For Nina Sankovitch e-mail, Facebook, texting, and Twitter all have their place, but none can compare to a good, old-fashioned letter. In her follow-up to 2011’s acclaimed Tolstoy and the Purple Chair, the former Evanstonian pays homage to the vanishing art of letter writing with a fascinating journey through the long history of the letter. Praised by 60 Minutes reporter Lesley Stahl as “a joy to read, savor, and remember,” Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Celebrating the Joys of Letter Writing shares the unforgettable letters of mothers, slaves, aristocrats, famous artists, and even Sankovitch’s husband in making a powerful case for the continued importance of letters. On Tuesday, July 15th, you can hear Ms. Sankovitch read from Signed, Sealed, Delivered when she visits EPL’s 1st Floor Community Meeting Room at 7 p.m. In anticipation of her visit, we recently spoke with her via email about preserving the history of everyday people, the trappings of instant response, handwriting, letters from her son, and her next book.
