Postcrossing Blog

When I recently posted some mini-reviews, I talked about being blown away by Virginia Evans’ The Correspondent, so here is the promised post about that book! It’s an epistolary novel told entirely through letters from and to the protagonist, Sybil van Antwerp. She’s a retired woman who worked in law and now strictly structures her life around reading and her correspondence, and I really wasn’t sure in reading the blurb whether it’d actually be interesting for me: I thought it might be a bit too literary, or lacking in plot. Honestly, I picked it up mostly because I thought it’d be interesting for a review for Postcrossing! I wasn’t wrong about that, at least…

I’d also wondered how successful the epistolary format would be: apart from the preface and maybe one or two other sections, it’s entirely made up of letters (though some of them aren’t sent), which is also quite the feat. It can be hard to make a story run well through multiple different letters in a way that feels fairly natural but which the reader can follow, but Evans definitely nailed it.

The story doesn’t really have a plot as such, so I was right on that score, though there are a few themes and events that run through the letters. It’s definitely more of a character study, and the letters were the perfect way to show us Sybil’s character (and those of her family and friends)—flaws and all, because Sybil’s absolutely no saint, though she’s no devil either.

There were a couple of things I didn’t love, but they didn’t mar my enjoyment of the book: the main one was that it could be hard to tell whether the letters were directly responding to one another or whether there were gaps in between. They’re dated, and in the right sequence, but I realised after a bit that some of them were responding to letters that aren’t “included”. It makes sense as a decision to keep things a bit tighter and avoid padding it out, but it did feel like a bit of a leap between letters in terms of events or changing attitudes. It’s worth knowing going in that there are letters “missing” (so to speak, since of course, they aren’t real letters and the “missing” letters don’t actually exist), so you don’t always get the full story.

In the end, I absolutely tore through the book, and really enjoyed my time getting to understand Sybil and her circle through the letters. There are some hard-hitting themes (coming to terms with disability, family rifts, and the loss of a child) which it unfurls carefully, giving you a piece at a time and making sure it’ll land before you learn the truth about each bit of the story. Highly recommended!

For many postcrossers, the travel mode is a welcome change and a great way to pursue our hobby on vacation or while on business trips. Sending postcards from a new country with that country’s postcard ID is always exciting!

But there are some places in the world where you can send your cards in travel mode from two different countries at the same time! Frank (aka xmyrxn) visited a very special place and shares his experience:

"I spent my summer holidays in the Netherlands and made a day trip to the town of Baarle. Indeed Baarle is not just one town but literally two towns in one. So when you enter the city there are two signs displaying Baarle-Nassau (Netherlands) and Baarle-Hertog (Belgium).

If you take a look at the map you find out that there are some Belgian areas within the Dutch territory. But it’s not just a Belgian exclave within the Netherlands, it’s a patchwork of different sized exclaves and enclaves! There are even spots of the Netherlands within a Belgian area which is surrounded by the Netherlands again! To make it just a bit more complicated, the border lines don’t stop at the front doors but cut houses so that your kitchen may be in Belgium and your living room in the Netherlands! Crazy, isn’t it?

When walking through the town you will cross the border several times and it may happen that you wonder in which municipality you actually are. For a better overview all house numbers show the flag of the actual country. And usually the house belongs to the country in which the entrance lies. You also can see the border demarcation on the ground.

But how has this strange situation arisen? Well, long story short: It all began in the dark Middle Ages. The border’s complexity results from numerous medieval treaties, agreements, land swaps and sales between the Lords of Breda and the Dukes of Brabant. Later on Breda became a possession of the House of Nassau, then Nassau-Oranje and finally the Netherlands while the parcels owned by the Dukes (in Flemish, the word Duke translates to “Hertog”) of Brabant went to the Duchy of Burgundy and finally became part of Belgium.

So how is the situation today? In Baarle-Nassau/Hertog you can find the best things from both countries: Cheese, stroopwafels and liquorice from the Netherlands as well as Belgian chocolates, frites and monastery beers.
And more: There’s a Dutch garbage truck in the streets and a Belgian as well, there are Dutch and Belgian schools (and some Dutch children go to the Belgian school and vice versa since the languages Dutch and Flemish are very similar). And there are Dutch and Belgian policemen, sharing a joint police office!

And yes, there are two postal systems!

A Belgian post office bpost can be found in Baarle-Hertog and a Dutch PostNL service desk in a stationery shop in Baarle-Nassau.
So I thought I could go into travel mode and send two postcards from the Netherlands. And then two from Belgium. And again two postcards from the Netherlands and finally two more from Belgium.
The only challenge was finding WIFI from both countries to proove Postcrossing that I am sending from these countries. I found free Dutch wifi in a really nice café in Baarle-Nassau and Belgian wifi only a few meters up the street in a pub in Baarle-Hertog. Koffie met Gebak in the Netherlands and a cool drink in Belgium. Could be worse!

