OUR TEAM
Hannah K. Brencher began writing love letters to strangers on the New York City 4 train in October 2010. After becoming mildly obsessed with planting love letters all over the city, she extended the offer of love letters out into the world wide web and began writing love letters to people she will probably never meet. After spending nearly one year writing 400 love letters to strangers, More Love Letters was born.
One year since launching More Love Letters, Hannah pours her heart into speaking around the country about the More Love Letters’ story and the impact of digital communications on rising generations. She was recently named the 2013 winner for the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation and became an official TED Speaker in November 2012. You can watch her TED talk here.
Inquiries for press, speaking, interviews, and opportunities can be sent to hannah@moreloveletters.com. For more information on booking Hannah, please visit here.
Becky was born with writing in her blood, so when she connected with Hannah and had the opportunity to be a part of the Love Letter community she jumped at the chance! She’s been with More Love Letters since the beginning and nothing makes her happier than explaining the mission of it to someone who’s experiencing it for the first time. A corporate America worker by day and a blogger and writer by night, she loves list and lives for life’s little moments; she finds inspiration for love letters in everything from blogs and conversations with friends, to nature’s beauty and Gilmore Girls. Find her blogging here.
Danielle began her journey with The World Needs More Love Letters as the social media intern in May 2012. Too good at dominating the social steams to stay an intern– She joined the team permanently in July 2012. A senior Communications major with minors in history and global studies at Marist, Danielle is no stranger to the social media + nonprofit scene. Danielle writes to all y’all, “I cannot wait to help expand our presence. I am looking forward to interacting with all of you, and please keep writing!”
Sara created her first book at the age of 6: an illustrated guide to the alphabet. Ever since, she’s been in love with putting pen to paper, and hoards empty journals like it’s her day job, planning to fill them with carefully crafted words. She’s also obsessed with adorable stationery, cute shoes, and anything arts & crafts. As a recent publishing graduate, Sara always has her nose stuck in a book and wants to impact the world through beautifully scripted stories and the power of reading. She blogs weekly here and tweets incessantly here.
After finding More Love Letters through a friend, Sara began leaving love letters around her hometown and college campus and found the experience exhilarating. While it was hard to write the first letter or two, she eventually found that the trick was to write the letter with the words she would most want to find.
Leonora, better known as Lee, is a recent graduate of Hofstra University, where she studied Sociology and Public Relations. Hailing from a suburb of Boston, she recently brought her childhood dream of living in New York City to life. She was lucky enough to meet Hannah in early 2010 at a conference for She’s the First, a nonprofit dedicated to female education in the developing world–one of their shared passions. With a true love for social good and the written word, she joined the More Love Letters team in August 2012 as a Campus Cursive Coordinator. In her spare time, you can find her exploring the nooks and crannies of Central Park, following her long-time favorite band Hanson on tour, or relaxing at her family’s Cape Cod beach house. You can find her tweeting her heart out here and keep up with her personal blog here.
In the 8th grade Taylor decided that it would be her job to help people any way she could think of. Potential jobs included a pediatrian, full-time nanny, teacher, and psychologist. As someone who always is there for others, Taylor began writing love letters after going to college with Hannah and finding the mission of More Love Letters to be inspiring and a great way to reach out to those who need extra support, but may not be receiving it. She received her Masters of Science in Counseling and Psychological Services with a concentration in Marriage and Family Therapy and works currently for a non-profit agency as a mental health clinician.
An avid reader, Taylor can see the impact that the written word has on others and offers her support to those who need it verbally, and written, anyway to get the point across that you are wanted, you are worth it, and you are loved.
To put it plainly: Nicole has a love affair with cards and stationery. It began at a young age when she would carefully select the stationary on which to script notes to her pen pals and has grown in her career at the largest greeting card company in the world. She lives and breathes cards from dawn till dusk, cherishing the unique art, the eloquent words and sentiment behind every sending situation. She believes in finding that perfect card, that perfect piece of stationary that will brighten someone’s day.
