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National Card and Letter Writing Month
April 26, 2017 By Bas Bleu
Did you know? April is National Card and Letter Writing Month! Letter writing may seem a throwback to an earlier, pre-digital time (and a downright foreign concept to younger generations), but at Bas Bleu we think it’s a habit worth celebrating.
We’re not advocating against digital communication, of course. It’s convenient, quick, and fun. But we’re never going to stumble across a box of our parents’ text messages in an attic, years after their deaths. Nor is our spouse going to tuck a romantic email into a bouquet of flowers, or tweet out the tear-stained first draft of his wedding vows. And our great-great-grandchildren won’t get to know us through our Facebook accounts. Letters have a permanence that digital correspondence doesn’t, no matter what your email server and “the cloud” promise.
The physicality of paper offers a link to the writer, the recipient, and to a specific—at times monumental—moment in history. So for those of us who have allowed emojis and Facebook updates to supersede our long-form, snail-mail correspondence, National Card and Letter Writing Month is a great reminder of the joy letters can bring.
When author Roald Dahl’s mother, Sofie Magdalene Dahl, died in 1967, he discovered a carefully preserved stash of more than 600 letters that he’d written to her over the course of his lifetime. She’d saved them all, “holding on to them despite wartime bombings and many subsequent house moves.” Later, they were used by scholars as a window into his life and work and eventually to create the epistolary biography Love from Boy. But most important, for Dahl they were a physical reminder, a keepsake, of his late mother’s love and devotion.
Our challenge to you this week—and in the coming weeks and months—is to endeavor to put pen to paper more often. (Typewritten missives count too, if your penmanship is tough to read!) Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Skip the birthday text message and send a card instead, even if it’s just a plain notecard with your birthday message written inside.
Write a postcard to your grandchild, godchild, niece or nephew. Kids love getting mail addressed just to them. You can even send them their own stationery set, so they can practice the art of letter-writing!
Whenever a random memory of a friend from school or the old neighborhood pops up, jot it down and mail it to her. She’ll get a kick out of being remembered out of the blue.
Mail a message of condolence. For mourners, the days after the death of a loved one can be a blur, and your written words can be saved and appreciated weeks after the fact. Or, write to the bereaved on the anniversary of their loss; they’ll be comforted to know you haven’t forgotten their sadness.
Write a love letter to your spouse or partner, even if you’ve been together for decades. It doesn’t have to be steamy; share a memory that kindled or reinforced your love for them.
And if someone you know is a diligent correspondent whose cards and notes have brightened your days, head to our online Stationery Shop and select a pack of cute notecards or a new pen as a gift with which to say “thank you” for their thoughtfulness over the years.
Remember: Your letters don’t have to be Pulitzer Prize-quality writing. It’s the gesture that counts, the sparkle in your friend’s eyes when the mailbox reveals something other than bills and junk mail. Everyone loves personal snail mail; we Bas Bleu editors always get excited when we receive a nice note from a customer, or a handwritten book recommendation.
Write on, bluestockings, write on!
We’re not advocating against digital communication, of course. It’s convenient, quick, and fun. But we’re never going to stumble across a box of our parents’ text messages in an attic, years after their deaths. Nor is our spouse going to tuck a romantic email into a bouquet of flowers, or tweet out the tear-stained first draft of his wedding vows. And our great-great-grandchildren won’t get to know us through our Facebook accounts. Letters have a permanence that digital correspondence doesn’t, no matter what your email server and “the cloud” promise.
The physicality of paper offers a link to the writer, the recipient, and to a specific—at times monumental—moment in history. So for those of us who have allowed emojis and Facebook updates to supersede our long-form, snail-mail correspondence, National Card and Letter Writing Month is a great reminder of the joy letters can bring.
