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Dear Sedaris,
What made you start writing, was there a sense of self you got when writing. I feel that’s what inspires me to write, to find myself, my own truth as I feel you have. You hold nothing back and touch on personal subjects with such ease it astonishes me. The bravery it must take knowing your book will be scanned thoroughly by many eyes and some of which can’t connect or just don’t like you. There is always a message in your writing but I feel it always stems back to being unapologetic, my only question is how did you handle the criticism, did it fuel hatred or something else? If it fosters hatred, who did you hate and for what reason. If something else what was that criticism fueling, more fire for your next book or perhaps notes to better your writing. Did you take every comment as a grain of sand or did you simply ignore the haters and focus on your own thoughts, did your ideas expand with criticism or did you just say fuck you and kept your own. You seem very true to yourself but I feel that for me at least I try to take something from everything. Anyways hope you’re having a good day.
Best regards,
Adrian Vasquez
Ps Shrooms or Acid?
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Dear Mr. Sedaris,
Recently I started reading your book, Lets explore Diabetes with Owls, and I am quite shocked. You seem like quite the sad and rude man. I don’t understand the way you write things in such negative ways. They say you’re being funny, but I just find you offensive. Do you make fun of others to make yourself feel better? It almost seems like you act a lot like how you describe your father. Your father often discouraged you whenever you did something positive, and now that you don’t have children of your own it appears that you have a very similar thought process in making others feel poorly. Is there a reason you like to profit off the misfortune of others? The essays that are more about you and have less of a focus on others I find quite enjoyable. Although I don’t find you very funny, I do think you are a great writer. I love the way you write, it almost feels like we’re in your head.
Why do you write some chapters in such controversial manners? Do you do this because you believe the things you’re saying, are you making fun of the opposite ideals, or are you just trying to make a point? If so what point are you trying to make? When you refer to your childhood, it seems sad and almost neglectful, but you also acknowledge the privilege you have, was treatment like that just a sign of the times, or was your family actually struggling.
I love that you get to travel, and I really appreciate your initiative to learn the language a little bit before arriving. Traveling is one of my biggest goals in life and you have mentioned a few of my dream destinations such as Australia. What was it like while you were there? Were the people friendly? Did you see a lot of wildlife? Was it as urbanized as the US? You have mentioned that you travel often for work, but you’re a writer so does that mean you are going places to share your books with people that speak different languages. Do you do more than things like book reading and signings.
Even though I don’t like some of the things you’re saying, you are still so captivating and interesting. Once I am finished, I would like to read more of your material. You are a gifted writer and I can only dream of having as many enriching experiences as a man like you.
Sincerely, Nianna Valle
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Dear Mr. Sedaris,
I have just recently started reading your book, Lets Explore Diabetes with Owls, and I would like to say that I am very intrigued in your book. I myself and not a big writer, but when I came across your book I quickly fell in love with it. Don’t get me wrong there are some essays that through me off, but I like it, it keeps me on my toes. Your writing is very engaging and makes me feel like I am in the moment and I can close my eyes and see what is happening. You are a truthful, emotional, and mindful writer who can through a curve ball through an essay. When reading your book I can see where you want your readers to know what you are thinking and feeling, even if they might feel a different emotion completely different from yours. I have a few questions for your Mr. Sedaris, what is your favorite essay, why? When you think of yourself what do you see as your greatest writing strength being? What point do you try to get across in your essay’s and books? Are they all different? I hope to hear back from you sometime in the future before I believe you answering these questions will extend my writing techniques. I myself really enjoy journaling, and now use you as a role model to my journal.
Thank you for your time!
