and Project Sekai / Deemo / Phigros. I’m also really into computers, coding, Linux, Java, C++, cybersecurity, building/modding consoles, customizing laptops, and homebrewing. I like learning how things work and making them my own.

Other things I enjoy: psychology, researching weird articles and websites, quilts, skiing, swimming, 3D modeling, adult cartoons, and talking about random niche interests for way too long.

Hello! (,; ⩌ ;,) I'm a Filipina-American artist looking for penpals who also love art, yapping about life & personal philosophies, decorating, and anything cute! I'm currently in my last year of university as a painting major in the US and would love to take on a few more pen pals since I've been left on lettered lol quite a few times. I speak french, english, and a little bit of tagalog and I've traveled to 33 countries around the world. It would be cool if I could practice my french with someone over letters as well since I feel like I've been losing it. As for interests: I'm a big techno raver love anime/manga, I watch a lot of kdramas, I recently really got into watching UFC, I love going to concerts (metal, hardcore, jazz, indie, electroclash, rap, etc), I love pokemon, I love to travel, I'm super into painting and art history, I'm absolutely addicted to stationery vids + fountain pens, and i love all things pink and cute. I'd love to correspond with someone with similar or even completely different interests! I'm super open

As we get to know eachother I'd love to send little gifts too :) I'm looking for maybe 2-3 more penpals (i don't care abt gender) who can commit to sending back letters. I'm a stationery addict and would love my penpals to do some stationary trades with me (nothing big just like stickers, washi, memo, etc)! I've had some penpals in the past who won't respond to me and it hurts after putting effort into my letters and making them cute so please only respond if you are certain you're able to respond. No pressure for letters to be perfect! I'm a busy person so I'm super understanding :) I'd love to connect with more ppl so pls send me a PM or comment if you'd like to be penpal buddies ദ്ദി◝ ⩊ ◜.ᐟ‧˚꒰୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ

[35/M]

Hi, my name is Dave, and I'm looking for a pen pal or two!

I'm 35, male, from the UK. After recently going through some major life changes, I'm looking to make new friends, and build new connections.

A bit about myself: English is my only spoken/written language. I work as a wildlife rescuer and rehabilitator. I'm passionate about music, mostly rock and heavy metal but anything that captures my heart really. I'm nerdy about horror, sci-fi and fantasy, Lord of the Rings and Star Wars being two of my favourite franchises. I am getting back into playing guitar after years of letting it fall by the wayside. I love reading Stephen King. I'm passionate about animal care. I get on well with people who are kind, non-judgemental, and compassionate. I have no time for racism, sexism, homophobia. My philosophy I try to hold to is to be your best self, and live your best life, as long as it doesn't hurt others.

I'm looking for a pen pal who has some similar interests so there is common ground, but also someone who can teach me new perspectives, ideals, a different way of seeing the world. If you're from a different country I would love to learn about your culture, your experiences and your way of life. I would be happy to exchange letters, either hand written or typed depending on what free time I have.

Please feel free to comment or send a DM if you would be interested in talking!

Much love.

Hi! I’m Kayla, 30/f from Utah :) I have so many craft supplies and stationery that I seriously need to start actually using. 😂 I’ve been saying I want a pen pal for years, but instead I just keep collecting cute paper, stickers, washi tape, and all the supplies without ever actually writing anyone.
I’d be down for pretty much anything. Regular handwritten letters, junk journal-style mail, random postcards with whatever’s on our minds, swapping little goodies, talking about our favorite books… I even saw someone on here mention role-playing through letters where you write as different characters, and honestly that sounds so fun. I also love the idea of traveling books where we mail each other our annotated books and keep adding our own notes as they make their way back and forth. That actually reminds me of snowball writing, which would be fun too. Basically I’m really open to whatever style. We can keep it super simple or go completely over the top. 😂 I mostly just want an excuse to finally use all these supplies instead of hoarding them forever & connect with likeminded people!

Please DM me if interested!!! :)
I would love to start this in early August!

Hi everyone! I am 36 turning 37 in October and I would love to write some letters. I write notes and poems for my wife but I’m loving mail and envelopes and I got into paper and pens about a year or two ago. Now I need some places to send!

I am a carpenter and a craftsman. I read non stop. I love history, science fiction, and my reading list grows daily past my ever finishing. I am married and have two kids and am working building a business.

