I spent this beautiful winter's afternoon in the printing studio with Emily Dickinson. We enjoyed each other's company, along with tea and National Public Radio, and co-created a nice little letterpress print.
The poem I chose to work with is the same one as appears in the previous post, that begins "There is no frigate like a book..." This was one of my most-loved Dickinson poems as a child, and I have been wanting to set it fully by hand and print it on the Poco press. It was great fun (much laughter as I studied the first proof and found several typographical errors, including upside-down letters), and I learned a lot about the process of setting type, locking it up in the chase, and experimenting with registration.
And with the wonderful poem itself for constant and spirited companion, what a joyful time indeed!
Here are a few more pictures of the process:
