Apr 11
MeredithBookmaking, Poetry, Reading, Uncategorized, Writing a window into poetry, bookiness, Christina Gay, guest blogger, Jenny O'Grady, national poetry month, the bluest bird
I’m thrilled to introduce today’s guest blogger, Christina Gay. Christina is a crafter, marshmallow-maker, Marion Winik’s webmistresses, and the managing editor of Passager. She lives with her husband in the Pen Lucy community of Baltimore. She makes the most amazing cards and books–they are stunning in their beauty, craftsmanship, and innovation. I was so pleased when she told me that not only would she blog for us, she would be looking at how she turns poems into books. And so, without further ado…
When Meredith asked me to guest blog, I went back and forth in my head trying to pick a favorite poem to talk about. Of course, it took days, and I never settled on one. But then I thought, Why not talk about how I interpret poems, which is to make them into books.
I’m focusing on a collaborative project by myself and poet Jenny O’Grady. Jenny shared this wonderful poem with me as part of my FaceBook Poem Project, where I ask friends to share something they wrote with me and I make a mini-book interpretation of it.
When I start on a new poem/book, I first live with the poem for a little bit, trying not to over-interpret it. By the second or third reading, I usually have pretty good image of how I want to book to be. It’s not always an easy decision; I just try to keep it simple and go with my gut. One poem could have many books: it’s all about the bookmaker’s immediate interpretation. That excites me: you can experience the same poem in so many different ways. This book that I made with “Bluebird” by Jenny O’Grady is a good example of this (poem published here with permission from the author and for your reading pleasure only).
Bluebird
you escaped on horseback
the cotton of your hospital gown
unsnapped and
flying behind you,
the laces cringing, retaining
the shape
of your captivity
you trusted the mare
pushed your face into
her mane and
let your mind skip
ahead to now
~Jenny O’Grady
When Jenny shared this poem with me, she mentioned that although the title is “Bluebird”, that fact has little to do with the actual poem. For me, this poem is about the window and the thoughts and images it inspires. So for the physical shape of the book I made a classic four-pane window (of course there is plastic “glass” in the windows), attaching a small bluebird to the inside of the back cover. Although I try to stay away from such literalness, I used blue for the covers, because blue always seems to me to be the color of memory. As for the bluebird, the beauty of its blue is only matched by the reddish-orange of its breast. It was that color that inspired the type color.
In lieu of actual letterpressing, I “stamped” the text onto the pages. This is fairly simple to do, and I hope others will do it as well: print your page (reversed) onto acetate or some kind of plastic at the “best” setting on your ink jet printer, and then use a bone folder to rub the ink onto the page. This is easier than it might sound, and the emotional payoff is huge!
Because part of bookmaking is presentation, I bound the book with the piano-hinge method so that it can be opened fully. I love this poem, and have found a true personal connection to it. And now I can hold it in my hand, and see it through the windows. A true privilege.
I hope this will inspire you to make a book, either with your own work or someone else’s. And if you’d like to collaborate in making a book, please contact me through my blog. Thank you, Meredith, for this opportunity!
Nov 05
MeredithBookmaking, Personal, Writing
Oh, well, hello there! I know I deserted you months ago and you’ve every right to be angry with me, but do, please, consider an ounce of forgiveness and a pinch of mercy.
It’s been a busy summer and fall. As you all know by now, I graduated with my MFA, a super exciting moment for me. But I’m always looking forward (I must get it from my mother, who, two days after I walked across the stage, called to ask how my planning for a PhD was going. I love ya, mom), and I started thinking about what was next–I contributed pages to an awesome book project by Kate Wyer, was honored to have my work in Jenny O’Grady’s The Light Ekphrastic (not just once, but twice), and even had a fantastic opportunity to do a bit of work with Adam Robinson on his Chapbook Genius series. I also decided to unofficially give myself the summer “off” from things–no pressure to write, to make books, not even blog. I reveled in that, I must admit–after the intensity of my last year in school, a break was in order.