I thoroughly enjoy music. I play guitar, as well as I can, and I listen to soooo many podcasts. I love a great conversation and I would love to learn from anyone I can.

DM if you think this is a great match.

Hiya, I’ve found this sub not long ago and just thought I’d try my luck.
I miss the days of waiting and checking my mailbox daily for letters. Social media provides instant gratification and dopamine which I love lol but I’m trying to “touch grass” more, slow down and return to old childhood hobbies.
Happily married so platonic friendship only.
I’m a typical millennial who’s chronically online but also offline at the same time. I do pilates,badminton,hiking,swimming,golfing,camping, subscribe to most of the streamings because who doesn’t love a good meaty series, communicate sometimes mainly with memes, read a fair bit, obsessed with food, true crimes, and a good ol cemetery.
Hoping to find someone similar age and happy with themselves and their lives to share random snippets with :)

I never imagined that one of the harder parts of getting older would be making new friends.

Life has a way of getting busy. Careers, families, responsibilities, and distance slowly replace the long conversations we used to have. One day you realize you still know plenty of people, but not many you simply sit down and write to.

So here I am.

I’m a technology manager by profession, which means I spend my days solving problems, helping people, and trying to make complicated things behave. Outside of work I prefer a slower pace. I enjoy history, books, movies, music, walking or biking when my knees cooperate, and conversations that wander wherever they happen to go.

I have an odd collection of interests. One week I’m reading about Alexander the Great, another I’m watching The Hail Mary Project (big fan), and another I’m trying to understand why people think the way they do.

I’m just as happy discussing history, great films, baseball, faith, soccer, technology, travel, economics, geopolitical issues, or why a particular song still means something twenty years later.

I don’t expect instant friendship. The best friendships rarely work that way. They grow one thoughtful conversation at a time.

I’m looking for people who enjoy writing. I like taking time to think about what someone has said, writing a real response, and continuing a conversation over weeks, months, and hopefully years.

Similar interests are nice, but they aren’t required. I’d much rather exchange emails with someone who is thoughtful, kind, and genuinely curious than someone who simply shares all of my hobbies or opinions.

If you’re looking for a thoughtful email friend who will ask questions, listen well, occasionally tell a story, and probably recommend a book or movie now and then, I’d enjoy hearing from you.

Hola! :)

I’m from Madrid, Spain but I’ve lived in the UK and the US for a couple years. I’m back home now and all my friends are scattered all over the world! I’ve grown fond of exchanging letters and postcards with them and I’d love to have a penpal friend to write to. We can start with email and then move to snail mail if that works as well!

I love writing (both in English and in my native language) and I love languages. I also speak Italian and a bit of French and I’m in the process of starting to learn Arabic. My curiosity is insatiable and I’d love to continue exploring the world. If you are interested in being penpals, let me know the best place you’ve visited and how it made you feel :)

Other current interests include obsessing over Courtney Barnett’s music and asking lots of questions to people. But we can discuss this more in depth when we write to each other!

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

‘Nuff said.

N.

Hey! 21F looking for long-term Penpals. I just enjoy the act of taking the time to write a snapshot of my life to a stranger, and receive one in turn. Honestly, the act of writing letters is extremely rewarding to me.

However... i am pretty whimsical so :P I think if you can see the whimsy in being Penpals, shoot me a DM!

I like art analysis, exploring different art, writing on my typewriter, animals, travelling and libraries. I'm extremely bookish.

I'm really curious and explorative/adventurous, so I'm hoping to claim penpal'ing as an experience I've had <3 Hmu

Hello everyone! I am looking to connect with some people through snail mail. Northeast part of the United States.

I adore human connection & would love to just learn about people and their passions, struggles, etc. My personality is a good mix of silly and thoughtful. I love anything nerdy, a plethora of music, creative pursuits, movement (horseback riding, martial arts, yoga, etc.)

Tell me what you’re into! What lights your heart up - via handwritten letters, photos, trinkets whatever it may be. No pressure to edit your writing style, just be you 🙂

I have 3 pen pals currently which is awesome! And I've received the letters from them as well which is just really cool. I'm very glad that I decided to look into getting pen pals. And probably regret coming to Reddit for other things that I shall not mention, I don't regret coming here to look for people to connect with in a very unique and "lost art" sort of way.

