News from St Brigid Press!

Greetings from the blustery Blue Ridge Mountains!

Though the warm sun is drizzled all over us today like honey, the empty trees and biting breeze signal winter’s steady approach, here in the Rockfish River Valley. At St Brigid Press, we’re also moving into a new season of work, hunkering down with several longer chapbook projects and a new series of prints. 

Speaking of books, we are thrilled to announce that Emily Hancock’s collection of haiku & carvings, Soundings, recently won a prestigious award at the Oxford Fine Press Book Fair in England. This volume, letterpress printed and hand-bound here at the Press, took home the Oxford Guild of Printers’ 2015 Prize for Best Fine Press Book under £50. 

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We are very honored to receive this award. Hopefully some day we can travel to Oxford in person to attend this yearly gathering of fine printers and bookbinders — the oldest fair of its kind in the world.

Created in a limited edition of just 85 books, Soundings is nearly sold out. If you are interested in reserving a copy, please let us know. For more information and photographs, click HERE.

Our current stock of holiday cards and gift tags is likewise dwindling. See available items HERE.

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In the meantime, peace and pace to you all!

With thanks,

St Brigid Press 

Summer News from St Brigid Press

Greetings, Friends!

Summer is in full-swing here at the Press, and we have a few new projects to debut: 

• Blue Bird Greeting Cards
• HIKE Virginia Postcards
• Gone Fishin' Coasters

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When we first spied this wonderful ornament of swallows in flight, we knew it had to be a feature on our next greeting card project. Not only do the birds appear on each design, we decided to name the whole line after them ~ Blue Bird Greeting Cards!

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Available in two styles at the moment, "thinking of you" and "happiest of days," these letterpress printed cards can carry your well wishes near and far.

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Next up: postcards!

Inspired by the natural beauty out the Press's front door, we've created two postcards that celebrate Virginia's mountains:

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Each are USPS-compliant, and come pre-paid ~ all you have to do is pen and send!

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Lastly, here is our brand new coaster design, perfect for slipping under a drink at the end of a lazy summer day by the river:

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Found in the back of an old typecase, we love this vintage copper print block! And, as with all of our coasters, these are extra-thick, color-fast, and biodegradable.

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Thanks for taking a look at what's happening at the Press this summer! If you'd like to see more photos and information about these items, please see the listing on our Products page!

All best to all,

St Brigid Press

More Glorious Fun with Handmade Paper from Nepal!

Hello Friends, and a very Happy Independence Weekend to you all!

I'm having a ridiculously good time working with this luxurious handmade paper from Nepal, and wanted to share with you how it looks on the new line of journals just out this week:

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You haven't even seen the front covers yet, and I know your eyes are already drinking in the gorgeous, saturated colors of this paper.

Made from the lokta plant (a kind of laurel, for you gardeners out there), this paper has been a vital sustainable industry for folks in the Himalayan region, particularly the Kathmandu Valley, since the 12th century. The artisans there have perfected the creation of this beautiful and strong paper, and we are honored to work with it here at the Press.

Introducing, the Kathmandu Journals:

The quick specs:

• 7" tall by 5" wide, and a half-inch thick
• 100 interior pages (bamboo)
• hand-sewn with linen thread
• $22 each
• 10% of proceeds goes directly to earthquake relief in Nepal
• purchase direct from us here

After selecting the large sheets of Nepalese paper, we cut them to size and then affix them to rugged Italian-made cover stock. The result is a cover that is not only beautiful, but durable. The warm-white interior pages, made of sustainably-sourced bamboo paper, are then hand-sewn with linen thread in a multi-section figure-8 binding style that is very strong and allows the book to open flat. 

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In honor of the long-standing tradition of beautiful paper-making in Nepal, we are currently donating 10% of the proceeds from each of our journals featuring Nepalese paper to the relief effort in the wake of the recent earthquakes in that region. Each Kathmandu Journal you purchase helps us help the men and women of Nepal. For more information on the disaster and the relief work, click here.