When author Roald Dahl’s mother, Sofie Magdalene Dahl, died in 1967, he discovered a carefully preserved stash of more than 600 letters that he’d written to her over the course of his lifetime. She’d saved them all, “holding on to them despite wartime bombings and many subsequent house moves.” Later, they were used by scholars as a window into his life and work and eventually to create the epistolary biography Love from Boy. But most important, for Dahl they were a physical reminder, a keepsake, of his late mother’s love and devotion.
Our challenge to you this week—and in the coming weeks and months—is to endeavor to put pen to paper more often. (Typewritten missives count too, if your penmanship is tough to read!) Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Skip the birthday text message and send a card instead, even if it’s just a plain notecard with your birthday message written inside.
Write a postcard to your grandchild, godchild, niece or nephew. Kids love getting mail addressed just to them. You can even send them their own stationery set, so they can practice the art of letter-writing!
Whenever a random memory of a friend from school or the old neighborhood pops up, jot it down and mail it to her. She’ll get a kick out of being remembered out of the blue.
Mail a message of condolence. For mourners, the days after the death of a loved one can be a blur, and your written words can be saved and appreciated weeks after the fact. Or, write to the bereaved on the anniversary of their loss; they’ll be comforted to know you haven’t forgotten their sadness.
Write a love letter to your spouse or partner, even if you’ve been together for decades. It doesn’t have to be steamy; share a memory that kindled or reinforced your love for them.
And if someone you know is a diligent correspondent whose cards and notes have brightened your days, head to our online Stationery Shop and select a pack of cute notecards or a new pen as a gift with which to say “thank you” for their thoughtfulness over the years.
Remember: Your letters don’t have to be Pulitzer Prize-quality writing. It’s the gesture that counts, the sparkle in your friend’s eyes when the mailbox reveals something other than bills and junk mail. Everyone loves personal snail mail; we Bas Bleu editors always get excited when we receive a nice note from a customer, or a handwritten book recommendation.
Write on, bluestockings, write on!
How is Bas Bleu Handling the COVID-19 Crisis?
May 13, 2020 By Bas Bleu
Two months ago, the COVID-19 crisis arrived on our doorstep. (We much prefer to receive book deliveries, thank you very much!) It’s been a whirlwind experience for Bas Bleu’s staff, just as it has been for most Americans. We’ve received a lot of questions from customers over the last few weeks, asking how is Bas Bleu handling the COVID-19 crisis? We thought we’d answer a few of your most common questions here in the Bluestocking Salon.
Q: Is Bas Bleu still open?
A: Yes! We’re packing and shipping orders five days a week.
Q: Is that safe?
A: The small team of employees working on-site in our warehouse and call center are supplied with face masks, gloves, and sanitizing supplies, and communal work and breakroom areas have been configured to allow for maximum social distancing. The health of our employees is of paramount importance, and our safety procedures are checked and rechecked constantly, with our team members’ wellbeing a top priority.
Q: Will you run out of inventory?
A: No. It’s true that puzzles, games, and novels have been even more popular than usual, but our purchasing team is working hard with publishers and other suppliers to refill our shelves. Some vendors have paused production as required by state orders or to protect employees in hard-hit communities, while others have shifted gears to produce PPE. We’re fortunate to enjoy long-term relationships with many of our suppliers, and we’re all working together to refresh our inventory supplies and fulfill your orders as quickly as possible.
Q: I think I’ve read every book in your Spring edition. Will you be sending me a new Summer edition?
A: Absolutely! Our editorial team may be working from home these days, but we’re still reviewing books, sampling product, writing and editing copy, and designing catalog pages. We’re just doing it in makeshift offices established in guest bedrooms, playrooms, and at kitchen tables. Our editorial meetings are held via video (that’s us in the picture below), and kids and pets make occasional appearances on screen. Our Summer 2020 edition is at the printer now, and is scheduled to land in your mailbox on May 27.
Q: Will Bas Bleu be offering new Summer Reading Collections?
A: Oh, yes! We’ve created new packages of Novels, Mysteries, and Nonfiction selections. And believe us when we tell you they are good.
