Open Letter template

Canonical template for the Open Letter format.

Dear [Name / Title of Recipient or Institution],

[Opening: state the occasion - the specific decision, action, or inaction that makes this
letter necessary now. One to two sentences naming the issue and your position on it.]

[Body paragraph 1: the first argument, appeal, or charge. Address the recipient directly
throughout. Use second person ("you have," "you must") to maintain the form's pressure.]

[Body paragraph 2: second argument or piece of evidence - 1 paragraph]

[Body paragraph 3 (optional): third argument or personal testimony - 1 paragraph]

[Stakes: name what the public now knows, or what will follow if the recipient does not act.
This is where the public-witness quality of the form does its work.]

[Close: a direct statement of what you are asking or demanding, and why the public occasion
makes this the moment to act.]

[Signature, name, and the context that establishes your standing to address this recipient]