Dear Stranger is a recurring letter-exchange project that connects Oregonians through the mail to share experiences, beliefs, and ideas. Since 2014, almost 1,000 people have exchanged letters through the project. Everyone is invited to participate—whatever your age, your place of residence, or your circumstances, Dear Stranger wants to hear from you.

This year's Dear Stranger exchange has attracted more interest and participation than ever before—thanks, NPR!—so we've decided to keep it going. The deadline to send a letter is now July 31, and we've updated the prompt below. People who've already sent a letter this year are welcome to participate again.

Here’s how to participate:

Write a letter. Address it “Dear Stranger.” Fill a page or two, or more if you feel inspired. If you’d like, feel free to include a photo or a drawing or a recipe—anything that will fit in an envelope. You can write about anything you like. Here are a couple prompts to get you started:



In recent months, most people have seen their daily routines shift in at least small and often very large ways. How are your days different now than they were a year ago? Have changes in your routine affected how you see the place you live or how you relate to the people who live around you?



As summer starts, how are you seeing your communities seek safety, or justice, or other big goals? Where do these goals align or support each other, and where do they conflict? Are there ways your pursuit of safety or justice supports or hinders others’ pursuit of the same goals?

Print and sign the Dear Stranger release form. If you don't have access to a printer, please use this online form. We cannot exchange letters without a release.

Mail your letter and signed release form to Dear Stranger c/o Oregon Humanities, 921 SW Washington St., #150, Portland, Oregon 97205

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. Please keep in mind that photos, even ones without people in them, may contain information that could be used to identify you.

Dear Stranger is open to everyone, though writers under the age of eighteen must have parental consent to participate. (Click here to download the consent form.) Letters are paired at random, though we do our best to match participants with someone outside of their ZIP code. Oregon Humanities staff read all letters before they are exchanged.

Letters will be mailed to participants on a rolling basis beginning in March 2020. Letters will be mailed at the end of each month. We will continue exchanging letters received through July 31, 2020.

If you have questions about Dear Stranger, contact Ben Waterhouse at b.waterhouse@oregonhumanities.org or (503) 241-0543, ext. 122. Want to start a Dear Stranger exchange in your own state or community? Check out our how-to guide or watch our webinar.