Letter to a stranger : essays to the ones who haunt us

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Title:

Letter to a stranger : essays to the ones who haunt us

ISBN:

9781643751245

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

xix, 308 pages ; 21 cm.

Contents:

Foreword / by Leslie Jamison -- Introduction / by Colleen Kinder -- Symmetry -- Mystery -- Chemistry -- Gratitude -- Wonder -- Remorse -- Farewell.

Subject Term:

Voyages and travels.

Memory.

Self-actualization (Psychology)

Genre:

Essays

Added Author:

Kinder, Colleen

Jamison, Leslie, 1983-

Summary:

"An anthology of short, intimate second-person essays by a diverse range of writers, each honoring a fleeting encounter with a stranger met while traveling that left a profound and lasting impact; with a foreword by bestselling author Leslie Jamison." --

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake)	910.4 LET	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	910.4 LET	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

"Beautiful. The human condition is on full display in these glimpses of our essential connectedness. Perfect for our times."

--Dani Shapiro, author of Inheritance

Sixty-five extraordinary writers grapple with this mystery: How can an ephemeral encounter with a stranger leave such an eternal mark?

When Colleen Kinder put out a call for authors to write a letter to a stranger about an unforgettable encounter, she opened the floodgates. The responses--intimate and addictive, all written in the second person--began pouring in. These short, insightful essays by a remarkable cast of writers, including Elizabeth Kolbert, Pico Iyer, Lauren Groff, Gregory Pardlo, Faith Adiele, Maggie Shipstead, Lia Purpura, Kiki Petrosino, and Jamil Jan Kochai, are organized around such themes as Gratitude, Wonder, and Farewell and guide us both across the globe and through the mysteries of human connection. Addressed to a first responder after a storm, a gambler encountered on jury duty, a waiter in Istanbul, a taxi driver in Paris, a roomful of travelers watching reality TV in La Paz, and dozens of others, the pieces are replete with observations about how to live and what we seek, and how a stranger's loaded glance, shared smile, or question posed can alter the course of our lives.

Moving and unforgettable, Letter to a Stranger is an irresistible read for the literary traveler and the perfect gift for anyone who is haunted by a person they met once and will remember forever.

Author Notes

Colleen Kinder is an essayist and editor whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine , The New Republic , National Geographic Traveler , Salon.com, and The Best American Travel Writing . She has taught writing at Yale University, the Chautauqua Institution, and Semester at Sea. A Fulbright Scholar, Kinder received her MFA at the University of Iowa and is the author of Delaying the Real World and the cofounder of the online magazine Off Assignment (OffAssignment.com), where some of the pieces in this anthology originated. Her website is colleenkinder.com.

Reviews (4)

Publisher's Weekly Review

The power of brief encounters is illuminated in this moving collection from essayist and editor Kinder (Delaying the Real World). As Leslie Jamison writes in her foreword, a letter to a stranger is "an account of brushing up--just briefly--against the infinitude of another person," and the 65 pieces that follow respond to Kinder's call to write a "letter to the ones who haunt us." In "To the Man I Believe Was Good," Lauren Groff writes to an old man she met in Palermo, Italy, as a teenager, who bought her a drink when she had nowhere to stay, grappling with the true nature of his intentions. Monet Thomas describes in "To the Pharmacist on Futong West Street" her encounters with a brisk pharmacist in Beijing, whose presence grounded her when she felt lost, and Sarah Perry recounts in "To the Woman Who Walked Beside Me" the maternal love she felt from a stranger in New York City who saw to her safe return home. Though the prompt is the same, the premise never gets tired, with the globe-trotting writers covering the gamut from strangers who offered a sense of safety or a sense of chaos. Bright and hopeful, this anthology is sure to delight avid travelers. (Oct.)

