From the Letters Editor: Meet the Regulars

BY THOMAS FEYE
Every day, hundreds of thousands of readers make their way
through The New York Times, in print or online. Hundreds of
them — outraged, amused or touched in some way — like to
write back and give us a piece of their mind.

Then there are those I call the Regulars. They write a lot —
some almost every day, some several times a day. Their letters
are especially clear and cogent, bettering their odds of being
selected for publication in the highly subjective winnowing
process.

There has been some media buzz of late about one of the Regulars: Felicia Nimue Ackerman, a
philosophy professor at Brown University, who has had more than 200 letters published in The
Times in the last 27 years, most recently on April 29. She has been the subject of an online profile
in The New Yorker, and I recently had a delightful conversation with her on NPR’s “On the Media”
program. But there are dozens of other Regulars.

Like many voracious readers of The Times, they are intelligent, engaged and, naturally, highly
opinionated. The secret to their success? Back in 2003 and 2004, when I wrote about how the
letters page works, I included this tip: “Timeliness is a must; brevity will improve your chances;
stylishness and wit will win my heart.” That’s still true, and the Regulars get that.

I thought I would bring some of the frequently published letter writers into the discussion, so I
asked them to address — preferably in 100 words or less, shorter than the typical letter we run —
one of these questions:

▪ What do you get out of writing so frequently?

&#9642 What are your main interests?
&#9642 What are your secrets to getting published?

Here, then, are voices of some of the Regulars:

To the Editor
What I get out of writing so frequently:

My office day starts about 7 a.m. with coffee and bagel from Starbucks and The New York Times. I
read the major stories, the editorials and the Op-Ed pieces carefully, and decide what ticks me off
the most, and dash off a letter to the editor.

It is a very stimulating and cathartic experience to read, learn and share my thoughts (I hope) with
millions of your readers. Between the caffeine and The Times, and writing my letter, I am fully
pumped and invigorated and ready to start my day as an executive-search senior executive.

But really, I love seeing my name in print!

—HENRY A. LOWENSTEIN, New York

My letter writing begins in outrage against injustice, inequality and stupidity related to a wide
range of issues: war, gender, lack of universal health care, the shift of wealth and increasing
poverty, gun violence, the environment and just meanspiritedness.

 I sit down to write immediately and give myself 30 to 45 minutes. If I cannot articulate my
thoughts clearly in few words, I stop. I keep a copy of my letter and the article to which I responded
in a notebook titled “A Social Conscience,” and hope that my outrage is communicable.

—CAROL DELANEY, Providence, R.I.

The writer is emerita professor of cultural and social anthropology, Stanford University.

My main interests include these points:

Conventional wisdom holds that sick old people should bow out gracefully and inexpensively. I’d
like that to change before I become one.

Nonconformity isn’t pathological. (One of my letters says I am “grateful to have grown up where
nerdiness was a respectable way of being, not a ‘syndrome.’ ”)

Whether adults pursue health or pleasure should be up to them. I have a dream that I will one day
live in a nation where people will be judged not by the size of their waistline but by the content of
their character.

—FELICIA NIMUE ACKERMAN, Providence, R.I.

The writer is a philosophy professor at Brown University.

Because I lost most of my eyesight in Vietnam, my main letter-writing interest is about war and
veterans. My first published letter (Jan. 8, 2004) was about a soldier blinded in Iraq; the article
suggested that he was going to get quality V.A. support at home. (My response to this rosy
prognosis, based on my long battle to get help when I got home, was, in effect, Good luck.)

My interest has been to share my hard-won experience with other readers and effect positive
change.

—BRUCE W. RIDER, Grapevine, Tex.

As a seven-day subscriber, I read The New York Times religiously and respond when moved to do
so with letters to the editor, especially regarding equal opportunity and fairness to all Americans.

In writing a letter, I try first of all to have the editor say to himself or herself, “I never thought of it
like that.” This stems from the practical, philosophical folk wisdom I heard during my rural
Arkansas childhood, such as:

The optimist sees the doughnut; the pessimist sees the hole,
But the hungry man, observing, simply wants to eat the roll.

—DAVID L. EVANS, Cambridge, Mass.

The secret to getting published in The Times is to conform to the paper’s double standard. Letters
that explicitly malign the intelligence or motivations of the left are not allowed, while letters calling
the right stupid, greedy and so on are commonly printed.

—MARK R. GODBURN, North Canaan, Conn.

The writer is a seller of antiquarian books.

When I was a kid, if someone in our family started ranting, my dad would tease, “Write a letter to
the editor!” Dad died when I was 25, and I’ve been writing letters ever since. The first was about
cats, but I’ve opined about soda and obesity, tweens and porn, kindness, language learning, Dave
Barry, W. Somerset Maugham, Amsterdam, Andalusia and the death of President Kennedy.






Secrets? Hmmm. I keep letters short and pithy, I revise and read aloud before I press “Send,” and,
when relevant, I begin with the intriguing and accurate phrase: “As an advice columnist …”

—CAROL WESTON, New York

The writer is an author … and an advice columnist.

Dear Tom Feyer:

When I saw your email my heart started beating so rapidly I was glad I was sitting down! How
exciting to be included in this “all-star” category as I approach age 77. Writing my letters makes me
feel good expressing my thoughts, and if a letter gets published, well, that’s a bonus. I love the
positive responses I get from friends and sometimes strangers.

