[rdl]

When you write a letter to someone facing 20+ years more in prison, who has just tried to kill herself, what do you say? I'm kind of at a loss for words -- "hope you get well soon?" "hope you are out of the hospital and back to your, uh, home soon?"

https://www.chelseamanning.org/learn-more/write-to-chelsea-m...

[zackelan]

The best-case scenario for the people keeping her in prison is that we forget about her, and she spends years there, forgotten by the rest of the world.

The letter I mailed to Chelsea this weekend said "you have not been forgotten". That's it. One sheet of paper and a sharpie. Nothing that could give whoever censors her mail an excuse to throw my letter out.

Her birthday is December 17th. I added a reminder to my calendar to send one each December 1st, to allow for processing time through the prison mail. One stamp and one letter can make a difference in someone's life, and Amnesty International has recommended mailing prisoners on their birthday.

http://blog.amnestyusa.org/asia/on-your-birthday-you-are-not...

[droopyEyelids]

When the whole official world is against you, it'd be comforting to hear that there are people, even if strangers, who believe in you and appreciate you.

[DasIch]

How about not touching on that at all? Surely she hears more than enough on that already and is confronted with it when she's not reading about it also.

Something that has nothing to do with her and her current situation, something that allows her to escape her situation at least in her mind for a little bit, would probably be welcome. If I were in that situation, I believe I would appreciate that anyway.

[rdl]

Probably a good idea. Yan wrote about her visit and she seemed interested in current affairs/etc. (plus writes articles, including one which went out on 3 July)