Q: I love to read, but some days I have a really hard time concentrating on a novel, no matter how good it is. Am I the only one?
A: You're not the only one. That happens to booksellers too! When it does, we turn to short stories, poetry, and magazines. We watch movies. We try our hand at sewing face masks and baking bread. We take long walks around the neighborhood and shout “Hello! Are you hanging in there?” to our neighbors from a respectable distance. We skip lawn-mowing day and play hide-and-seek in the long grass with the kids instead. One of us even adopted a puppy! And we eat ice cream on the front stoop while listening to the birds sing.
We can’t say it often enough, dear bluestockings: Your support of Bas Bleu during this unprecedented crisis has been incredible, and we’re so very grateful to you. We hope you’re well. We hope the people you love are all well. To those who aren’t able to stay home because you’re working every day to keep our communities functioning—to the healthcare providers and the dedicated staff who support them, grocery cashiers and shelf stockers, transit employees, postal workers, delivery drivers, farmers, cooks, utility technicians, law enforcement officers and other first responders, public-service employees, and the many others keeping our nation running—thank you all.
Dating Profiles of the Literary Lovelorn
August 19, 2015 By Bas Bleu
Attention, bluestockings: Raise your hand if you've ever fallen in love with a fictional character.
Really? Us too. It’s not hard to do when you’re privy to the deepest thoughts and feelings of another human being’s soul…at least, as they’re printed on the pages of a book! But imagine a world in which your favorite literary characters hadn’t had much luck meeting a good man or woman with whom to share their lives. In this day and age, how would they go about finding a soulmate?
By online dating, of course.
And because writing that perfect profile is the only thing more difficult than taking the perfect selfie, we Bas Bleu editors have taken it upon ourselves to pen digital personal ads for a few of our favorite literary characters.
Really? Us too. It’s not hard to do when you’re privy to the deepest thoughts and feelings of another human being’s soul…at least, as they’re printed on the pages of a book! But imagine a world in which your favorite literary characters hadn’t had much luck meeting a good man or woman with whom to share their lives. In this day and age, how would they go about finding a soulmate?
By online dating, of course.
And because writing that perfect profile is the only thing more difficult than taking the perfect selfie, we Bas Bleu editors have taken it upon ourselves to pen digital personal ads for a few of our favorite literary characters.
Arthur “Boo” Radley, To Kill a Mockingbird
I’m a solitude-loving introvert who is happiest whiling away the hours in the comfort of my own home or stargazing during a midnight stroll through the deserted streets of my hometown. I’m great at keeping secrets and work hard to stay out the affairs of others. However, I’ve been known to step in if I sense trouble brewing. Those seeking a nimble conversationalist may be disappointed; instead, my love languages are small acts of kindness and gifts, which you’ll find hidden in a knothole of the oak tree.
Estella Havisham, Great Expectations
Young widow, bored with the usual London dandies, in search of a new challenge to sink my teeth into. I’m not looking for deep emotional attachment, so spare me your sentimental rubbish. I am an orphan, so no need to worry about tiresome in-laws, though my guardian (“Miss H”) has had a significant influence on my life. I am not easily shocked, nor am I easily amused. I do have a taste for the finer things, so only well-heeled gents need apply.
Edward Rochester, Jane Eyre
Landed gentleman seeks companion for himself and mother figure for his young ward. After years of traveling the world, I’ve lost my taste for exotic, temperamental beauties and now prefer to be surprised by steel-spined bluestockings with hidden layers of intellect and emotion. I have something of a reputation among my set for throwing fabulous country parties, complete with shooting, unusual entertainment (I keep a gypsy fortune-teller on retainer), and only the best libations for post-dinner partying. Some say my estate, Thornfield Hall, is haunted, but I assure you: Those sounds coming from the attic are only the wind. I’m also fond of wild gallops on the moor and brooding.
