PODCAST

1 Sealed Letter

Kay Collier (Kathryn Hastings & Co)

The legacy of letter writing and how to bring this beautiful art form into the 21st century

history

All Episodes

01:03:41

A New Lease on Life: Dostoevsky’s Letter from the...

1 Sealed Letter ·

2025/10/15

In this episode of One Sealed Letter, we travel back to December 22, 1849, when the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky stood blindfolded before a firing squad. Moments before the command to fire, a messenger arrived with a pardon from Tsar Nicholas I. What followed was one of the most extraordinary letters ever written: a missive to his brother Mikhail, written just hours after Dostoevsky believed he was about to die.We’ll explore the backstory of his arrest and mock execution, then read the full

00:50:39

God Save Benedict Arnold with Jack Kelly

1 Sealed Letter ·

2025/10/01

Jack Kelly is an award-winning author and historian. In his newest book God Save Benedict Arnold: The True Story of America’s Most Hated Man, Jack offers a fresh exploration of Arnold’s paradoxical career, shedding new light on this gutsy yet enigmatic figure. In this podcast episode, Jack delves into the life and personal letters of Revolutionary War general Benedict Arnold, examining what they reveal about Arnold’s character and legacy nearly 250 years later.⸻Learn More about Jack Kelly • Website:

00:40:37

Felice Cohen: A Love Letter to Letters

1 Sealed Letter ·

2025/09/17

In this episode, I sit down with Felice Cohen, an author and professional organizer whose lifelong love of letter writing has become her newest creative frontier. Felice is in the midst of a yearlong experiment of handwriting one letter every day, which she shares in her Substack, A Love Letter to Letters: https://felicecohen.substack.com. With more than 1,000 saved letters from her own life, she is also crafting an “epistolary memoir” that weaves together correspondence with reflections on

00:23:59

Denis Diderot’s Leap into Love & Freedom

1 Sealed Letter ·

2025/09/03

In 1743, Denis Diderot, later famed as a co-founder of the Encyclopédie, risked everything for love. After being imprisoned in a monastery by his father to prevent an “unsuitable” marriage, Diderot escaped through a window, trudged miles through rain to Paris, and wrote a desperate letter to his beloved, Anne-Antoinette Champion. In it, he confessed that his “life or death depends on [her] welcome.”This episode reads Diderot’s letter in full (in English translation) and explores the circumstances of

01:06:21

Balloonomania: Benjamin Franklin’s Letters from...

1 Sealed Letter ·

2025/08/27

In this episode of One Sealed Letter, we take to the skies with Benjamin Franklin as he witnesses the first balloon flights of 1783. From the gardens of Versailles to the Champs de Mars in Paris, Franklin recorded these marvels in letters to his friend Sir Joseph Banks, president of the Royal Society.Franklin’s accounts blend diplomacy, science, and wonder. He details how balloons were constructed, the astonishment of crowds, and even his own anxiety for the first men to rise into the air. Along the

00:33:35

Georgia O’Keeffe’s Early Letters: Becoming an Artist...

1 Sealed Letter ·

2025/08/20

Georgia O’Keeffe’s early letters to Alfred Stieglitz (1916–1917) reveal her fierce independence, her longing for solitude, and her refusal to conform. In this episode of One Sealed Letter, we explore how her words illuminate the artist’s path – and why, as I step into life as a full-time artist myself, her voice feels like the perfect guide.References: • Sarah Greenough and Nicholas Cullinan, My Faraway One: Selected Letters of Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz, Volume One, 1915–1933 (Yale

00:36:29

Gratitude in the Darkness: The Letters of Helen Keller

1 Sealed Letter ·

2025/08/07

What does it mean to focus on what you have, even when so much has been taken from you?In this episode of One Sealed Letter, we step into the world of Helen Keller through her personal letters, read aloud in full. From her joyful discovery of language as a child to her awe at Niagara Falls and the World’s Fair, to her reflections as a young woman on love, purpose, and what truly matters, Helen’s voice radiates presence, wonder, and grace.Through these letters, we explore: • The beauty of small,

00:27:24

This Way In: The Love Letter That Became a Gallery

1 Sealed Letter ·

2025/07/30

In 1913, American cartoonist Alfred Joseph Frueh sent his fiancée, Giuliette Fanciulli, a letter unlike any other. With a few careful cuts and folds, it transformed into a miniature art gallery—complete with tiny framed artworks, a paper doorway labeled “This Way In”, and a humorous sign that read, “Leave your hats and umbrellas at home. I ain’t got time to check them.”See his letter here: https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/items/detail/alfred-joseph-frueh-to-giuliette-fanciulli-1915In this episode,

00:49:27

A Letter Always Feels Like Immortality: Emily...

1 Sealed Letter ·

2025/07/22

In this episode, we step into the luminous world of Emily Dickinson through one of her most poignant letters, written in June 1869 to her longtime mentor and correspondent, Thomas Wentworth Higginson.We discuss the letter’s context in 19th-century literary culture, Dickinson’s ambivalence toward public life, and her remarkable ability to express truth with clarity, mystery, and grace. This episode is for anyone who has ever trusted a letter more than a conversation, or who has felt the quiet power

00:34:31

Kindred Spirits: The Letters of Bessie Rayner Parkes...

