Maggi's letters from El Salvador

Dear Friends of Maggi,

As we continue our sad chore of going through Maggi's papers, one of the things that stands out is the collection of circular letters that she sent to so many of you during her years in El Salvador. Addressed to "Dear Friends," these letters constitute an extraordinarily detailed chronicle of the political scene in El Salvador from the fall of 1985 to 1992. Those of you who have read them know that they are pure Maggi: precise, carefully worded, but filled with her passion for the people she was working with.

We are already thinking about getting the series of letters published as a book. It would certainly be an important historical document, and also a testimonial to the work Maggi did, as well as the efforts of so many Salvadorans and other human-rights activists to create a just society there. Of course, the letters would need explanatory notes for the benefit of readers who will not recognize all the names, movements and events Maggi referred to.

The first step in this project, however, will be to make sure that we have a collection of all the letters. I am attaching to this a "calendar" or list of the letters that Maggi had in her own file. I have also indicated how many pages long each letter was, and what the first line said. If anyone reading this message has letters that are not listed here, I hope you will contact me at popkin@uky.edu and let me know. I do not need duplicate copies of the letters that are already on my list, but if Maggi wrote personal notes on the letters (as she did on some of the ones I received) that would be of general interest, I'd be pleased to have those as well. Those of you whose activities are described in the letters may be able to help by providing context for what Maggi wrote.

Sincerely, Jeremy Popkin