Sincerely,
Shantel Shaw
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Dear sir,
I hope this letter finds you in good health, and in a prosperous enough position to put wealth in the pockets of people like me, down on their luck, you see it I deserve it more than some old man fuck. Anyways, how are you? What’s it like to grow up in a changing society that now seems to tolerate us? Do you think that other people understand your sense of humor? Do you think straight people understand that us gays tend to create different personalities from our own to simply exist in a predominately straight society? I’ll tell you this my good man, I get it. The cruel and twisted sense of humor isn’t enjoyed or understood by others. To me, making fun of everyone and everything is the best strategy to getting through this thing we call life. I always struggle to write my thoughts down freely. I don’t know if school engraved the proper ideals of what writing is supposed to be, or if I’m easily distracted. Nonetheless, I admire you persistent to even write your stories from a distance. My last few questions to you sir: why do you write like you’re running out of time? Constantly, consistently putting words on a page; does that ever fill you with rage? For me, writing can be frustrating, especially when the people reading my work don’t understand. It seems to me that you write down all your experiences, which I admire. I also admire your travelling and willingness to learn the language of the country you’re visiting. That alone tells me you don’t truly hate the world; the tone you used in your owl book suggests a different and humorous perspective. Some folks will say you’re angry at the world, but would someone that hates the world willingly travel across it and make efforts to learn and understand their cultures? To conclude, I understand what it feels like to have people not “get” it. I get it though. I appreciate you living your life proudly as a gay man rather than hiding it. Thanks for that; we need more people to live out loud. My advice to you is to never tone down your work, but simply you should check your audiences to see if they understand what you’re putting down, my guy. I’ll end with my favorite quote from Kinky Boots the musical: “Just be, Who you want to be, Never let them tell you who you ought to be.” Thanks for your time, and I hope you have a great day/night whenever you read this. Also, I live in good old California, so if you ever wanna share a joint I’m always carrying.
Grateful,
Dominic Costantino
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Dear Mr. Sedaris,
During my English 1A class our teacher has introduced us to your work and I cannot express enough how nice of a change it is to read such a raw flavor of writing. Conventionally your book “Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls” breaks so called rules that you aren’t supposed to usually stray away from unless it is truly abstract writing. I’m glad I’ve found this middle ground of personal experience and total fantasy to thoroughly gauge your personality. Moving into a more PC I have to come to appreciate your style as it is not outrageously offensive for no reason but rather to make someone laugh in hopes it may make their day a bit better. I also have a couple questions about your style such as, what do you think your biggest influence of your writing style came from? For myself it comes from my peers and family during a time where a mask is considered essential for walking into a store. Before your book I had never really read anything like it and was quite surprised once I really got into it, no particular order more just a collection of stories. I was always taught that if you want to write material like that then you have to do it a very specific way so the breath of fresh air is much appreciated. One last question I have for you is, what makes you get up every morning? Some days I find it tempting just to lay around all day and have no motivation especially when my luck is particularly shitty. I don’t want to drag this out too long and would prefer to keep it concise. Thank you for your time.
Yours Truly,
Aiden Seifert
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Dear Mr. Sedaris,
I hope my letter reaches you well and in good health. Im writing you this letter to tell you my experience with your novel and how i feel about it as a whole. I started reading your book Diabetes with Owls for my English class and I must say i was surprised by what i read. I expected another boring English book where I was forced to find symbolism in stories that honestly had no real symbolism to begin with. However what i got was something else entirely. Instead i got an abrasive first hand account of what your life is like and what has happened to you in a way which i can only describe as deadpan humor. Your book diabetes with owls in a perfect example of dead pan humor. You’re not trying to be light hearted or appeal to a demographic you’re just telling your story and mixing in some light hearted short stories to break up the somber and dry humor which i can appreciate however i feel it breaks from the overarching feel of the novel and leaves me feeling confused as to what kind of humor you’re going for. To conclude you’ve written an interesting book that while it isn’t my blend of comedy or novel i can see the appeal in it.
