The Thousands

When I was in primary school (with Michaela McGuire, no less) the principal issued us all with bumper stickers that said ‘Women Can Do Anything’. It would be wrong to say that this slogan inspired me or set the course for my adult life, but maybe it did have an impact on some of us. I like to see women get together and do something meaningful that is not centred around sewing or craft or yummy mummies or kitty cats. If you had trouble pinning down exactly what Women of Letters is, it’s none of the above. It’s a book: that’s concrete proof that women can do anything.

Curated by Marieke Hardy and Michaela McGuire, Women of Letters: Reviving the Lost Art of Correspondence is a collection of letters penned by some of our most famous female writers, artists, celebrities and creatives. Ironically, some letters are even signed with rather masculine names like Paul, Tim and Jake. Then you’ve got the letters from your Ben Salters and Ben Laws and other such ‘males’. This chick fest just became a little more PC (the guys are just there to make us ladies look better).

An exercise in catharsis, every letter is addressed to a concept rather than a person, like ‘To the night I’d rather forget’ and ‘To the moment it all fell apart’. They are reflective, thoughtful, some a bit self-conscious and most involve some element of self-directed derogatory humour. If you needed a reason to love them any more, all royalties for the book go to Edgar’s Mission Animal Rescue Shelter. Go girls.