When is National Handwriting Day?

Monday January 23rd

On January 23rd, National Handwriting Day encourages us to put pen to paper and write out our thoughts. It is a chance for all to re-explore handwriting's purity and strength, according to the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association..

Click play and enjoy a story about National Handwriting Day starring our founder, Marlo Anderson. If you like the 2-minute show, make sure you're subscribed to your new podcast player.

Although technology enhances the writing process and makes communication more effective around the world, there's something to be said about writing longhand. The act of writing with pen and paper, whether it's a journal, notes, or even a letter to someone, is a supremely tactile and patient habit. If it does anything, it makes the body and the mind relax and resynchronize.

Take a look around.. When we text or email, we can text or email in mere seconds, letters, and words. Our voices are broadcast in real time by phones. Once sent or said, those words cannot be remembered. If sent or told, those words cannot be remembered.

In the meantime, writing longhand feels like taking a deep breath. Before the ink spills onto a white page, jumbled thoughts must be sorted... They must include and be worthy of the lines that will be used to fill it. It's an exercise in faith. And, yes, it does need patience.