Regards,
Daniel Bagley
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Dear Sedaris, I wonder what it would be like to live in your head just for a day, I wonder what kinds of things I would encounter. Would I have a different outlook on things like rape and murder? How is it that you can be so incognito yet expressive at the same time. I mean this in the nicest way possible, do you think before you write? By that I mean do you carefully review what you wrote and make adjustments to it, because it doesn’t sound right or might offend some people? Or do you just write the first thing that comes to mind? I notice you tend to change topics quite frequently. Is there a reason for that? Don’t get me wrong, I actually like your writing which for me is very rare. I find myself having to go back and reread certain parts because I feel as though I’ve missed something important. After analyzing the text I realized I didn’t miss anything; it was you Sedaris. You change topics and have no specific writing structure and that’s what makes you stand out from other authors. You really take us to your mind and make the stories feel like it’s ours as the readers. It’s admirable how you do it, really. I can tell just from your work that you are a very spontaneous person. You don’t follow the status quo and don’t care for being judged for it. You’re unapologetic and that’s what makes reading your book so interesting. Yes, my letter may be all over the place; but after
reading your work, I realize it doesn’t matter if writing doesn’t make sense. It’s all about writing what’s on your mind and not caring how people are going to view and or judge it. Now I must say. I enjoy the satire you have throughout each and every chapter. As fun as it is learning about your life and past experiences, I would love to see your skills in another way. Imagine you writing a script for a show or movie! I love shows like ‘American Dad’, ‘Family Guy’, and ‘Bob’s Burgers’. When I read this book I see the similarities in humor. In those shows a lot of the humor is very straightforward and sarcastic. I can see you truly embody those elements in your book. The real question is did they copy you or did you copy them? Just kidding I think we all know the answer to that one. I’m not much of a reader, but when it comes to your work I can’t help but want to read. Your writing has such an impact on so many people and that’s why you do it. You like pleasing readers and having someone that they can relate to. Yet, you don’t care about pleasing everybody. There’s a whole lot of layers to who you are Sedaris and I can’t wait to unravel some of them.
Thank you, Jake Silva
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Dear Mr. Sedaris,
Hi. How are you? I want to write to you to say thank you. I have struggled to find my voice in my life. Or rather, to be okay with the voice that I have. I have struggled to be okay with inserting my personal opinion into things, finding that I don’t take criticism well which causes me fear or apprehension. I have struggled because I find myself concerned with constantly being the most “woke” or politically correct that I can possibly be and afraid of any backlash or anger that I may receive for expressing something controversial or uneducated. Reading your work I have found a way to be okay with where I am at in my development. I am learning that there is growth, constant growth. An opinion that I express now or write down now may not be one that I agree with a year from now. Who I am today is not who I will be down the road and the only way for me to document that progress is to quite literally document it with my writing. Having the privilege of being able to go back and review where I have been in the past versus where I am present day is a gift to myself. I don’t often have a way to go back and reflect on who I have been. The closest I have to this is pictures and the memories they MAY trigger. However, reading your pieces has inspired me. Particularly the pieces where you’ve chronicled something controversial. I appreciate the growth I can see in those pieces, for example “Friend In the Ghetto”. You have opened my eyes to the benefits of candor and unapologetic honesty. Your writing has taught me that being unapologetic does not mean to be crude. It does not mean to be cruel or intentionally offensive, being honest can be compassionate and eloquent.
Since beginning this course I have found a renewed sense of appreciation for reading. Thanks to you. Never before have I been prompted (required) to read works from an artist who has put me through as many emotions as you have. Because of this, I have great admiration for you. For your work ethic. Journaling is hard for me, particularly when it comes to topics that cause me strong emotion. Unfortunately, due to my anxiety, I shut down as a coping mechanism when I am upset. I can’t imagine the ethic, or rather I can imagine, but have yet to experience how much effort it takes to write about the emotion rather than with it. There is so much emotional maturity within addressing past emotional immaturity. To be able to write about things that plagued you in the past, to process these things and to show that life can and will go on, it’s admirable. I love to see how your experiences shape you. How you can go through the crappy things in life, the emotionally scarring, and come out the other side still capable of finding joy. Even in the little things. It’s admirable, as I said, and comforting to know that life does not need to be perfect, flawless, unencumbered for it to bring you joy. Your honesty teaches a valuable lesson about processing your emotions and using those experiences as building blocks as opposed to excuses to give up on yourself. In today’s world we seem to romanticize the idea of happiness. We seem to push the narrative that in order to have happiness, things need to be picture perfect and come without obstacles. With social media we are primarily exposed to the good. We are exposed to the one second captured in this picture. Not the five minutes before or the five minutes after. We don’t see the personal growth or the lows that people go through in order to create those moments. We don’t see the challenges people repress and ignore in order to take that picture. “Life” is less real. Less honest. Thank you for inspiring honesty. Thank you for motivating me to write with honesty and to be okay with being who I am at this point in time. I may not be perfect, but the only way to know I’m growing is to know where I have been.
Warmest Regards,
Sarah Harrison
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