Dear Stranger: "Real"

The Chetco Library is an official drop-box location for Dear Stranger, a regularly-occuring letter-exchange project!

Dear Stranger is a letter-exchange project from Oregon Humanities that connects Oregonians through the mail to share experiences, beliefs, and ideas. Everyone is invited to participate--whatever your age, your place of residence, or your circumstances, Dear Stranger wants to hear from you.

Fall 2025's Theme: Real
For this round of Dear Stranger, consider the word real. What is real to you? Where do you find truth, and how do you decide what is trustworthy and what is false or phony? These days we hear a lot about “artificial” intelligence, “virtual” reality, and “fake” news. Are any of these things real? If not, what is? What does it take to make a friendship, a feeling, or an experience real? 

How to participate

1. Write a letter. Address it "Dear Stranger." Fill a page or two, or more if you're inspired. Feel free to include a photo, a drawing, a recipe, or anything else that will fit in a standard letter-sized envelope. You can answer the questions above, or you can write about any topic that interests you.

2. Fill out the form on the inside of the envelope (you can pick this up at the library) and sign the permission agreement.

3. Drop your letter in the red box at the library by October 29 to return it to Oregon Humanities, OR 

4. You can also choose to put a stamp on the envelope and drop it in the mail yourself, or email it to programs@oregonhumanities.org. Please keep in mind that if you are sending your letter yourself, it must be post-marked or emailed by October 31, 2025. 

What happens next?

When you write to Dear Stranger, your letter will be swapped with one from another writer. They will get your letter; you will get theirs. The exchange is anonymous, and you can share as little or as much information about yourself as you like.

Letters will be mailed to participants in November 2025.

If you have questions about Dear Stranger, please contact programs@oregonhumanities.org. For more information about the project, please visit http://www.oregonhumanities.org/programs/dear-stranger/