But by August, I had landed a teaching gig at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC). And let me just say, teaching is incredibly hard work. I put more time into teaching than I ever did into being a student, which is a bit sad to admit. However, as the teacher, you don’t ever get an off day. There’s no sitting in the back of the classroom, eyes down, hoping no one will call on you because you’re tired and it’s cold and you just don’t want to be here today. You’re on, full on, for 80 minutes. I love it, but it does get wearisome from time to time.
And as the summer wore down and fall swept in (albeit rather red-faced and flustered from the clinging heat), I turned back to my loves. I cracked open a new journal and crawled right into the pages and got writing. I got my craft room in order (mostly) and tried out a few ideas I’d been having for bookmaking. And, most recently, I struck a deal with a local shop to sell my handmade journals (more on that at the bindery website).
It’s been a whirlwind, and it’s not over yet. In a few weeks, my sister will be out to visit for our birthdays, then Ave and I will trek to Missouri for Christmas, and we’ll spend a week in January in Costa Rica. I keep wondering when I’ll have a moment to rest–not for awhile, I suppose. But I’ll try to reopen this space and at least make an occasional, if not regular visit.
May 07
MeredithBaltimore, Bookmaking, Reading, Writing 13 ways of looking at awesome, up and coming baltimore writers
Please come out and support me and my classmates. We’ve all worked really hard this semester, and we can’t wait to share our beautiful new books with you. In addition to getting to hear us read some of our work, we’ll also have our books for sale, so bring some cash or your checkbook.
May 05
MeredithBookmaking, Design, Poetry, Writing
As you are surely aware at this point (because I haven’t stopped talking about it for almost a month), my thesis project required me to write, design, and hand-make a book. It’s been quite a learning process, but I’m mostly done, with 30 copies just waiting to be hauled to the reading this Friday.
I plan on sharing the “making of” the book in a later post, but for now, The Mockingbird’s Song by the numbers:
- 3 years of writing
- 39 poems
- 30 copies (in a run that I may extend to 40, depending on interest)
- 15 pads of 14×7 drawing paper cut into 600 pages
- 3 pots of glue
- 10 brushes totally destroyed
- 1,440 inches of linen thread
- 1 handpainted water color egg
More photos of the book can be found on my flickr site.
Apr 15
MeredithBookmaking, Poetry, Writing books are beautiful, countdown to graduation, i heart paper but it dries out my skin, my fingers are so sore I can hardly feel them anymore, sleep is for weenies
I’m smack dab in the middle of putting together my MFA thesis. It’s a manuscript of my poetry. But here at UB, we take it a step further. I didn’t just write the manuscript. Nope, I’m turning it into a book. That means designing, printing, and hand binding it. I have to have an edition of 12 done by May 5, but my personal goal is 20-30 by then. So if I seem a little short, a little tired (ok, who am I kidding, exhausted), or to have disappeared from the face of the earth, don’t worry, it will all be over soon.
Despite the late nights and occasional frustration with a misprinted page or a miscut page, things are going pretty smoothly. Ave has been a huge help with cutting the pages and explaining how the printer works. I have the guts for 15 books printed and folded. And Ave, as I mentioned, has been busy, so there are many more sheets of paper ready to go through the printer.
Right now, I’m in the midst of sewing up a couple books, trying to perfect my technique a bit more (I ran into a smidge of trouble with my spine allowance when I made my mock up). And tonight I made myself a low-tech book press that should help keep things nice and flat and even during the sewing/gluing/casing-in process.
But as well as things are going and though I’m not at full-on meltdown stage yet, I can tell I’m stressed–my skin is a disaster, I can’t remember what I looked like without these enormous dark circles under my eyes, three cups of coffee and a Coke don’t have enough caffeine to keep me going, and I’m grinding my teeth worse than I have since my senior year of college. I can’t wait for that weekend in late May when, for the first time in three years, I get to relax without worrying about school.
