Helen Hunt Jackson

Helen Hunt Jackson wrote poems, novels, and one of the most beloved children's books of the nineteenth century. In 1879 she published Letters from a Cat, a collection of letters written by a dignified house cat named Pussy to her absent owner. The cat was real. The letters were not. The book was a sensation.

Jackson understood something about voice that most writers never figure out: the funniest, most heartbreaking stories are the ones told by a narrator who has no idea they're being funny or heartbreaking. She wrote with warmth, precision, and a deep affection for creatures who cannot speak for themselves.

She died in 1885. The cat's letters survived.

Our adaptation reimagines her original for the text message age. The voice is hers. The phone is new.