As of this writing, I run Letterjoy & Dear Holmes, where I indulge my three of my passions (history, mystery, and logistics).
About Me
(The long-winded version)
If it isn’t obvious already, I’m a nerd.
My first love is history. I got my bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago (Go Maroons!) in 2019. My degree was in “political science”, but in reality, I spent most of my time studying the history of states & institutions, with some political philosophy mixed in. Some of my favorite courses were “Federalist & Antifederalist Writings”, “War & The Nationstate”, and “Grand Strategy”.
My second love is technology. While I was in high school, I wrote a tech blog called The App Store Chronicle. It was a bad name, since most of what I wrote ended up covering broader technological trends. Still, I learned a lot, and it gave me the opportunity to interview and learn from some incredible writers (Shoutout to Walt Mossberg, David Pogue, and Brad Stone).
Letterjoy in use
In college, I decided to stop writing about technology and start building it. I learned to code and competed a bit on the college hackathon circuit, which I highly recommend. My all-time favorite project, built with my friend Greg, was a robotic zen garden that drew pictures in the sand.
During my freshman year in college, I launched Morning Short, a daily podcast & newsletter aimed at helping busy commuters read more short fiction. It took off, and quickly grew to thousands of thousands of readers and listeners. It was too difficult to keep operating while staying current with my classes, but it was a great learning experience.
Shortly after sunsetting Morning Short, I started Letterjoy, the business I run to this day. It all started in class. UChicago professors love their primary sources, so I’d been reading quite a few historic letters. One day, after checking my mailbox, I realized it might be cool to receive some of those letters in the mail, as if I were the original recipient. A few months later, I launched a test. After making a few adjustments based on what I’d learned, I launched Letterjoy for real in the fall of 2017. Since then, we’ve mailed over 1 million letters to readers around the world.
In 2018, we expanded into fiction with Dear Holmes, a service which offers interactive Victorian mysteries by mail.
As of this writing, I live in Washington, DC. In my free time (when the weather is nice) I enjoy reading, exploring the wide variety of obscure and interesting historical sites this city has to offer, and playing golf.
Current & Past Projects
Letterjoy
(Active) My current “day job”. Founded in 2017 on the premise that it would be cool to receive historic letters by mail, as they were originally received.
Dear Holmes
(Active) An offshoot of Letterjoy. Solve victorian-era mysteries using clue letters mailed to your door.
Commutekit
(Retired). A curated collection of resources for spicing up your commute.
Morning Short
(Retired) An award-winning podcast and newsletter I launched during my freshman year of college, which helped tens of thousands of people to read more fiction.
Send-a-rhyme
(Retired) My funniest and most short-lived high school venture, in which I helped people write custom birthday poems and wedding toasts for their loved ones.
The App Store Chronicle
(Retired) My first long-term venture. A tech blog I built and managed from 2011-2015 (throughout high school).
News Coverage
“He’s bringing joy as well as a fresh look at history to people of all ages all over the world”
– Robin Seaton Jefferson (Forbes.com)
Press Clippings
With These Literary Puzzlers, the Game’s Afoot (and in Hand) (The NY Times Book Review)
CEOs tell new grads what they wish they’d known from the start (NY Post)
Our 5 Favorite Mystery Box Game Subscriptions (Wirecutter)
Sparking joy: Love of mail inspires growing business (USPS)
Letterjoy on Good Day Sacramento (CBS)
Can a college senior’s start-up spark an epistolary renaissance? (OK Whatever)
You Can Gift Your Favorite Nerd a Subscription to Famous Letters From History (Mental Floss)
Letterjoy & Dear Holmes have also been featured in gift guides for Buzzfeed, Parade, and The Buffalo News, among other publications.