Belle Vista Publication Services bvgraph@gmail.com       570-988-1219        356 Arch Street, Sunbury, PA 17801
		Page 4: Formal Letters	PAGE	<	>

356 Arch Street Sunbury, PA 17801 March 15, 2013 Ms. Karen Murphy 4802 Parkmont Avenue Baltimore, Maryland 21206 Dear Ms. Murphy: I have known Diane Kohan for over 20 years. We have collaborated on several creative projects, including two in-school magazines which showcased her students’ work. Ms. Kohan has a talent for connecting with all sorts of people, both in and out of the classroom. She is a good and generous friend and is possibly the most unprejudiced, open-minded person I know. Ms. Kohan is a gifted writer and artist, with an almost miraculous ability to find and encourage the creative gifts of her young students. Her lesson plans have included role-playing, mask-making, and the music of Michael Jackson. She is committed to reaching students who have fallen through the cracks in the traditional educational system. To achieve this, she consistently thinks outside the box. I believe that Diane Kohan is ideally suited for a teaching job in a charter school, and I highly recommend her for this position. If you need more information, please contact me at (570) 988-1219 or at bvgraph@gmail.com. Yours sincerely, Susan T. Brown To the Editor: Our leaders’ dedicated efforts to revitalize our town’s economy are much appreciated, but more creative ideas are needed. The new riverfront park was supposed to kick-start a tourist industry. Our tax money bought us a tiny “amphitheater,” an even tinier marina, a tangle of wildflowers and weeds, a severe lack of shade, and the same old ugly flood wall. The tourists are not flocking to visit us. What unique attraction can we offer? It’s right in front of us. That ugly flood wall could be transformed into a canvas for a spectacular mural. Art students could be recruited, probably for much less money than was spent on the amphitheater and the wildflowers. Empty houses, storefronts and factories could be rented, cheaply, to these same aspiring artists. Other empty buildings might be transformed into craft centers and antique malls. Picture it: Sunbury could become an arts and crafts center! Susan T. Brown Sunbury

The first paragraph of a recommendation letter states the writer's connection with the job applicant. The second explains his or her qualifications. The third specifically recommends the applicant for the job. The fourth provides the writer's contact information. Letters to the Editor must be brief and to the point. Quotation marks can be used to express irony. Sunbury town planners promised us that the new riverfront park would include an "amphitheater."  Visitors see a dozen rows of concrete bleachers, and ask us, "Where's the amphitheater? Are you kidding? That's it?"