Kirkus Review

Dozens of writers with something more to say to a person they never knew. As Leslie Jamison points out in the foreword, "we spend so much of our lives in the company of people we'll never know….How rarely we admit the strange, unannounced ways they lodge inside of us." Jamison was one of the first contributors to a column called "Letter to a Stranger," edited by Kinder for the online magazine she co-founded, Off Assignment. In this anthology, she collects the "most extraordinary" submissions. Many are quite brief, and none are very long, and the thematic sections allow them to bounce off each other in interesting ways. The first section, "Symmetry," includes both Lia Purpura and Michelle Tea reflecting on young strangers they felt a kinship with, one on a plane, the other in a tattoo parlor. In the "Chemistry" section, we read about various sorts of attractions that never came to fruition. Howard Axelrod: "I was twelve; this was nearly thirty years ago, I've never written about you, never spoken about you, not in the weeks afterward to the boys in my cabin, not in the years afterward." Readers will eagerly await the confidence Axelrod shares next. "Gratitude" includes characters ranging from the disappearing superhero doctor who saved Aria Beth Sloss' baby to "the Drunk Mr. Flunchy," a man "lanky as a Giacometti and more shabby than chic," whose gift to Gregory Pardlo was a physical threat. While many of the essays have an ephemeral quality, some will stick with even the most jaded of reader--e.g., Sophie Haigney's apology to the survivor of a horrible crime whom she tormented with questions in her role as "the media." Other contributors include Pico Iyer, Maggie Shipstead, Elizabeth Kolberg, Jacquelyn Mitchard, and Lucas Mann, with letters originating from all seven continents. Good stories from writers both popular and unknown, guaranteed to fill you with wanderlust. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Wanting to share her own experience and learn about the experiences of others, Kinder invited more than 60 fellow writers to draft a letter to that one stranger who haunts them, that singular person met only once but never forgotten. The use of seven intriguingly titled thematic sections--"Symmetry," "Mystery," "Chemistry," "Gratitude," Wonder," "Remorse," and "Farewell"--brings together similarly themed letters that benefit by sharing a focus. But this isn't meant to be a required reading approach; the letters can be read in any order, including a random selection, without losing their impact. While all are fairly brief, the tone and style reflect the range of contributors, from Lauren Groff to Vanessa Hua, Emmanuel Iduma to Pico Iyer. Perhaps one of the best features of this book is how the reader may discover a letter that evokes one response today and a new, different response on another day, making this a collection that can be read more than once and feel new each time. Readers looking for quiet contemplation as well as conversation starters will find equal satisfaction in these pages.

Library Journal Review

Kinder (Delaying the Real World), the editor of this sweet but often poignant collection, invited authors to write a letter to a stranger who impacted (or "haunted") them in some way. The resulting 65 mesmerizing essays are categorized under seven themes, including "Gratitude," "Mystery," "Remorse," and "Farewell." Kinder writes that "any nagging ghost makes for a glorious muse," as demonstrated by these letters set all over the globe (including Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Central America, Europe, and assorted cities around the United States), during varied moments in time. Contributors include Lauren Groff, Leslie Jamison, Elizabeth Kolbert, Jacquelyn Mitchard, Cutter Wood, and Rachel Yoder, whose letters describe memorable encounters with strangers that are sometimes charitable, comical, or romantic, and other times frightening or poignant. Several contributors describe impactful interactions with strangers, such as taxi drivers or shopkeepers, during childhood or early adulthood, often while they were traveling. Julia Glass writes a letter to the stranger who guided her around Florence, Italy, four decades ago. Other writers somberly describe family members who feel like strangers to them. VERDICT This highly recommended collection of letters would appeal to many types of readers, including individuals interested in creative writing, the epistolary form, or travel literature.--Erica Swenson Danowitz

Leslie JamisonColleen KinderLeslie JamisonRachel SwearingenAnjali SachdevaPico IyerLia PurpuraAlexander LumansMichelle TeaAnnie SchweikertElizabeth KolbertDavid Parker Jr.Emily MatcharLauren GroffMeera SubramanianVanessa HuaPeter OrnerMadelaine LucasPeter TurchiAmber Meadow AdamsHoward AxelrodKiki PetrosinoYing ReinhardtIrina ReynNaomi Gordon-LoehlKeija ParssinenMargo SteinesErica CavanaghJenessa AbramsColleen KinderMonet Patrice ThomasSarah MenkedickMatthew OlzmannMeron HaderoCraig ModRaksha VasudevanMichael AgrestaAria Beth SlossSarah PerryGregory PardloCutter WoodAviya KusÚerJulie LundePam HoustonJacquelyn MitchardJulia GlassTed ConoverKelly RamseyJamil Jan KochaiAnna VodickaFaith AdieleSophie HaigneyMeg CharltonMaggie ShipsteadSheba KarimSally FransonJesse DonaldsonAkemi JoÚsonT Kira MaddenCarlynn HoughtonEmmanuel IdumaCarin ClevidenceRachel YoderLavinia SpaldingRobin RommLucas MannJeremy B. Jones