Nancy Drew
Inveterate truth-seeker who has made helping others my life work seeks Guy Friday with boundless energy, a nose for trouble, and a willingness to play second fiddle to my career. I bypassed college in favor of the school of life, building my high-school hobby into a full-time gig that has taken me all over the world and into some of the darkest corners of middle America. I’m fearless and constantly on the go, so if you’re hunting for a homebody, keep walking. Guys with shady pasts need not apply; if you think you can hide it from me, you’re dead wrong. In the interest of full disclosure (honesty is very important to me), I’m rebounding from a bad breakup with my boyfriend of more than forty years. My friends say this online dating thing is the best way to meet single men, but I am suspicious and need to investigate for myself.
Hamlet, The Tragedy of Hamlet
Intrigued by existential brooding and men with haunted pasts? Longing to be driven mad with passion? Then I will be the dark prince of your heart! My life and career are pretty complicated, so I demand a lot of unconditional support, even when my behavior seems erratic. If all goes my way, however, I’ll be in a position to treat you like a real queen. No posers, please: If you can’t be true to yourself, how can you be true to me?
Emily Grierson, “A Rose for Emily”
I am a thirtysomething Southern belle who, upon the death of my beloved father, am finally free from family obligations and ready to pursue a love match. Although I enjoyed a genteel upbringing, I am not averse to consorting with a man from a different background than my own, as long as he is kind, honest, and skilled with his hands. I have been accused of being clingy, but the truth is simply that I am steadfastly loyal and expect the same in return. Once I give my heart it will be yours forever, even on my deathbed.
Fitzwilliam Darcy, Pride and Prejudice
Single man in possession of a good fortune in search of a wife to help manage my estates and serve as a respectable role model for my younger sister. I have little interest in dancing or the theater, though I do appreciate a pretty singing voice and a pair of fine eyes. In fact, I have no time for frivolities beyond the usual social responsibilities; I much prefer more intimate pursuits such as quiet evenings in my library, long rides across my vast country estate, and intimate tête-à-têtes with women of deep intellect and charm. You should know that I am fiercely protective of my friends and family and will do whatever is necessary to keep them safe.
Arkadyevna Karenina, Anna Karenina
I have an eye for handsome men, particularly those in uniform, and a yearning for deep, all-consuming romance. Potential lovers should know that I am married, but the passion between my husband and me faded long ago. Nonetheless, he is a good man and I have a reputation to uphold, so discretion is a must. No long-distance suitors, please: Trains make me nervous.
7 Black Librarians You Should Know
February 3, 2021 By Bas Bleu
February may be the shortest month of the year, but it packs quite the one-two punch! Not only is it Black History Month, it’s also Library Lovers Month…and the perfect opportunity for Bas Bleu to celebrate the accomplishments of Black trailblazers in American library history.
We can’t begin to profile all of the men and women who deserve a spot on this list, but allow us to introduce you to seven Black librarians you should know.
We can’t begin to profile all of the men and women who deserve a spot on this list, but allow us to introduce you to seven Black librarians you should know.
Edward C. Williams:
Williams tops our (roughly chronological) list because he carries the distinction of being the first professionally trained African-American librarian in the United States. After graduating from Western Reserve University, he began a seventeen-year tenure at the university’s Hatch Library, where he was instrumental in expanding the library’s collection and establishing the WRU Library School. In 1916, he became head librarian at prestigious Howard University in Washington, DC, where he fought to improve the library’s resources and stressed the importance of employing professionally trained library personnel. He also taught several library and language courses (Williams was fluent in French, German, Italian, and Spanish), and he authored numerous poems, short stories, magazine articles, and books, including an epistolary novel about Washington’s black bourgeoisie.
