The write address

It once took Catherine Langsdorf a month to address an envelope. But it was worth it. That’s because Langsdorf, a member of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Mount Holly, N.C., is a calligrapher. And since 1999 she has won the Graceful Envelope Contest three times, including this year. The contest, sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers, requires entrants to adhere to a theme while using their artistic skills to address an envelope.

The envelope must be sent through the U.S. Postal Service and successfully be delivered to the Washington Calligraphers Guild in Merrifield, Va., the group that administers the contest.

This year’s theme was the letter “P,” which at first stymied Langsdorf. “I wasn’t going to enter this year because I couldn’t come up with anything,” said Langsdorf, who uses her calligraphy talents at church by designing bulletins and writing baptism certificates. “Then it was the week of the deadline, and I saw something in a magazine with a pagoda.”