as mentioned by judi in one of the newest NBLA videos, the print shop in sebastopol is not just a place where people pop in and out, keeping their head down and art to themselves. what i found to be the most rewarding part of joining the Co-Op was the support it provided and collaboration it sparked between myself and other members. i think that is why, when judi, Megan, and i discovered that we were all composing poems at the case for National Poetry Month in 2015, it seemed natural that we would combine our work into a collaborative chapbook.
on composing the poems:
each of us had a different set of loose parameters (shop rule: the only rule is that there are no rules!) when composing. mine was: limiting myself to thirty minutes of typesetting an unwritten poem, on the fly. this has become a regular strategy for me when starting new poems.
on printing the poems:
i used the shop's Chandler and Price platen press to print my poems. it is my favorite press in the shop! i find there is something very special about how your body and the machine work together. i spent wednesday evenings with Megan, so had the chance to see her print her poems on the Vandercook (another fine press!):
on the process:
decision making was probably the most difficult part of the project for the three of us (in my eyes) -- probably because there were so many possibilities and i, for one, was nervous about making design decisions about other peoples' art. these are the decisions we reached: 5 poems per person, indentidingbats in the lower right hand corner, bfk rives (white), black ink, a 6x6" layout. otherwise, we let ourselves play with placement on the page, subject matter, and paper for bindings.
Megan and judi have finished binding their copies and will follow up with their thoughts on our collaborative chapbook. if you want to work on your own book art or printing project, don't hesitate to contact the NBLA.
ALL WAYS KNOW-
Poems composed at the type case at Iota Press in Sebastopol, California during National Poetry Month 2015
Megan A. Arnold judi goldberg katie nealon
This summer there will be a show of letterpress art at the kitty hawk gallery of Sebastopol. Eleven artists who use the local printshop managed by the NBLA will have their wide-ranging work on display. Included are book art pieces; linocuts; collages; poetry books; posters… & some innovative printing not easily described.
