I was something of a letter-writer from a young age. At the age of 8, my family moved me 500 miles from my home town, which resulted in my paternal aunt (my age - more like close cousins in our childhood) and I entering into a long correspondence. When I was a teen-ager, I had lots of pen pals. In college, I checked my mailbox several times each day. In graduate school, my long distance lover (Lone Star Pa) and I wrote pretty constantly. My seasons as a letter-writer were many.
Motherhood and adult responsibilities soon put a serious dent in my value as a correspondent, but then came zines and Lone Star Ma Magazine. I got my first non-college P.O. Box for Lone Star Ma and have had it ever since. Being at the post office gives me a serious thrill, the same way being in a print shop does. (Office supply stores are also thrilling but not nearly at the same level.)
When I had a more flexible job and a less hectic family life, I used to check my P.O. Box all the time, at least a few times each week - no lie. Over the years, though, our tribe of zine mamas dwindled and Lone Star Ma first stopped and then went digital and I got very busy ... I started checking it a lot less often. Weeks would go by without my having checked it - sometimes months.
Two weeks ago, I went to check my box while mailing some packages and found that the lock had changed - it had been so long since I had checked it that I had missed the renewal notice! Fortunately, no one had gotten it yet, so after an unfortunate fee, I ended up with the same box and two shiny new keys.
If you mailed anything to my P.O. Box in January or February, I did not receive it, but please resume mailing now! I am hoping that everyone reading this post will also make sure they have read Issue Ten of Lone Star Ma and will write me lots of letters about it, either to the post office box or to submissions@LoneStarMa.com. What did you think of Issue Ten? I'll be checking my box again!
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