Foreword	p. xv
Introduction	p. 1
Symmetry
To the Traveling Magician, Granada, Nicaragua	p. 11
To the Woman Who Found Me Crying Outside the Senate, Washington, DC	p. 14
To the Father Paused Under the Tree, Grand Canyon, Arizona	p. 18
To My Lost Trishaw Driver, Mandalay, Myanmar	p. 21
To the Child on the Plane, The Cascades, Oregon	p. 25
To My Arctic Vardøger, Pyramiden, Norway	p. 28
To the Girl in the Tattoo Parlor, Dallas, Texas	p. 33
To the Face in the Subway Glass, Berlin, Germany	p. 37
Mystery
To the Loner at High Altitude, Tres Cruces, Peru	p. 41
To the First Responder After the Storm, New Orleans, Louisiana	p. 44
To the Boy Who Climbed onto My Hammock, Mazunte, Mexico	p. 49
To the Man I Believe Was Good, Palermo, Italy	p. 52
To the Man Who Saw Cobras Dance, Auroville, India	p. 55
To the Woman Who Wanted to Go Shoe Shopping, Xi'an, China	p. 59
To the Chatty Man Who Pierced the Quiet, Canaan, New Hampshire	p. 63
To the Boo Radley of My Childhood, Sydney, Australia	p. 66
To the Grandfather I Hardly Knew, Sicily Italy	p. 71
To My Grandmother, c/o the Mush Hole, Tit Kanatáhere	p. 75
Chemistry
To the Girl at the Riverbend, Baker River, New Hampshire	p. 81
To the Stranger in My Family, Bethesda, Maryland	p. 85
To the Man Who Spoke with His Hands, South China Sea	p. 89
To the Taxi Driver Who Looped Back to Get Me, Paris, France	p. 94
To the Woman Whose Shoulder I Slept On, New York City to Boston	p. 98
To the Source Who Kept Changing Costume, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia	p. 103
To the Father of the Baby with the Brain Freeze, Tucson, Arizona	p. 109
To the Inescapable Teacher, Parakou, Benin	p. 113
To the Gambler I Met in Jury Duty, Chinatown, New York City	p. 118
To the Stranger from the Silver Hour, Rocamadour, France	p. 123
Gratitude
To the Pharmacist on Futong West Street, Beijing, China	p. 133
To the Woman Who Spared Me an Orange, Oaxaca, Mexico	p. 136
To the Driver I Followed, Interstate 40, North Carolina	p. 139
To the Man Who Sold Me Shoddy Film, Harar, Ethiopia	p. 142
To Sandals Man, An airport terminal, Central China	p. 145
To the Driver Who Was Not Godfrey, Kampala, Uganda	p. 149
To the Waiter Who Left Me a Tip, Beyoglu District, Istanbul Turkey	p. 155
To the Doctor I Never Thanked, Tarrytown, New York	p. 160
To the Woman Who Walked Beside Me, Yonkers, New York	p. 165
To the Drunk Mr. Flunchy, Avignon, France	p. 169
Wonder
To the Seller of Breadcrumbs, Buenos Aires, Argentina	p. 177
To the Woman on the Park Bench, Central Park, New York City	p. 181
To My Steadfast Danish Soldier, Copenhagen, Denmark	p. 185
To the Young German Horsewoman, Chosen to Help with Réttir, Óbyggdasetur Íslands, Iceland	p. 189
To the Lady of the Platform, New York, New York	p. 193
To the Italian Whose Name I Lost, Florence, Italy	p. 197
To the Traveler Who Hid Cash in Her Underwear, Rwanda-Tanzania border	p. 202
To the Lady of the Blackberries, Happy Camp, California	p. 205
Remorse
To the Logari Who Asked About the Sun, Logar Province, Afghanistan	p. 213
To the Roomful of Travelers Watching Reality TV, La Paz, Bolivia	p. 217
To Mario, 26-Year-Old Bestie to My 78-Year-Old Mom, Sunnyside, Washington	p. 222
To the Son of the Victim, Santa Rosa, California	p. 227
To the Woman with the Restraining Order, Hoodsport, Washington	p. 232
To the Woman We Met Before the Flood, Pai, Thailand	p. 237
To the Servant Girl Who Shared My Toys, Karachi, Pakistan	p. 242
To the Keeper of the Fawn, Chisago City, Minnesota	p. 245
To the Woman Harboring a Gringo, San Isidro del General, Costa Rica	p. 249
Farewell
To the Poet Who Disappeared, Okinawa, Japan	p. 255
To the Woman in the Earrings, Provincetown, Massachusetts	p. 258
To the Protagonist of a Too-Short Story, US Route If, New York	p. 262
To the Follower of Cheikh Bamba, Dakar, Senegal	p. 265
To the Father of the Lost Chilean Son, Chilean base, Antarctica	p. 269
To the Man Who Had a Wife, Coshocton, Ohio	p. 274
To the One Who Was Supposed to Get Away, Ko Pha Kgan, Thailand	p. 278
To the Stranger My Doctor Heard All About, Portland, Oregon	p. 281
To the Deliveryman Who Gave Me a Lift, Caracas, Venezuela	p. 285
To the Girl I Didn't Love on the Last Bus Home, Guanacaste, Costa Rica	p. 288
Acknowledgments	p. 293
About the Contributors	p. 297

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (4)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Kirkus Review

Booklist Review

Library Journal Review

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