publishing – Dead Feminists

Early this month we heard our book had moved from the shortlist to join the winners of the 2018 Pacific Northwest Book Awards. The awards, produced by the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, recognize “excellence in writing, publishing, and illustration in the PNBA region.” The first requirement of winning is to, well, write some more. So we wrote an essay about one of our favorite feminist topics: collaboration. PNBA also asked us to suggest our favorite local independent bookstore so celebrations could ensue. Of course we chose King’s Bookstore. Owned by sweet pea flaherty, supported by an awesome staff, beloved by Tacoma, and home of two store cats, the choice was obvious. They have been incredible partners in getting the word out about Dead Feminists well before there was a book to sell.

The celebration takes place February 13 at 7 p.m. This proximity to Valentine’s Day was no mistake. We want to share some love, cookies and keepsakes with our readers, and ask you to share your favorite dead feminist with us. Choose an important woman in your life—a relative or an historic heroine—and create your own Gal-entine to tell us more about her. We’ll create a display of these Gal-entines at King’s, which will stay up through International Women’s Day (March 8), and share these lovely ladies and their stories through social media for folks too far away to attend. Our printer pal Mary Bruno will join us in the festivities, and show some of her work, too.

We are working on a new broadside, to be unveiled at the party, to commemorate the PNBA award. Not quite a Dead Feminist broadside, this will feature hand lettering and hand set type using action words from the book that have helped guide us through a very challenging year.

Many thanks to PNBA and Pacific Northwest independent bookstores and readers. We are truly honored!

Heading East
For folks on the eastern side of our large state, we’ll be in Spokane this February to share our work. We’d love to meet you.

Auntie’s Bookstore
Book signing — print your own letterpress keepsake!
Sunday, February 4, 2018 at 4:00pm
402 W. Main Ave
Spokane, WA 99201

Re-Sisters: Dead Feminists broadsides, steamroller prints and
our individual books and prints
February 6 through March 23, 2018
Bryan Oliver Gallery, Whitworth University
300 W. Hawthorne Rd., Spokane, WA
Opening: February 6, 5-6 p.m., Lied Center
Lecture: February 6, 6 p.m., Lied 102

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This beauty arrived in the post a little while ago, and I finally remembered to put it down for a moment to take some photos to share with you. Our broadsides are in a new book! Our friends Kseniya Thomas and Jessica C. White, who founded the Ladies of Letterpress organization and conference, have just published a gorgeous anthology of women printers with the Ivy Press and Princeton Architectural Press.

The format of the book is really something special. First of all, it’s huge—a whopping 11 x 14 inches—so you can really get in close and see the detail of all the work featured. Second, each page features a large piece on one side, and smaller images and background info on the other—and every page is perforated, so those who want to can turn their favorite pages into frameable wall art. (Not that this book purist would do that, but it’s a great idea!)

Jessica and I are honored to be a part of the book, and proud to be some of the earliest members of the Ladies of Letterpress community. Best of all, it feels so good to be in a book with so many of our friends and colleagues, and included with such great work being done around the U.S. So in honor of our community of printer friends, we’ve been given the green light to share our contributor’s discount with all our friends. If you’d like a copy of the book, you can order it at PA Press and enter the code LETTER for a 35% discount!

And speaking of community and the Dead Feminists, Jessica and I have a large batch of them on display right now at the gallery at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. (I don’t have a photo of the show yet to share with you, but when I get one I’ll post it here.) The exhibit is called The Contained Narrative, and deals with all the myriad ways books and broadsides tell a story—from the traditional to the unexpected. Nine of our broadsides will be on display (it’s been many years since we displayed so many at once!), as part of the “Book as Community & Collaboration” section of the show.

The exhibit is already on display, and timed to run through the 2015 Book Arts Biennial this summer—where book artists and visitors from around the world will see it. If you happen to be in the Twin Cities this season, here are the details:

The Contained Narrative: Defining the Contemporary Artist Book
April 8 through July 26, 2015
Star Tribune Foundation Gallery, Minnesota Center for Book Arts
1011 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN
Opening reception: Friday, May 8, 6 to 9 pm
Closing reception: Friday, July 24, 6 to 9 pm
More info and list of artists here

Tag: publishing

Who is your historic heroine?

Ladies of Letterpress