About

Our Mission

The mission of Dearist is to help young people discover their voices and foster meaningful connection.

 

Mail is Magical at any Age

While letter writing can become a lifelong practice, we see it as an entry point for self-reflection, creative expression, and empathy. Dearist aims to cultivate these hard won “soft skills” by using writing as a tool for good in the world.

Our Story

Have you ever found something from your past that instantly transported you to another time? I came across a box of letters I had saved from when I was a child, and suddenly the world shifted. The handwriting, the soft torn edges of the envelopes, the tiny artifacts preserved inside, all as precious in my grown hands as they were when they first arrived in the mailbox years ago. There is something so satisfying about the provenance of letters - a genuine paper trail to the past.

One envelope gave me pause, from a flash of recognition in the way I used to write the J in my name. Unlike the other envelopes, this one contained a letter I had written, addressed to a friend of mine from third grade. At once, I remembered how this friend had moved away that year and no longer went to my school. In my letter, I told her that I missed her and thanked her for being my very good friend. The letter remained in that box, pending among those more timely postmarked, because I had been waiting on one critical thing that we often ran out of in our home - a stamp.

Rebecca W., wherever you are, I have a stamp now and need your new address.

We intuitively understand the benefits of writing letters. In the same way, we are deeply aware of the pitfalls of other modes of communication that our digital world has enabled. Rediscovering my childhood letters gave me the idea that, with a little help, my kids could come to find the magic of letter writing too. That's why I created Dearist, a book and stationery series for kids with everything needed to write (and mail) great letters.

I hope you'll join us in the fun.

 

Your friend,

Jennifer Yang

Founder

Jennifer Yang graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor's in English. She later returned to Duke for an MBA at The Fuqua School of Business.

The Dearist Companion: Trailer (2 min)