In this activity, you will read letters written by two authors: one written to a younger self and one written to a future self. Then you will write your own: What do you want to say, and when?
Read:
- “Letter to Myself in the Future #15” by Lena Moses-Schmitt
- “To My Seventeen-Year-Old Self” by Edward Hirsch
Often the advice we most need to hear comes from within us.
After all, who knows our pet peeves better? Our most embarrassing moments as well as our greatest aspirations? Even if we try to hide our inner truths from ourselves, they are there, whispering and waiting to be acknowledged.
After you have read Lena Moses-Scmidtt’s “Letter to Myself in the Future #15” and Edward Hirsch’s “To My Seventeen-Year-Old Self,” consider two things: what and when.
What do you want to tell yourself? Do you want to remind yourself of someone or somewhere important? Perhaps it’s a warning or a moment of consequence. What tone do you wish to take with yourself?
And when do you want to share your advice? To your twelve-year-old self or to your future self?
Don’t be constrained by the format of a letter. Choose the style that feels best to you. A poem? A short story? A dialogue?
Extended Reading:
- “Letter to Myself in the Future #4” by Lena Moses-Schmitt
- “Slepnevo, 1916” by Anna Ahkmatova