In between volunteering and hunting for treasures at tag sales, I read books and The Times, and
write my letters. What is my secret for getting published? I have no idea. You tell me!

—RUTH L. KRUGMAN, Avon, Conn.

What do I get out of writing so frequently?

Apart from the brief moment in the sun when a letter is published and apart from quietly
representing the minority conservative view, what I love is the craftsmanship of letter-writing.

I feel as if I am fashioning something out of a raw material and then working with it until I like it;
until it reads well. It is a tiny, modest creation. It is also a puzzle to be solved. I change words, move
sentences around, until the letter clicks into place, and, like a musical chord, it is finally in tune.
I’m sure that many write their letters quickly and deftly. I wish I were that skilled; I have to spend a
lot of time on mine. I never send a letter I’m not satisfied with. If it then meets with your
department’s approval, it must be worth reading.

I think of the letters page as a palette of vivid colors. You want strong opinions, but elegantly put
and always in a civilized tone.

In an era when anger and ugliness sell so well, I give you credit for insisting on graciousness.

—MARGARET McGIRR, Greenwich, Conn.

After replying to your challenge yesterday with a brief response, I thought to myself that I could be
even more brief than that. So I composed a haiku to amuse you:

ideas floating by …
words swimming around … what to
do … write a letter

—GAIL MINTHORN, Wilton, Conn.

The writer is a retired teacher.

What do I get out of writing so frequently?

Having a letter published in The Times is like thinking of something clever to say at a good dinner
party, and actually being listened to. I also believe that a letter printed in The Times is worth a
hundred letters sent to my political representatives.








 What are my secrets to getting published?

It is essential to be rational and civil. Brevity and clarity matter. Get your facts right. Cleverness,
humor and irony all count. All this amounts to nothing, however, if you don’t speak your mind. And
take the advice of this chronic letter writer: get used to the idea that some of your best stuff just
won’t get printed.

What are my main interests?

I am interested in everything; that’s why I read The Times. The letters I have had published range
from Archimedes to WikiLeaks. I am still working on X, Y and Z.

—RICHARD POETON, Bennington, Vt.

The writer is a retired scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency.

Question: What do you get out of writing so frequently?

Answer: Insomnia.

—ROBERT S. NUSSBAUM, Fort Lee, N.J.

The writer is a lawyer.

Useful Language for Letters to the Editor

Introduction

We start our letter with Dear Sir/Madam,

In the rst paragraph, we present our reason for writing and our opinion about the
topic.

I am writing to …

◦ draw your attention to...

◦ bring ... to your attention or my capacity as...

◦ support for...

◦ protest about...

I am writing with regard to your …(recent review of the…)

I feel I have to express my consent/disagreement with…

Main Body

In the second and third paragraphs, we present our arguments/the problems, together
with consequences/suggestions/results, in separate paragraphs.

I (We) am (are) totally opposed to…

It worries me (us) that…

Although … I (We) still believe …

To state your opinion:

In my opinion/view, I feel/believe/think, It seems to me that, I tend to think that I am

totally opposed to/in favour of, It is my rm belief/opinion/conviction that, I am convinced
that

fi

fi



 To express cause:

because /owing to the fact that/ due to the fact that/In view of/ B reason/Seeing that

To express e ect:

thus, / therefore, / so / consequently, / as a result, / as a consequence

Conclusion

In the last paragraph we summarise our opinion or write it again using di erent words.

I (We) would be grateful if you could …

Thank you in anticipation for …

I (We) would appreciate if you …

I look forward to hearing from you.

I hope you will give this matter your urgent consideration/attention I hope (that) you
will give this matter careful/further consideration.

We end with Yours faithfully, and our full name.

SOME MORE USEFUL PHRASES

Letters objecting to someone’s plans

I am writing to express my concern /disappointment / alarm at hearing …

I was extremely alarmed/sorry/distressed to hear about your plans to …

As I think you know, …

May I point out that …

I feel I really must object to …

I am extremely concerned at the thought that …

It must be very clear that …

If these proposals go ahead, … will happen.

Another threat to … , if these proposals go ahead, would come from …

I dread to imagine what damage this will cause.

May I respectfully suggest that you …

I was wondering if you had considered this alternative?

Would it not be possible to … ?

ff

ff
Letters of complaint

I am writing to complain about …

I am writing to tell you how disappointed/annoyed I feel about …

I was amazed/distressed/horrified to find that …

As you must realise, …

I am sure you know that …

I am sure you can imagine …

I am sure you will appreciate that …

It goes without saying that …

At the very least, I look forward to receiving …

Unless you … , I am afraid that I will have to take this matter further.

Letters of recommendation

I am writing to you on behalf of …

I have known X for … years.

She / He has shown herself/himself to be extremely …

X would seem to fit the requirements of this job perfectly.

I have no hesitation in recommending X as a …

Letters to the editor

I am writing about the article on … , which appeared (in last night’s paper).

I am writing with reference to the article you published (in last month’s issue).

I have just read your article on … and I feel I must …

You raised some issues which I feel strongly about.

At the start of your article, you appear to claim that …

I am afraid I totally disagree.

I am completely in agreement.

I am sure readers will agree with me when I say that …