1 Sealed Letter

In this episode, I sit down with Felice Cohen, an author and professional organizer whose lifelong love of letter writing has become her newest creative frontier. Felice is in the midst of a yearlong…

In 1743, Denis Diderot, later famed as a co-founder of the Encyclopédie, risked everything for love. After being imprisoned in a monastery by his father to prevent an “unsuitable” marriage, Diderot e…

In this episode of One Sealed Letter, we take to the skies with Benjamin Franklin as he witnesses the first balloon flights of 1783. From the gardens of Versailles to the Champs de Mars in Paris, Fra…

Georgia O’Keeffe’s early letters to Alfred Stieglitz (1916–1917) reveal her fierce independence, her longing for solitude, and her refusal to conform. In this episode of One Sealed Letter, we explore…

What does it mean to focus on what you have, even when so much has been taken from you?

In this episode of One Sealed Letter, we step into the world of Helen Keller through her personal letters, read …

In 1913, American cartoonist Alfred Joseph Frueh sent his fiancée, Giuliette Fanciulli, a letter unlike any other. With a few careful cuts and folds, it transformed into a miniature art gallery—compl…

In this episode, we step into the luminous world of Emily Dickinson through one of her most poignant letters, written in June 1869 to her longtime mentor and correspondent, Thomas Wentworth Higginson…

In this episode of One Sealed Letter, we travel to 1850s Britain to explore the powerful friendship between Bessie Rayner Parkes and Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon. Through their handwritten letters, w…

In this companion to last week’s episode on the future of letter writing, artist and host Kathryn Hastings turns her attention to the luminous world of wax seals—objects that bridge the sacred and th…

We’ve reached 100 episodes of One Sealed Letter, and rather than looking back, I’m looking ahead—to the future of letter writing.

In this special milestone episode, I explore why letter writing matter…

In this episode of One Sealed Letter, Kathryn Hastings reads from four deeply personal letters written by Audrey Hepburn—offering a rare glimpse into the woman behind the legend. Spanning from her ea…

In this episode of One Sealed Letter, we trace the extraordinary life of Robert Smalls through three of his letters—each one a window into a different chapter of his transformation from enslaved pilo…

In this delightfully puzzling episode, I dive into the whimsical, artful world of rebus letters—those clever messages made from pictures and symbols rather than words. From ancient Egyptian hieroglyp…

In this special episode of One Sealed Letter, we step into the private world of Princess Diana through the letters she wrote to friends, strangers, and loved ones. Read aloud in full and placed in hi…

What transforms an everyday action into something sacred? In this episode of 1 Sealed Letter, I’m joined by Dr. Michael Norton—Harvard Business School professor and author of The Ritual Effect—for a …

Cat London’s creative life defies categories—and that’s exactly why this conversation is such a joy. In this episode, we explore how humor, music, poetry, and handwritten letters all point to somethi…

Inspired by Mark Twain’s 1891 Harper’s article and a modern podcast on telepathy, we dive into the unseen, deeply felt connections that exist between people—those uncanny moments when a letter crosse…

In this episode, we explore the remarkable power of handwriting in a digital age. From enhancing memory and learning to supporting emotional health and expressing personal identity, writing by hand o…

In this episode of 1 Sealed Letter, we travel to the spring of 1888 in sun-drenched Arles, where Vincent van Gogh experiences a profound artistic rebirth. Through one of his most moving letters to hi…