Sadie Peterson Delaney:
A trailblazer in the field of bibliotherapy (yes, that’s a real thing!), Delaney received her professional training at the New York Public Library, before joining the library’s staff at Harlem’s 135th Street Branch in the early 1920s. There, she expanded the library’s programs for children and used bibliotherapy to help young immigrants and troubled youths. To improve services for the visually impaired, she learned to read Braille and Moon Code (a writing system for the blind), and she advocated for developing a library collection focused on Black history and literature. In 1924, Delaney transferred her considerable skills to the VA hospital in Tuskegee, Alabama, where she used bibliotherapy to revolutionize treatment for residents living with physical disabilities, mental illness, and emotional issues. During Delaney’s thirty-four-year career as the hospital’s chief librarian, librarians from around the world traveled to Tuskegee to study her innovative work.
Regina M. Anderson Andrews:
Like Sadie Peterson Delaney, Anderson (later Andrews) worked at Harlem’s 135th Street Branch of the New York Public Library. She was a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, her apartment the site of regular salons and meetings attended by Langston Hughes and other influential Black writers, artists, and activists. Anderson helped W. E. B. DuBois found the Krigwa Players, a Black theater company, and wrote several of her own plays. In her library position, she organized art exhibitions and produced lecture and drama series (birth control activist Margaret Sanger and influential intellectual Hubert Harrison were guest speakers). After years of fighting for promotional opportunities for Black librarians, Anderson became the first African-American to lead an NYPL branch.
Charlemae Hill Rollins:
In 1932, Rollins became children’s librarian at the George C. Hall Library, the first full-service branch of the Chicago Public Library built to serve the Black community on the city’s South Side. It was there Rollins made a name for herself as an advocate for “well-written children’s literature free of racial and ethnic distortions,” such as fake dialects and offensive or derogatory language and illustrations. During her career, she educated countless teachers, publishers, and fellow librarians about the importance of creating and disseminating children’s literature featuring African-America characters based on real life, instead of caricature or prejudicial views. Rollins retired in 1963 and turned her focus to writing; her published works include several biographies for young-adult readers.
Dorothy B. Porter:
The first African-American woman to earn a library science degree from Columbia University’s library school, Porter joined Howard University’s library staff in 1930. She was hired to organize the library’s Moorland Foundation, a small collection of antislavery pamphlets and books. But over the course of her forty-year career, Porter transformed the collection into the expansive Moorland–Spingarn Research Center, a globally recognized repository for Black history and culture. Porter built a global network of contacts, developed new research tools and bibliographies—and rejected the limitations of the famed Dewey decimal classification system, which shelved books by or about black people under only two numbers: 325 (colonization) and 326 (slavery). Porter built on the work of her predecessors at Howard to create a more suitable classification system, organizing the collection to “highlight the foundational role of black people in all subject areas.”
Clara Stanton Jones:
Jones worked for the Detroit Public Library for twenty-six years before she was elected director in 1970, an appointment that spurred several of the library’s white board members to quit. As director, Jones launched a public-awareness initiative to encourage library use by inner-city residents, and spearheaded a movement to expand libraries “from simple book depositories into the information, resource and educational meccas they are today.” In 1976, she became first Black president of the American Library Association, and was instrumental in the ALA adopting a “Resolution on Racism and Sexism Awareness” for staff and patrons.
Carla Hayden, 14th Librarian of Congress
Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress
Of course our national librarian earned a spot on our list! In 2017, Hayden became the first female and the first Black American to be named Librarian of Congress, supervising the world’s largest library. Like Charlemae Hill Rollins, Hayden worked as a children’s librarian for the Chicago Public Library early in her career, later serving as a museum librarian and a university professor. She was CEO of Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt Free Library in 2015, when protests broke out in the wake of Freddie Gray’s death. In the midst of the chaos, Hayden chose to keep the libraries open, even as many stores and businesses closed their doors. “The community protected the library…and we knew that they would look for that place of refuge and relief and opportunity.” In her national role, Hayden plans to use digitization to make the Library of Congress’s collection (162 million items!) more widely accessible, determined to do her part to “make information free for all.”