Man of letters

For the past half-century, Peter Kushkowski’s words have appeared in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Time magazine, as well as in local papers. He keeps binders filled with his writing, covering topics from World War II to local laws.

Yet Kushkowski is no journalist, and his compositions aren’t featured on the front page or opinion section. Instead, he’s a mainstay on the letters-to-the-editor page. Since the mechanical engineer began his hobby in 1969, he’s seen more than 2,000 of his letters published.

“Initially, I enjoyed seeing my name in print,” he said. Over time, his motivation shifted to expressing his opinions and trying to provoke thought in readers.

It’s much harder to write a letter of commendation and compliment.

It all began the day after Halloween in 1969 when Kushkowski found vandals had smashed his neighborhood sign. He wrote an angry letter to the editor of his local newspaper in Haddam, Conn. To Kushkowski’s delight, the paper published his letter. A short time later, a neighbor’s dog dug up his yard chasing moles, and Kushkowski wrote another letter to the editor, emphasizing the local leash law.

When Kushkowski wrote to compliment a magazine piece, he received an interesting response: “The editor called me and said that it’s much harder to write a letter of commendation and compliment than to get all ticked off and weigh in with a zap,” Kushkowski told Northeast magazine. Moving forward, he decided to craft thoughtful, issue-oriented letters.

Kushkowski submitted letters to a variety of publications. In his early days, 1 out of 10 would be published. He’d feel frustrated when editors overlooked his submissions for letters that weren’t as good. He learned to tailor each letter to the audience, stay under word limits, and “avoid political bashing.” His acceptance rate grew with his skill: By 1985, 1 in 4 of his letters was published. He kept each letter in a 3-inch binder, typically filling one every six months.

He learned that his letters could bless others. Once he heard a woman, whose art studio he used to visit, had died. He wrote a letter to honor her, which her daughter ended up reading. She called to thank him and sent a large poster of her mother’s artwork, which Kushkowski framed and hung in his home. Another time, he submitted a letter to the Harvard Business Review, and the editor replied to say his grandfather had grown up in Kushkowski’s area. Kushkowski sent the editor several photos of the neighborhood, including photos of road signs and graves in the cemetery with his grandfather’s family name. The editor wrote back to thank him.

Through his letters, he tries to bring Biblical thinking and opinions into the public square. Sometimes he’s able to speak directly about his Christian faith. This past December, the Rivereast News Bulletin ran a letter from Kushkowski in which he wrote, “What is it about Jesus that has us celebrating his birth? Easter is the answer. Without Jesus’ death and resurrection there would be no reason to celebrate.”

Now in his 80s living in Portland, Conn., Kushkowski still writes two or three letters each week. He estimates that he’s penned around 10,000 letters total. In 1985, Connecticut Public Radio profiled him and his prolific letter-writing, naming him “Mr. Letter to the Editor.”

Kushkowski has seen how the hobby has helped him develop critical thinking and thoughtful communication. Through letter-writing, he said, “I began to realize that I’m in a conversation with what I’m reading.”