Basking Ridge Library Revives Letter Writing With National Pen Pal Program

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Bernards Township Library is inviting residents to slow down and send a handwritten note through the Library-to-Library Pen Pal Club, a national exchange that pairs participants with pen pals at other libraries.

The self-directed program is organized by the Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library in Edenton, North Carolina.

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Bernards Township Library said the exchange now includes more than 115 libraries across the country, and 64 community members from Bernards Township have participated so far.

Participants are matched with age-appropriate pen pals at other participating libraries and correspond by handwritten letter.

The program is open to all ages, including families, seniors and other residents who want to connect with someone new across the country.

The library said privacy is built into the process.

Only a first name and last initial are shared, and letters are sent from Bernards Township Library to the pen pal's library, not to a home address. The library said participants' home addresses remain private.

"The Pen Pal Club is a beautiful example of what libraries do best; connecting people and building community," said Rachel Burt, Director of Bernards Township Library. ""We're thrilled that so many of our patrons have jumped at the chance to pick up a pen and make a new friend."

The library tied the program's timing to renewed interest in letter writing.

According to the announcement, Virginia Evans' debut novel The Correspondent, an epistolary novel told through letters and emails, has drawn national attention since its publication in April 2025.

The announcement said the book reached the top of the New York Times Fiction Best Seller List earlier this year and has since been announced as a film adaptation starring Jane Fonda.

People interested in joining the pen pal program can sign up at BernardsLibrary.org or stop by the library. Bernards Township Library is located at 32 South Maple Avenue in Basking Ridge.

More information is available by calling 908-204-3031 or visiting the library's website.

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