But despite my body’s not so subtle hints that it would like a break, I still feel pretty great. It’s been thoroughly awesome to see my book (not to mention all my classmates’ books) come together, and when I have time to stop and breathe, I’m so glad to have had the opportunity to attend this program.
I suppose the reason I’m even posting this, which I’m sure is rather dull to most of you, is that I want my friends and family to know that things are going okay and I will eventually resurface. I’m going to keep my poetry blogs going, and I’ll even try to post some pictures of the bookmaking process, assuming I can ever remember to take any. In the meantime, if you can figure out where the time keeps going, please let me know.
Apr 04
MeredithBookmaking
Mistakes are where learning begins. It’s a phrase that’s been getting tossed around a lot in my pedagogy class this semester. I’m pretty sure it’s true. I’m deep in my final semester of grad school and up to my elbows in paper and glue as I take my final thesis from words in my head to a book.
After weeks of editing and design, this weekend I started on construction. I measured and counted and measured and counted. I rearranged and started over. And as I glued the last piece in place, I couldn’t wait to see this beautiful thing I had made. As I shut the book so I could press it (i.e. super-flatten it), I felt it resisting the fold. Panicked, I opened it up to see that my endpapers-painstakingly cut and tipped in-had bunched around the spine. The book wouldn’t close all the way. Though I had measured the spine (at least three times) and allowed extra, it wasn’t enough. In 15 seconds, more hours of work than I care to count flew out the window.
And yet, I didn’t feel despondent. This is why I was making a test copy. To see what would go wrong so I could fix it when it counted. And everything had gone beautifully till that last second. So the good news is that it won’t be difficult to fix.
That moment that have could have turned into a pity party with my best friends anger and frustration reminded me that mistakes are what we learn from. That’s how we learn to problem solve. Frankly, I’m impressed with my ability to remain so rational on so little sleep and with such a short amount of time left till this thing has to be finished. So tonight I’m back to my little binding station to re-work it again so that when it matters, it will be perfect.
Nov 18
MeredithBookmaking, Poetry don't forget your purple crayon, If only every day was a snowy day, oh bookarts how i love thee, the satisfying whisp of scissors through paper
I’m working on my final project for the literary publications class, and I have to admit that though I struggled to come up with an idea at first, I’m moving along at a pretty good pace now.
Basically, I’m illustrating my poem called “How to Collect Things,” which is (as the name suggests) instructions to a child on how to collect. The goal is to create a flip book (I use the term loosely) that could be flipped to create an animation (albeit a rather choppy animation) or read in the more traditional manner.
I’m drawing a lot of inspiration from Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day, particulary in terms of the shape of my little dude’s head and the use of cut paper/collage. I’m also feeling inspired by Crockett Johnson’s Harold and the Purple Crayon for its delightful story and exploration of the childhood imagination.
The creation of this book is a long and time-consuming process. I must produce 10 copies (we’re practicing editions), but am working to maintain a handmade, unique art feel for each copy.
Although the final illustrations will be cut paper, I’ve started off with sketches that illustrate the lines within the poem. It’s the best way to wrap my head around what I’m doing and plan the cutting process.
I’m actually working on the cut outs now, and will be scanning them into the computer tomorrow. After that, I’ll lay them out in InDesign. My last project taught me that trying to create the same art multiple times is a headache, so I’m scanning to save my sanity.
Even then, this is not quick work, and the more I do, the more I appreciate just how difficult book arts can be. But I love working with my hands and listening to the swift sssshhhh of scissors through paper. And I am certain there are few feelings as gratifying as watching your art take shape.
But for now I must take my sleepy and bedraggled self to bed (though I may pause for a few moments to begin Audrey Niffenigger’s Her Fearful Symmetry, which I purchased today and am super excited to read). I’ve had a long week, what with a trip home (more on that, including photos, later) and then a headlong dive back into work/school. I’m looking forward to a few moments of quiet this weekend to recenter myself before the urgent push that inevitably comes with the end of the year.
