Jacqeuline Rush Lee has been creating bookworks for over 15 years. Her work has been and remains a staple in most anthologies that deal with contemporary bookworks. In 1998 Rush devised an experimental process where books and periodicals were fired in controlled kiln environments and transformed into what Rush calls "fossilized" books where "the books were no longer recognizable in their usual context, but transformed into poetic remnants of their former selves–ephemeral and ghost-like forms suggesting internal landscapes and a trajectory of time, transformation and memory…” These "poetic remnants" emit a still harmony that retains the power of the book while transforming them...
The Banksy of the book arts world surfaces via email
It began in early 2011 when the folks at the Scottish Poetry Library discovered a 'poetree' on a bookshelf. The 'poetree,' a book sculpture comprised of intricately cut pages, had this note attached referencing a Patrick Geddes quote: “ It started with your name @byleaveswelive and became a tree… …We know that a library is so much more than a building full of books…a book is so much more than pages full of words… This is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas… a gesture (poetic maybe?)" Poetree By November ten of these sculptural gems had popped up all around Scotland...
And a happy new year…Holiday Cards by Poets
Postcard by Alice Notley. Photograph: Courtesy of Raymond Danowski Poetry Library, MARBL, Emory University As the 2104 holiday season wraps up let's finish the year with a look at how some of our most beloved poets shared the holiday love. Winter Wedding: Holiday Cards by Poets currently on view at Poet's House features over 40 works by poets who included creative correspondence as a component of their offerings. "Holiday cards, valentines, birthday greetings, rare booklets, and more from some of the last century’s most beloved poets, including Langston Hughes, Alice Notley, Ted Berrigan, Seamus Heaney, and Sylvia Plath. Ranging...
Harlin Quist: The coolest publisher of children’s books you never heard of
Harlin Quist just might be the coolest publisher of children's books you never heard of. The brainchild of Harlin Bloomquist, Quist published over sixty children's books between 1966-1984. They featured some of the finest European and American authors and illustrators of the day and helped establish the careers of many young artists. They are unmistakable in design and offered an original, fresh look in childrens' book publishing. Quist had a background in theater and then worked in publishing, first as an editor at Crowell-Collier, then at Dell, where he worked on the first picture paperback books before going out on his own. Here is what some of the...
Straight from the baby’s mouth
From the time when her son was 11 months old until he turned 18 months Lenka Clayton extracted 64 objects from his mouth. 63 of them are represented in this brilliant visual catalog, 63 Objects Taken from My Son's Mouth. The one item not included is a sachet of rat poison that her son put in his mouth at 11 months. That object was flushed down the toilet while mom was in a panic. Details: 63 Objects Taken from My Son's Mouth, 2014. Designed by MASS MoCA's Director of Design; Brett Yasko, with color photographs by Tom Little. Letterpress cover...