After drawing the addresses I decided to try something crazy: Putting stamps of both countries on some of the postcards and collecting the postmarks of both post offices!

Thanks to the kind and helpful staff in both post offices I was able to receive the local handstamp postmarks! Usually nearly all mail of both countries is cancelled in big sorting centres and not postmarked locally anymore. So I think these postcards are very special and I’m a little bit proud to bring some nice mail items into Postcrossing. Four cards went to the USA, three to Russia, two to China and two to Ukraine.

And of course I sent one to myself ;-)"

Do you know a young artist who loves postcards or maybe you are one yourself…?

PostEurop (the association of European postal services) is celebrating 70 years of EUROPA stamps in 2026, and to mark the occasion they’re organizing a postcard design competition for young creatives — with winning designs printed by postal services and a cash prize for the artists! 🥳

EUROPA stamps have been around since 1956, when six countries started issuing them to highlight peace, unity and cooperation in Europe. Today there are over 50 postal organizations involved, and for this special anniversary PostEurop is inviting the next generation to show what “Unity in Europe” looks like to them, in the form of a postcard illustration or design.

The competition is open to young people and design students aged 18–25 who live in countries or territories that issue EUROPA stamps. Participants are asked to create a postcard-sized design (148×105 mm) on the theme of “Unity in Europe” and submit it according to the technical specs.

During the summer, a jury of international designers will select three to five winners. Each winning design will receive a €500 prize, be professionally printed as postcard sets on premium paper, and be showcased on the EUROPA stamps website. Winners will also receive copies of their cards, and PostEurop members will be able to use the winning designs on postcards during 2026–2027.

The call for entries is already open, and the deadline for submissions is 14 April 2026. You can find all the details, technical requirements and submission form on PostEurop’s website.

We thought some creative postcrossers might enjoy taking part in something that combines art, postcards and the union spirit, all in one go. Wouldn’t it be awesome if your design matches the design of 2026's Europa stamps, which will be a common one in all countries? Then we could make some super cool maxicards! 😍

The writing prompts invite postcrossers to write about a different topic on their postcards’ messages every month. These are just suggestions though — if you already know what you want to write about, or the recipient gives you some pointers, that’s great too!

November was long, and it’s been getting cold here, so I’m thinking cosy thoughts here and planning on snuggling up. Of course, I’d usually choose a book… but even I have some favourite movies that I like to watch over again, at least once a year. So that’s our writing prompt for this month!

When I mentioned I was picking this prompt, I immediately said that I’d have to flip a coin and choose between Howl’s Moving Castle and Apollo 13, two movies that have almost nothing in common except that I’ve watched both at least a dozen times. Miyazaki’s animation is gorgeous, and I love Calcifer (“here’s another curse for you: may all your bacon burn!”)… but then, you know, Apollo 13. Even though they get safely back to Earth, I still choke up every time.

Of course, there are many other movies I could give an honourable mention. The more I think about it, the more they crowd my mind! Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, of course, and the extended cuts of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings, and—on a completely different note again—Amélie.

How about you? Is it an easy choice? Do you have a long list of favourites to share? We’d love to hear in the comments, and don’t forget: you can write about this on your postcards this month if you’re stumped for what to write!

Postcards that spark smiles can also spark reading… and in December that is especially true! We’re launching this year’s “Cards for Literacy” with Deutsche Post, turning every card sent from Germany into support for literacy programs across the country. Let’s keep this joyful tradition rolling, helping fund reading initiatives and puting more books into more hands!

If you’re in Germany, now’s the time to stock up on postcards and stamps! Every card you send in December (that is registered until the end of February 2026) can help turn pages for new readers.

And there’s a bonus: Deutsche Post is giving away three adorable postboxes. Everyone who sends postcards from Germany during the campaign is in the draw — the more you send, the more chances you’ll have. This year’s donation is capped at €10,000, but even after the cap is reached, every postcard you send still counts toward the prize draw. Winners will be randomly selected in March 2026.

Not in Germany? You will be helping too! By registering postcards from Germany promptly, you help senders mail their next cards sooner, which keeps the donations flowing until the cap is reached.

A big part of Stiftung Lesen's important mission is meeting readers where they are, from after-school centers, youth clubs, refugee accommodations or rural libraries. They bring books, trained volunteers, and ready-to-use materials to places that often have the fewest resources but the greatest need. We’re honored to support their mission again this year.

Alright, that’s the plan — now let’s write, stamp, and send! Whether you’re mailing or registering, every small action adds up. Here’s to a fantastic 13th year of Cards for Literacy!

P.S. Postcrossing respects your privacy and will not share your personal information. Full details of the campaign are available here (in German).