Oct 14
MeredithBookmaking cat on a hot tin roof book, lighting conundrum, twinkle twinkle little LED, welcome to the bookery
This week in class we tried our hand at hard bound books. I opted for a long format (rather than the traditional 5.5×8.5 size that comes from standard paper folded in half “hamburger” style). I’ve made books like this before, and I wanted to explore a different shape. I also found this awesome textured paper at Artist and Craftsman Supply (quickly becoming one of my favorite art supply stores in Baltimore). There are more pictures on my Flickr page.
And now, a conundrum. For my next book project, I want to create a tunnel book (similar to the Sharpsburg book I posted photos of in a recent post. However, I’m looking to explore lighting elements within the book. My first thought was rice lights (really small version of your standard twinkle lights), a short strand (5-10 bulbs) with a battery pack. I’m having a hard time finding exactly what I’m looking for.
Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?
Oct 11
MeredithBookmaking, Writing bind bound bend?, creative comeback, just siting around in my bookery, lantern making rocks my socks
(Note: Welcome to my fancy new WordPress blog which Avelino finally helped me get off the ground. I’m looking forward to much blogging in my comfortable and versatile new home. And a big, fat thank you to Ave for his patience and determination, even though I chose a rather frustrating theme.)
Paper, scissors, thread, needle. These are things that have made up my weekend. I’ve had a veritable book-making factory going here in my little workshop. It’s actually been a good week for me creatively. When I started the semester, I immediately took to the bookmaking class. I love the handwork, thinking about how the book will come together, and seeing the finished product. I got more than a little obsessed with the tunnel/telescope/theatre book form.
One example is the tunnel book I did taking a photo from the Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, Maryland. I did it relatively quickly on bristol board, wanting simply to test out the look and feel of a photograph that’s been 3D’ed. I’m hoping to try it again, this time using color, and perhaps trying to incorporate more detail.
Comparing the photo to the book
This week, however, has been the week of coptic stitch. We did a quick sample of this in class. It’s a form I’ve always loved, and have done a couple times before. This week I really set out to practice it. My first attempt was a small book (4.75″x3.5″) with 16 signatures (4 pages to each signature is my standard count). In addition to looking at it as a chance to coptic bind, I also played around with burlap for a covering material. I’m really pleased with how it came out. I love the color for one (it fits quite nicely with my current fall frenzy), and the texture is fun to look at and touch. It feels very practical, but has a kind of homely beauty. There are definitely more burlap books in my future.
My second attempt was an even smaller book (2″x2″) with balsa wood covers and 22 signatures. It turned out a little like a slinky, and I broke my first cover (balsa is a delicate wood) when I was putting the holes in it. But again, I’m pleased with it’s look, and I think the brown craft paper, cream linen thread, and pale balsa wood really work together.
My third attempt was an upcycled, coptic-bound journal. I have a stash of old books I’ve collected from here and there. This particular book (David Keller’s Index to Plays in Periodicals: Supplement) had lovely green covers. I cut them off the book and set the pages aside for a future life as paper cuts outs of one sort or another, and added a text block of my own making. Again, I’m pleased with the results, and my coptic stitch has gotten better with each book I’ve made. (see the gallery below for images of each of the above books).
My writing has also gotten better. I’d hit a bit of a slump over the summer, which I’m blaming on the spring semester followed by the summer semester, followed by a move, followed by the fall semester. I’ve hardly had any time to breathe, much less write. But, I sat down this week for about 4 hours straight and refused to let myself leave the room till I’d written at least one thing I could be moderately pleased with. It worked, and I’ve gotten to a better place there as well. Which is good, since in something like 10 weeks I’m supposed to have the basis of my manuscript together so I can build the book next spring.
And now I must away as there are visits from friends and lantern-making workshops in my future.
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Comparing the photo to the book
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