Kerry's Wednesday Challenge ~ Open Letters

Poet, Siegfried Sassoon's Open Letter
in which he calls for an end to World War I
in Public Domain
(READ HERE)

An open letter is a letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally.

Open letters usually take the form of a letter addressed to an individual but provided to the public through newspapers and other media, such as a letter to the editor or blog. Especially common are critical open letters addressed to political leaders. Open letters can also be addressed directly to a group rather than any individual.

Source

There are a number of reasons why an individual would choose the form of an open letter, including the following reasons:

·      As a last resort to ask the public to judge the letter's recipient or others involved, often but not always, in a critical light

·      To state the author's position on a particular issue

·      As an attempt to start or end a wider dialogue around an issue

To continue reading this Wikipedia entry, click HERE.

Source

There are many interesting and enlightening open letters available, and it was difficult for me to choose one but I thought, as writers, we would enjoy Harper Lee's open letter to Oprah Winfrey on the value of reading.

It is not the first time we have explored the possibilities of Epistolary poetry on Real Toads. Indeed, I set such a Wednesday Challenge back in 2011. Now I wonder if it is possible to translate the idea of an open letter into poetry and I leave this challenge with you today. Write a poem in the form of an open letter and disseminate it through means of the internet by posting it on your blog and linking it up to Real Toads.
One final note: As this is poetry, the premise of your letter or its recipient may be fictitious, if you so choose.