Local Author Spotlight // Joel Zuckerman

In November of 2013, local author, Joel Zuckerman, wrote a letter of gratitude to a colleague and friend. He didn’t know he would sit down to write a second letter, not to mention a fifth or hundredth letter. In autumn 2020, Joel plans to release his book, Grateful, which is a compilation of 180 letters of gratitude he has written since. 

Joel says, “While the book won’t be publicized like my previous books and commercial entities, I still want the community to be aware of the personal project I’ve embarked on.” Instead, copies of Grateful will be distributed only to those family, friends, colleagues, and loved ones who have received their letter of gratitude from Joel over the years. However, Joel believes that “when people hear about this project, and see that I’ve been able to write 180 letters, they will be inspired to write one or two. Maybe they’ll write to their sister, uncle, or college roommate.” 

Joel has written letters of gratitude to the important, impactful people in his life. Grateful will be organized in seven distinct sections, including, family, vintage friends, Park City Utah, Savannah Georgia, sympathy letters, miscellaneous, and professional career letters entitled “The Golf Life.” Joel goes on to recall the warmth and satisfaction he has felt upon writing these letters. He says, “I sat down in 2013 and wrote one letter to one guy. But I liked the feeling of connecting and reconnecting, and soon this became my sedentary hobby, something I do in addition to golfing, hiking, and mountain biking.” 

“By the time I reached my 50th letter,” Joel says, “I was very aware of the progress I had made,” and even put confetti in the envelope before mailing it off to its recipient. His 100th letter, he recalls, was addressed to his son-in-law a month before his wedding. It wasn’t until July 2019, after having written 150 letters of gratitude, that Joel had the idea to compile them in a book. 

Next, I asked Joel how to write a letter of gratitude. He explained that while his “skill set is reasonably limited” and he’s not a builder or a fixer, he is verbal. Joel says, “I come from a writing family — a family of arts and letters.” These letters are described as thank you notes, “but they aren’t specific to an event or an act. Instead, these letters are concerned with the feeling of gratitude associated with the people themselves.” Joel continues, “I’m very gregarious, and I like to let loose, but the letters have a bit more sincerity and a bit less edge to them.” Put simply, letters of gratitude address feelings of gratitude towards a person (though, often, they are sparked by an event, an act, or a conversation). Each letter has its unique emotional undertone. 

Grateful will be Joel’s ninth and final book. While only those addressed directly in the letters will receive a copy, Joel hopes that this personal, passion project will serve as inspiration to those who are looking to thank their loved ones.