Yes, Nicole has a love affair with cards. And with love letters.
Leaving her first love letter on a lonely table in Starbucks was one of the most exhilarating moments in her life. The anticipation of knowing that someone, anyone, was going to pick up that little envelope with a curious air and read the words it contained. Her words. Inviting them to have a better day, to not give up on their dreams, to know that even a stranger cared about them. Love letters are a powerful, wonderful thing. Our world needs more of them.
Anita is taking on her first “big girl job” and plenty of your love letter requests. A 20-something with a massive bucket list to tackle, she loves the rewarding feeling that rises out of spreading joy through words and stationery. “I know how it feels to get a love letter in the mail, and I love being able to share that with people.” No amateur to matters of stationery, Anita dishes a few tips for anyone wanting to know where to start: “Write from the heart and let it flow! Target has affordable packs of cards with fun patterns and you can never go wrong with Etsy!” Intentional with her love letter writing, Anita hopes her letters will remind someone who needs to know that they are strong, courageous and capable of pushing their dreams into reality.
With a big heart and lofty hopes of changing the world, Natasha believes that her purpose is to believe and love. During her summer semester at school in 2011, she was sent to a blog that belonged to MLL’s founder, Hannah Brencher, as Hannah was reaching the 365 letter mark. A couple of months later, Natasha encountered a tweet about signing up to become a love letter writer and knew that she had to be a part of it.
Natasha is a newly elected president of her school’s literary society and working on the first book of a series. She also has taken up cooking again and enjoys it immensely. Underneath the studious facade as liberal arts student with hopes to major in Nutritional Sciences and minor in International Studies, Natasha is a huge mushball and Buffy geek, as well as overly peppy and an avid reader. Upon initially becoming a love letter writer, she adored leaving letters around her school but now, she wants to send them to anyone and everyone she can. She believes that if negativity can be spread through paper and pen to the internet, love can be spread even faster.
Joelle is no stranger to leaving anonymous notes so it is only fitting that she’d come join us on the Love Letters Team. She loves decorating cupcakes, creating ridiculous detective stories, and looking for beautiful paper at the Craft Warehouse. Joelle is just too good with her own words to not tell you the rest of her story: “In my letters, I usually write things that I wish someone would have written to me. That bit of inspiration I needed, or that seed of hope in a barren field—that’s what I want to give people who discover my words. When I write, I first write from the heart and just get out my initial thoughts. Then I go back and really think about the way I want to word sentences. Every person is worth a second draft. I want you to know that I take time for you, and I spend time thinking about what I say.” Find more of Joelle on her blog!
A lifelong dancer, blogger, cook and current grad student/gym rat, Marie joined the Love Letters team after meeting Hannah in college and finding the joy of making other people happy with her words. Receiving a love letter of her own from More Love Letters inspired her to hone her passion for writing to make a difference in someone else’s life. “When I got my letter, I cried. The fact that a total stranger could have so much love for me was incredible. I wanted to give that love to someone else.”
Bailey joins our team as a runner and a yogi; a latte drinker and a pseudo-vegetarian; a celebrator of things big and small; and a traveler. This recent communications and writing graduate from Ithaca College can now add love letter writer to the list. Bailey pours her words on paper because she finds incredible joy in spilling her heart out into something that people can physically hold on to and finds happiness in making others feel appreciated. At 22, she is spreading her love, light, smile, and words in Chiguayante, Chile as a volunteer English teacher. You can check out her adventures at postcardsfrommytwenties.tumblr.com.
As a Coffee-shop barista, graduate student, and avid community volunteer, Jen finds herself in a situation to inspire good moods daily. Whether it’s writing notes on coffee cups or sending letters to friends across the world, Jen has always had an itch for writing and uplifting. Stumbling over MoreLoveLetters, she found the perfect outlet to connect to others through positivity and creativity, and has been hooked on the mission ever since. Jen has been writing “good, old-fashioned letters” since she learned to write, and is keen on leaving notes that are aimed to create happiness wherever she can.