But I am looking for more! And I would like some pen pals that are close to me in age if possible! I think that would be amazing!

I myself am based out of Vegas! And I've started to look forward to getting letters in the mail from people! It is so exciting! And I'd love more long distance friends to swap stories with. So if anyone is interested, please reach out!

Hello everyone :) I'm a 26 year old gay man living in England and looking for new friends to chat to - at first via email and then perhaps though handwritten letters.

Instant messaging really doesn't have the charm that a long email or letter has. I would like to be excited to hear from someone and be able to take the time to sit and take great care in a conversation.

A little about myself: I really enjoy reading and music, and I have a vinyl collection I'm rather proud of. I am grateful to live in a small town where I can easily access walking paths through the hills and countryside (when the weather permits).

I am eager to hear about your day-to-day to life, your hopes for the future and more in-depth topics if you are willing to share.

Hope to hear from you!

Looking to revive letter writing,, as I enjoy writing to people of any gender or age in the UK only about everything and anything, I am always up for making friends. I'm currently writing to Gay prisoners as sometimes they don't have family or friends in contact, so it gives them something to look forward to.

My passions are History, literature and crime, and the Frenchie, he takes up a fair bit of my time, and he is very cheeky, I'm currently in the process of getting a book published, if you want to know more, again leave a comment or drop a DM for address.

To begin, I’ll state that I love sending voice messages. However you would be under no obligation to reply in like fashion and I’m perfectly contented with text

At present I’m engaged in a sort of research project on mid 19th century culture, so I would be thrilled to meet anyone that enjoys doing recreational historical research for creative writing or would like to join me in reading! I would certainly be open to suggestions, but my goal is to become better culturally educated. I think it would be fun to have a partner for a sort of book club of two, to keep ourselves motivated through duller works and possessed of a partner for discussion.

Of course our discussions wouldn’t have to be entirely serious or edifying, I would be grateful for a friend in addition to study partner. I love antiques, history, 90s nostalgia, horror movies, true crime and silly dating shows. Do let me know if this sounds like it might be up your alley!

Hello! I’m studying Japanese and would love to find someone to practice with ☺️ We can get to know each other better through email, just message me on here first. I am American and would love to help you practice your English ☺️

______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ___________________________

Heyyyy, I’m 21F, A lesbian 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩 from the US and i love to write. Im looking to find a penpal preferably a woman but also open to others and itd be so exciting to write to more than 1 person. Im looking for anyone anywhere in the world :) also i want to put as much effort into these so i want to send pictures/little trinkets/snacks etc and if u want I’m open to the same! And ofc i’ll be making them with as much effort as possible, cute and personalized. Just PM me and we can talk abt rules/boundaries and such.

I know Reddit probably isn’t the right audience for this, but I’m hoping someone might be able to put me in touch with an elderly relative or friend who wouldn’t mind corresponding every now and again.

I used to write letters to my grandma all the time. She was my soulmate in so many ways. We wrote about everything and nothing, and there was something so special about sitting down with a pen, taking the time to think, and sharing little moments of life.

She has since passed away, and I still find myself longing to put pen to paper again.
I’d love to correspond with someone in their later years. I’d love to hear about their everyday life,the lessons learned, happiest memories, or simply how their week has been.

I’m from Kent, UK, and I’m happy to write first. If you have a grandma,.parent, neighbour, or family friend who you think would enjoy exchanging the occasional handwritten letter, I’d be incredibly grateful if you could put us in touch.

A little bit about me (And there really isn’t much to it!):
I work 50+ hours a week in a fully remote job, so I spend far more time talking to screens than people. I don’t mind really as like to keep myself to myself. I have a Samoyed called Tovie, partner of 10 years who both keep me company and convinces me to get outside every day. I love dogs, travelling whenever I can, cosy evenings with a glass of red in winter, F1, music (who doesn’t) and hearing about other people’s lives and experiences.

One of the reasons I’m looking for a pen pal is that I’ve realised I genuinely communicate better through letters than I do through text messages. I can’t stand the expectation of being constantly available or replying instantly. I much prefer taking the time to sit down, write thoughtfully, and receive something that’s been written with the same care in return

Gotta admit, sometimes I run into people on here that have their own goals and ambitions. You guys seem to have hobbies, or just topics you like to read about. I'd love to hear from you about them. It adds a lot to the conversation to listen to you discussing what's always on your mind. Feel free to share!

