Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, Pen Pal Matching Program Takes Off
New Yorker staff writer Rachel Syme was writing lots of letters on her typewriter. She asked if anyone would be interested in a pen pal exchange. She created Penpalooza, which has over 7,000 writers.
NOEL KING, HOST:
Good morning. I'm Noel King. During the pandemic, Rachel Syme started writing lots of letters on her old-school electric typewriter - lots. She asked if anyone would be interested in a pen pal exchange. Syme, who's a contributor to NPR, created Penpalooza, a pen pal matching program, and it's taken off. Penpalooza now has over 7,000 writers. One woman told The Guardian, when my first piece of mail arrived, the excitement I felt was beyond reason. It's MORNING EDITION.
[POST-BROADCAST CORRECTION: In the audio of this story, as in a previous Web introduction, we incorrectly refer to Rachel Syme as an NPR contributor. She is a New Yorker staff writer.]
Copyright © 2020 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
Correction Dec. 8, 2020
In the audio of this story, as in a previous Web introduction, we incorrectly refer to Rachel Syme as an NPR contributor. She is a New Yorker staff writer.