Dear You – Letters to Lost Friends is a compilation zine created by Janell Hoong. I’ve been reading and writing zines for about 5 years now and never has a zine took ahold of my heart in such a way. Janell describes this zine perfectly. She says that “whenever (she) watch(es) a sad film, the parts that hit (her) the hardest are when the protagonists voice-over letters to loved ones.” Dear You is targeted at lost friends and the lonely correspondance between lost friends. There is hope, a good amount of heartbreak, death, nostalgia and other emotions too complex for words. Whenever I read a letter I try to imagine the person writing that particular letter: who he or she is, what they like or don’t like, etc. It seems like Dear You achieves in representing a vast variety of voices: a friend, a lover, an activist, a daughter, and more. Despite the variety of voices, I am almost always able to identify myself with each letter. It’s interesting to read a collection of letters with so much raw honesty. For example, B writes “It all makes me sad, but then, I was always a sad person. And ultimately, that may be the very reason that you’re gone.” Although letters are usually two way communication channels, Dear You shows us that letters can be powerful ways of interpersonal communication and reflection.

If you’d like to learn more or order Dear You, visit www.janell.tk.