“Letters of London” an interview with its founder, Olly Barrett.

“Letters of London is a new quarterly print and digital magazine that brings together people who might never cross paths. Through letters exchanged between Londoners of different ages, backgrounds and experiences, founding editor, Olly Barret and Editor, Elena Cruz create conversations that cut across the usual divides of the city.”

It was lovely getting to chat with Olly and include snippets (in italics) of some of the enriching perspectives he has thus far received for “Letter’s of London’s” upcoming first issue. 

So, where did the idea originate? 

Well, it was from living in London (ha-ha). We all live in our own bubbles, our own versions of London. But now we're all wanting our bubbles to join up, to realise that we're part of something bigger. It’s typical of most cities: you live in one area which is right next door to another that's completely different. It’s the same with the people, some have grown up here, some have moved to the city and there's loads of international influences. It’s a melting pot. There’s a lot of noise — headlines, opinions, politics — but very little space for how the city actually feels to the people living in it. So the goal is to try to understand each other just a bit more and the first issue’s theme will be ‘Belonging.’ 

"Your parks are magic, love your corner shops, and that crackhead on the tube grinning at nothing? I get him. Don’t know if I belong, don’t really care. I’m sticking around anyway.

Cheers,”

And why letters of London and not, y’know, DMs of London? 

Yes, letter writing has kind of died off a bit, it's not such a youth format now. But, it’s like a pen pal exchange, where Londoners can write in and we pair them with someone from different demographics, age groups and so on. Alongside that, we've got this open format where we've started filming their letters to the city. So it's all about their point of view; it’s not an interview but simply capturing them reading their letter aloud. The letters can be addressed to someone else, their past-self or the city itself! 

"You smell. You always have. And yet — here I am, still rather fond of you.

And can anyone submit to the magazine or are there requirements? 

It's open to all Londoners, you don't have to be a ‘writer’ at all. There’s too often a snobbery around these magazines, where you need a lengthy portfolio. And besides, anyone can write a letter. At its core, we’re a public inbox for a shared city. Think of it as a magazine of urban social correspondence. 

"You let people be strange. You let them age. You let them take up space — loudly, badly, unapologetically.

And to be clear, are these ‘preformative letters’ or are they actually being submitted to you handwritten haha? 

We have actually gotten a good few handwritten! And when we’re reaching out to local hotspots or organisations, we write letters too and hopefully the magazine will evolve with organisations writing letters in the issue as well. We’re trying to bring the format back. Emphasising the physical is important for us with so many online newspapers these days and after the loneliness of the pandemic. We’re trying to create a community across the city, not unlike ‘Starfish’. We’re going to host a launch party and we’re hoping to organise letter writing circles in different boroughs as well as workshops. We want shared experience both on and off the page. 

“A chatty city that always had something to say.”

And how do the conversations created “cut across the usual divides of the city?” 

Yeah it’s actually a big motivation. There's the cost of living crisis ("fucking expensive but there's always something to do”) and so much fear mongering about knife crime or refugees in the news. We're wanting to be the antidote to that: the best bit of London is the diversity. It's always always been a place of shifting sands, different cultures and coming and leaving. And, that's how it should be. We want to celebrate that: there isn't one type of Londoner: we’re known on the global stage as a hugely diverse city. Through the letters we learn about what matters to Londoners, and as a result the narrative evolves. 

"I fear we're losing our place on the global stage. What does London represent anymore?

…

"Queer is here. Don’t live in fear. We're a city of love. 

Visit LettersofLondon.com to read the first issue and see how London’s diversity can be interpreted in parts, communicating, shuffling together one letter at a time and becoming a most human kind of art.

Written by Ben Lynch (@ben_lynch__) 

Edited by Niall Carey