The Sunday Letter Project

Bringing Back Pen Pals

The fountain pen scratches delicately on the paper. Words are flowing out, one by one, creating new stories. It is time to bring back letters, it is time to bring back pen pals.

At the moment of writing (April 2026), we are the second shop in France acting as a 'P.O. box’ for pen pals. Like said on the The Sunday Letter Project website: our readers can now write ‘shop to shop’, with their letters held safely until collection — a modern twist on the old Poste Restante system.

And as for you… do you miss writing letters or have you always dreamed of having a pen pal? Now is your chance!

How Does It Work - Pen Pals Over The World?

-> Write an introduction letter* about yourself and what you want to get from joining the project

-> Write our address + your first and last name or nom de plume on the back of the envelope (Return Address: your name + The Little Bookshop, 7 Rue des Fossés, 35000 Rennes, France)
-> Find your nearest participating shop on the Sunday Pals map and send your intro letter to any shop you’d like

-> Wait for a letter back; we’ll text you once we’ve received a letter for you

How Does It Work - Local Pen Pals?

-> Write an introduction letter* about yourself and what you’d like to write about in your letters/what you want to get from joining the project

-> Leave it in the box for Local Pen Pals and wait for a letter back (we’ll text you once we’ve received a letter for you)

*The introduction letters we received will stay at our shop so everyone can see them and write to this person

The Rules

Letters should remain kind, respectful, appropriate, and handwritten. Sunday Pals is about connection, not debate or persuasion
Don’t include personal details like your home address, phone number, or social media handles. If pen pals would like another way to stay in touch, we suggest using an email address instead
The network is for grown-ups only, 18+. If you are under 18, we encourage you to find a pen-pal by asking your grown-up to help find you a friend of a friend or a relative to correspond with
No sales, promotions, or self-advertising of any kind
Letters sent within the network must not include money or goods of any significant value
Shops can refuse to hold or deliver any letter that feels unsafe or inappropriate
If you want to stop writing or take a break, just let your shop know — no awkwardness required

A Note of Safety and Good Sense

Please remember that all letters are sent at your own discretion. The Sunday Letter Project and The Little Bookshop act only as facilitators. Weʼre not responsible for the content of individual letters or for any correspondence that happens outside the project.

Let's Bring Back Pen Pals!