1 Sealed Letter ·

2025/07/16

In this episode of One Sealed Letter, we travel to 1850s Britain to explore the powerful friendship between Bessie Rayner Parkes and Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon. Through their handwritten letters, we witness how two young women, both artists, both reformers, supported each other’s dreams and sparked some of the earliest organized campaigns for women’s rights. You’ll hear a full reading of a heartfelt letter from Bessie to Barbara, along with direct quotes from their surviving correspondence. We

00:25:26

The Future of Wax Seals: Art, Ritual, and a Living...

1 Sealed Letter ·

2025/07/09

In this companion to last week’s episode on the future of letter writing, artist and host Kathryn Hastings turns her attention to the luminous world of wax seals—objects that bridge the sacred and the everyday. From their ancient origins in Mesopotamia to their elevation as fine art in our time, Kathryn explores how wax seals have evolved from tools of authentication to talismans of beauty, symbolism, and personal ritual.This episode traces the trajectory of seals across history while imagining a

00:35:27

Ep. 100 🎉 — The Future of Letter Writing: Depth in an...

1 Sealed Letter ·

2025/07/02

We’ve reached 100 episodes of One Sealed Letter, and rather than looking back, I’m looking ahead—to the future of letter writing.In this special milestone episode, I explore why letter writing matters now more than ever: as a ritual of leisure, an act of emotional courage, and a refuge in a world that rarely pauses. I share my vision for what’s ahead—from reclaiming our inner wilderness to transforming the inbox into a sanctuary of beauty.In the second half, I answer listener questions on everything

00:18:56

Audrey Hepburn in her own words

1 Sealed Letter ·

2025/06/18

In this episode of One Sealed Letter, Kathryn Hastings reads from four deeply personal letters written by Audrey Hepburn—offering a rare glimpse into the woman behind the legend. Spanning from her early days in Monte Carlo to her reflections as a mother and collaborator, these letters reveal Audrey’s generosity, humor, vulnerability, and artistic insight.Alongside the readings, Kathryn explores the relationships that shaped Audrey’s life—mentors, lovers, friends—and reflects on how letter writing

00:43:57

Steal Away to Freedom: The Letters and Legacy of...

1 Sealed Letter ·

2025/06/04

In this episode of One Sealed Letter, we trace the extraordinary life of Robert Smalls through three of his letters—each one a window into a different chapter of his transformation from enslaved pilot to Civil War hero to U.S. Congressman.We begin with his 1862 public letter, written just months after he commandeered a Confederate warship and delivered his family—and his crewmates—to freedom. In it, he rebukes false rumors and asserts his unwavering commitment to the Union cause and the fight to end

00:29:47

🐑🥫✍️🧩💌: Rebus Letters History and Guide

1 Sealed Letter ·

2025/05/28

In this delightfully puzzling episode, I dive into the whimsical, artful world of rebus letters—those clever messages made from pictures and symbols rather than words. From ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs to 18th-century valentines, rebuses have long offered a way to say something meaningful without spelling it out. You’ll hear stories of love notes disguised as riddles, flirtations hidden in etchings, and how rebuses helped children (and adults) learn to read. Plus, I’ll share tips on how to write

00:32:32

A Princess in Her Own Words: Diana’s Letters, Revealed

1 Sealed Letter ·

2025/05/21

In this special episode of One Sealed Letter, we step into the private world of Princess Diana through the letters she wrote to friends, strangers, and loved ones. Read aloud in full and placed in historical context, these intimate notes reveal Diana’s deep compassion, fierce vulnerability, and remarkable grace under pressure. From the turmoil of her divorce to the tenderness of her final summer, each letter offers a glimpse of the woman behind the public persona.This episode is both a tribute and

00:30:19

The Ritual Effect: How Meaning Is Made, with Dr....

1 Sealed Letter ·

2025/05/07

What transforms an everyday action into something sacred? In this episode of 1 Sealed Letter, I’m joined by Dr. Michael Norton—Harvard Business School professor and author of The Ritual Effect—for a fascinating conversation on how rituals shape our emotions, relationships, and sense of meaning.We explore the subtle yet powerful differences between habits and rituals, the psychology behind why effort increases value, and how letter writing—with its deliberate slowness, candlelit wax, and quiet

00:26:53

Return to Sender: Rethinking happy mail

1 Sealed Letter ·

2025/04/30

In this episode, I unravel the deeper questions behind “happy mail”—from consumerism and toxic positivity to the quiet devaluation of women’s creative work. What happens when joy becomes performative, or art is dismissed as trivial? A thoughtful look at the materials we use, the messages we send, and the meaning we assign to what seems small.

00:49:22

Finding Your Creative Voice with Cat London

1 Sealed Letter ·

2025/04/23

Cat London’s creative life defies categories—and that’s exactly why this conversation is such a joy. In this episode, we explore how humor, music, poetry, and handwritten letters all point to something deeper: the courage to create without apology.From the influence of her grandmother’s nurturing letters to her reflections on improvisation and self-expression, Cat shares how she navigates the world as an artist who refuses to be boxed in. Together, we reflect on the beauty of imperfection, the gift

00:25:03

Mental Telegraphy & the Energetics of Letter Writing

1 Sealed Letter ·

2025/04/09

Inspired by Mark Twain’s 1891 Harper’s article and a modern podcast on telepathy, we dive into the unseen, deeply felt connections that exist between people—those uncanny moments when a letter crosses paths with one written by the very person you were thinking of. Have you ever thought of someone just before they called or texted? Or felt the urge to write, only to discover they were doing the same?We’ll also explore a guided energetic practice I use before writing letters—something that draws on my

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