A chance bit of reading online led me to this incredible book about the killing of an abolitionist writer/printer in 1837. Elijah P. Lovejoy stood up to a racist mob in St. Louis.…not once, but four times…and each time they trashed his shop and threw his press in the Mississisppi. There was a lot at stake then; and now as well. As a letterpress printer in this day we are far out on the margins of public media yet our presses are still potent. And we have forebears like Lovejoy to remind us to take a stand. The broadsides measure 8.5” x 12” ….Contact if you want a copy and I’ll mail you one.
new addition to the shop
If you follow us on instagram, you probably already got a sneak peek of the newest addition to the shop: a pin perforator dating back to 1888! This machine is perfect for stamp-making, but the Studio Printers have already come up with a few other ideas to test out on it — more on those projects to follow…
Eric acquired the perforator through a printing auction, and it was shipped to us from Red Onion Press. Check out their blog to find out more!
spring quarterly mailing
This quarter’s mailing held some true gems by these printers: judi goldberg, Tami Lovett, and Megan Arnold.
It also featured some great printing and binding tools & techniques:
Wood Type- Studio Printer, Megan Arnold, does a lot of printing with the large wood type that is in the shop. Her petite poetry broadside and greeting card & envelope (stamp included!) set were lovely additions to this mailing.
Linoleum Carving - Studio Printer, Tami Lovett, is a fantastic linocut artist. Her print, featuring a hand-carved, 2-color pup was perfect.
Pamphlet Stitch - NBLA President, Katie Nealon, has spearheaded the At the Case project. This bonus chapbook, printed and bound by hand, has been included in the past three quarterly mailings. Sign up for next quarter’s to receive the last of Volume 1!
Codex 2019 Review
from Eric Johnson:
The NBLA had a table at the recent Codex International Book Fair in Richmond, as we have in the past two Fairs. We enjoy every minute of these events, for many reasons. For one, we’re surrounded by book artists from all over the world; over 200 exhibitors each with distinct aesthetics and the highest level of skills in all aspects of book creation. It’s almost too much to take in, as one wanders down aisles not sure how to decide to take more time with one or another of the intricate worlds on display. The building itself, a repurposed factory right on the dock with a view of the San Francisco Bay, creates a sensation of being on a ship, with so much glass in its walls and ceilings one always feels the weather and color of the Bay.
The theme of this year’s Codex was the proliferation of Book Arts in Scandinavia, and there was an aisle that concentrated tables from Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland & Denmark.
We had our own ‘neighborhood’ feel, with the NBLA table surrounded on both sides by other exhibitors from Sebastopol: Sara Press & Tiana Krahn on one side, and Brooke Holve on the other. Brooke & I both have connections in Iceland, so we spent some time talking with the artists that presided at their table. Brooke invited them come up to our shop in Sebastopol if they had any time after the Codex Fair…and they accepted.
So, two days after the closing, we hosted what had mushroomed into a delegation of ten artists: six from Iceland, three from Norway, and one from Sweden. The whole afternoon was such a charmed & warm exchange that we were glowing for days after. There was lunch at the restaurant next door, then a showing of each other’s recent books, and finally sitting down with coffee and cake to talk about how we might collaborate or at least stay in touch. It was a perfect ending to a week of non-stop conversation and contemplation of the rich field of international book art.
at the case [quarterly]
Now included in the Quarterly mailing is a hand-bound, collaborative chapbook, At the Case. The book is comprised of six poems that were composed in this way: groups of Studio Printers set different parameters for themselves (time limit, line length, type size, etc) and composed poems on the spot.
Although no themes were discussed, it was interesting to see threads of thought run through the the sessions. Little to no misspellings, typos, or other mistakes have been corrected. Poems were printed as they were composed.
As this is a regular practice in the printshop, you can expect to see more At the Case issues in future mailings.
Poets featured in the Fall & Winter 2018 issues:
tiana krahn
judi goldberg
eric johnson
katie marie nealon