THE community MAILBOX!

AN INTERACTIVE SOCIAL experiment
a home for human connection
a bridge toward hope

Update from Anna, May 2025:

Wow!! I am amazed and honored by the response to this project. I really thought MAYBE 20 people would participate. Since January, I’ve received nearly 100 letters. You all make me laugh, cry, gasp, and love. I feel so, so much love.

I hate to admit this, but continually packing the box with stamped envelopes is starting to take a financial toll. (What a gift! But also: what to do??) I’m currently working on ways to fund the ongoingness of this project, but will include my Venmo here, in case you want to support.

THANK YOU to everyone who’s written, considered writing, visited the exhibit, or reached out in some other way. This is a heartfelt and heart-warming little experiment, something I am deeply grateful for in the throes of this mad time.

Warmly,
a

what is the Community Mailbox Experiment?

Two years ago, I dreamed up a “community mailbox” that operates like a Little Free Library, inviting passersby to leave a card and/or take a card. The goal: to connect community through handwritten practice. In November 2024, I pitched this idea to the incredible folks at Happy Time Studio, as part of their winter exhibit on social media. Ali saw my vision and said “yes, bring that to life.”

Since 12/21/24, the mailbox has been posted (pun intended!) outside Happy Time, on Issaquah’s historic Front Street. I’ve received dozens of letters, each one a thread in a beautiful, hopeful quilt of human experience.

The mailbox’s tenure has been extended twice (an honor!). And Ali, in an act of extremely cool and optimistic experimentation, asked me to create a secondary exhibit that highlights the collective wisdom, wonder, and curiosity of your letters. I’m proud—and only mildly astounded—to say that exhibit is live at Happy Time through June 28th.

Come by the studio to experience the intimate magic of the letters and to engage in perpetuating this small, simple, vulnerable love. It’s so beautiful. I’m so grateful.

 
USPS "blue box" | drop your mail here!

USPS “blue box” | drop your mail here!

send me a letter! (Always!)

  • If you’re local, stop by the mailbox and scoop a blank card with a pre-stamped, pre-addressed envelope. It has all the instructions you need, except for what’s missing, which is hopefully covered below. (If not, email me!)

  • Not sure how to send snail mail? You’re not alone! Follow this link to find a USPS “blue box.” Enter: your ZIP, location type: collection boxes > Search.

  • No cards in the box—or here from out-of-town? Find a blank sheet of paper and write your story, a memory, a dream, a fear. Or don’t write—draw it out! Make it up! Let it be fun and weird and expectation-free. THEN stamp your envelope with a US Forever stamp or $.73 equivalent, and mail to:

    • PIDGE POST
      PO BOX 245
      NORTH BEND, WA 98045

For extra support, I’ve copied the mailbox’s full instructions below. If I’m missing anything, let me know! Or send a letter about it. Happy snail mailing :)

full instructions

Here’s what’s enclosed in the box’s blank cards.

Hi! I’m Anna, the creator of this experiment. I’m a North Bend-based writer, mom, and owner of a boutique creative practice centered on nourishing connection. Over the years, I’ve studied handwriting’s power to connect us—to ourselves, each other, and the planet. This mailbox is a community-centered exploration of exactly that.

Here's how it works:

  • Write me a letter! What’s your best memory from 2024? Your biggest, most harebrained dream for 2025? What keeps you up at night? Pour it onto the page!

  • If you need structure: set a 5-minute timer and write—without pausing, thinking, worrying about grammar/spelling, etc. Just write.

  • If you need freedom: use this card however you’d like. Doodle, paint, make it messy, make it up, remain anonymous!

  • If you need my address:

    • Pidge Post
      PO Box 245
      North Bend, WA 98045

    • Detailed instructions for addressing, stamping, and mailing a letter: here.

  • If you need postage: pick up a USPS Forever Stamp ($.73) at your local post office.

  • If you don’t want your words read, write “DO NOT READ” on the back of the envelope. I will burn your letter without reading.

  • If you’d like a pen pal, put your return address on the envelope! I’d love to connect snail mailers who seem like a good match.

  • If you’re not sure how to send a letter, scroll up for further instruction.

  • IMPORTANT: I may use some or all of your letter (minus identifying info) in future projects, including on my website, social media, etc. Please indicate in your letter if you do not want that.