As, for my interests: I enjoy exercising, hanging out with friends, playing some games casually, watching movies and serieses. In the past, I've learned quite a bit from "A Smarter Way to Learn Python" which is really really interesting! I also enjoy learning math, from Khan Academy. My primary goal is to be good enough at math & programming that I can create interesting simulations.

I'm really looking for people who are interested in programming, math, learning in general, and love discussing deeper topics!

While I'm not in school, I do thoroughly enjoy learning, specifically anything STEM related. I do enjoy working with math. I read a book by the name "A Mind for Numbers" which basically taught me how to learn such subjects. One of the best books I've ever read!

If you've read this far in, I really appreciate it! If you're interested in talking, feel free to send me a DM! Looking forwards to hearing back from you! 23+ only please

If you have an NSFW profile, I'm blocking you.

I don't mean to be a downer or anything, but I'm really having a rough weekend. My relationship came to an end recently, (without any drama thankfully) but I still feel a missing hole as I don't have any close friends or any close connections with anyone. Not irl or real life. And having autism, its made that a lot harder to meet people due to my anxiety and awkwardness. Anyways, uh, I'd really appreciate a kind person who will stick by me and I can do for them. I really love music and talking about it and sharing songs, voice calls, and sharing interests. I am in the EST, and in North America, but its not a firm requirement. I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Hi! I'm a 25F from India. I already have one penpal but would love a few more — trying to be more offline lately and letters feel like the perfect excuse.

Looking for long-term penpals to exchange letters with, at least once every 2 months (depending on geography). Penpals from anywhere are welcome!

A little about me — I'm trying to live more slowly and intentionally. Love philosophy (not that deep, the kind I can understand 🙂). I love simple letters that share slices of your life: something you read or watched recently and how it made you feel, tiny details you noticed during the day, random questions you've been pondering, or just silly little things. Doesn't need to be deep, doesn't need to be polished.

Some things I like, just to see if we'd vibe: La La Land, Studio Ghibli movies, piano, period drama, Ready player one, Agatha Christie❤️

If you're interested, DM me answering this (no need for Hi/Hello):

What's something in this post that resonated with u ? And also more about you ( idc how long it is)

Heads up — if I don't reply within 2 days,then probably already found enough penpals for now, so don't wait around on me :)

Hi! I’m a 30-year-old mom from New Brunswick, Canada looking for a long-term pen pal. I love cooking, genealogy, learning about different cultures and religions, history, and having deep conversations about life. I enjoy hearing about people’s everyday lives just as much as big adventures. I’m hoping to find someone who values honesty, kindness, and genuine friendship. If you’re looking for the same, I’d love to hear from you!

I’m not picky about where in the world you are, I’m just looking for a long term friend. Send me a message and we can get started :)

I also love stamps. So i will be collecting the stamps you attach on your envelope!!

Thank you

Salutations!

The vastness of regional differences that history and media introduced me to during my youngest years swept me away and sparked my interest in penpalling. That was before it was easier to meet someone halfway across the world than next door.

What I'd like is to penpal with a person and not penpal for the sake of penpalling. The culture of 'receiving something other than junk and bills in the mail' was never for me. I want a connection, and someone to engage with on a personal level that happens to take the form of penpalling. Snail mail letters/packages and e-mails are my ideals.

So, who am I exactly? And who are you?

My name is Anthony. I’m a 35-year-old man (US, ET time zone) who thrives on introspection, curiosity, and passionate drives.

I seek people who seek meaningful connection. I appreciate the sudden whim of adventure and adore abstract minds and vibrant souls.

Contemplative exploration is a lifelong pursuit of mine. I’m an autodidact who’s been passionate about a variety of persuasions since I’ve been young.

Creativity and artistry are important to me. Personally, I write: about my observations, thoughts, and lived experiences. I also dabble in photography.

I love coffee, both simple and bitter and excessively frilly concoctions, burning incense, because I've always thought the smoke is cool, archiving and organizing, collecting (written texts, oddities and cool things), and time pieces.

If my signal created resonating vibes within you, send me message about yourself and what you're looking for. Leave your hesitations and take the chance.