Jen believes that a good book, good friends, and a good cup of coffee (“or tea!”) can be a great remedy for a sore heart. “Whenever I felt the need to travel or learn something new, I’d open up a new book. Leave me in a bookstore with a good café and a pocket full of change, and watch me fly to the moon.” Read Jen’s love lettering adventures on her personal blog.
Heather writes from the heart and means what she says (or writes). She is an administrative assistant by day but jack of all trades by night. An avid belly dancer and musician, Heather finds time to pin love letters to those who need them most- YOU! She has been with the More Love Letter team since the beginning and couldn’t be happier. She’s a 20-something that may not know exactly what she wants out of life just yet, but she does know this: this was meant to be write love letters. “Write from the heart. It doesn’t take fancy stationary and awesome pens to get your love across. Just write from the heart.” She hopes that her letters touch others and inspire them to spread more love.
Rachel comes from a small town in Eastern Central Indiana. She grew up in the country around farms. Her favorite thing to do is hang out with her dad and his best friend while they are working on tractors in the barn. Rachel has always had a passion for writing and loves to write all the time.
Her goal is to make an impact on other people’s lives and she thinks this is a great way to do it.
Pam bleeds ink and has creativity is the very marrow in her bones. An independent letter writer since 2007, she can’t imagine life with out writing…especially to others. Coming across the More Love Letters team seemed fated because she could finally share her love of writing letters with others who held the passion as well. “Joining the movement makes my heart sing,” she says.
Pamela is a graphic design major and photography minor (realizing she couldn’t NOT major in something artistic for the rest of her life) and is currently a photography intern. She’s a fortune cookie reader, a star gazer, a poet, a lover of people, and an adventure seeker! ”Every person has a story to share. And everyone has an ear to listen…it’s amazing the things we can learn from each other in the depths of our utter humanness.” She hopes to be a lifelong letter writer, and she’s well on her way. Follow Pamela’s journey at her personal blog.
Erika heard about More Love Letters after Hannah spoke at her church in New Haven, CT. “I thought it was an amazing thing she was doing. My heart immediately felt attached to More Love Letters because of what it’s main goal is….to reach out to those hurting and show them some love; something that is so rare to see in this area of the world.” Erika adores writing, loves to show people love, and especially has an ache to reach out to those who are hurting and show them that they do matter in this world. ”What a wonderful way to show people this with writing letters….putting away the phone and text messages and actually writing a letter.”
Paige, born and raised in Southern California, comes writing her heart out from Iowa State University. An Animal Ecology major, she is taking on pre-veterinary medicine with plans to complete Veterinary School with the credentials to operate and treat any animal, no size to big or too small. “I’m desperate to make a difference, in any place or way I can. From doing the dirty work in the back of a dog grooming facility to rescuing and caring for vultures, owls, deer, and other creatures at the Wildlife Clinic, starting small was and is never an option for me.” She is also trained in contemporary dancing.
Career dreams and hobbies aside, Paige claims she is “just a frizzy haired, vegan and grain free girl with 2 loyal doggies, and lots of stationary and stamps. I love to pour my heart out on paper–something substantial–and know that some other soul might just, in some way, need what my heart has to say.”
Rachel Gaudette is a newer member of the working world after parting ways and diplomas with Emerson College in Boston, MA. There she studied Communication, Psychology, and the social anatomy of the hipster. Rachel enjoys art, feelings, and a good hug. The career title patiently awaiting her is that of an Expressive Arts Therapist. Until then, she spends her 9-5 working at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, weekends working at Paper Source – a stationery/craft store in the city, and all other hours of the night writing, creating, and blogging.
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Life took a turn for the lovely back in January 2012 when Tammy Tibbetts of She’s the First tweeted a shout-out to More Love Letters. Of all the social media clutter, those 140 characters sounded barbaric YAWPS in need of investigating and Rachel has been gratefully in love ever since. The reciprocal healing nature of love-letter-writing, anonymous or not, is what keeps Rachel’s heart strings tied to this organization – then, now, and for a long time to come.