May each of you enjoy a safe and celebratory holiday weekend!

With thanks and peace to all,

St Brigid Press

A Garden in Winter...

"Always maintain a kind of Summer, even in the middle of Winter."

~ Henry David Thoreau

Poet, professor, and gardener Stan Galloway takes Thoreau's sentiments to heart in his beautiful poem, "Winter Garden," which is just out now as a limited edition letterpress broadside from St Brigid Press. Savor these selected lines:

clouds purple where dusk and storm meet                                       glazed December snow pellets

I take the box from under the stairs                                               partial packets of last year's seeds

without a shovel or a line of string                                           start to garden, finger each envelope...

Galloway goes on to describe different kinds of seeds in this poem-dream, which inspired the Press' Emily Hancock to conjure them from carved blocks, then illumine them by hand-watercoloring each one.

The result is a lovely collaboration of word and image. Hancock hand-set the poem, letter by letter, in the historic Koch-Antiqua typeface, then printed poem and carving in dark grey ink on fawn-colored Stonehenge paper.

Last weekend, we were thrilled to be a part of the Bridgewater International Poetry Festival. Galloway, the festival's organizer, debuted the poem and broadside to the gathered on the first evening.

Each print, one of a limited edition of 80, is hand-numbered, double-matted with archival mats, backed with archival board, and safely encased in a clear archival bag. To read the poem in its entirety, scroll to the bottom of this page. To order, visit our secure online Store.

Warm your winter days with a print of Galloway's poem; let it dream you toward the light, the rising life, of spring.

All best to all,

St Brigid Press

THE POEM:

"Soundings" ~ a new book of haiku from St Brigid Press

We are pleased to announce the publication of Soundings, a new book of haiku by Emily Hancock. Inspired by the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where Hancock makes her home, this lovely book collects over 30 of her poems and 3 original linoleum block prints.

Designed, hand-set, letterpress printed, and hand-sewn here at the Press in a limited edition of 85 books. Pre-order a copy HERE; books will be shipped on November 10th.

If you are in the area, please join us for the official Book Launch Reception and Signing ~ this Friday, November 7th, at 5:30pm at Stone Soup Books (908 W. Main St., Waynesboro, Virginia).

With thanks, and all best!

St Brigid Press

New Book Forthcoming from St Brigid Press

Autumn Greetings, Friends!

We are pleased to announce a new book forthcoming from St Brigid Press in November:  Soundings, a collection of haiku by Emily Hancock, illustrated with three prints by the author.

Hancock has been published in various literary journals, including the Appalachian Journal and the Greensboro Review. This limited edition book will collect over thirty of her haiku, each a small meditation on being in nature and the nature of being, as well as three prints from her original block carvings.

All of the type is set by hand (in the historic Koch-Antiqua typeface), letterpress printed on beautiful Rives mould-made paper, and sewn with linen thread.

SAVE THE DATE!!! The official Book Launch for Soundings will take place on Friday, November 7th, at 5:30pm at Stone Soup Books and Cafe (Waynesboro, Virginia). Hancock will give a short reading and sign copies of the book, which may be purchased at that time from Stone Soup. Light refreshments will be provided, with dinner available from the cafe. Hope to see you there!

If you are out-of-the-area, you can pre-order the book now ~ click HERE (direct link to our secure online store). Books will be mailed out on November 10th.

With thanks, and all best,

St Brigid Press

We're Gettin' Personal

With personalized monogrammed coasters!

Here at St Brigid Press, we are honored to have a sweet collection of historic wood type, most of which was made between 1875 and 1910. So we thought this would be a great opportunity to show off the beauty of these vintage typefaces, while offering a new custom letterpress service!

The coasters are printed on 4"-round, extra-thick stock. They are durable, reusable, colorfast, and, when the last drip of Pinot Noir finally obscures the type, fully recyclable and biodegradable. In addition to the vintage wood type letter, each coaster is embellished with a gorgeous wood type decoration, featuring historic flower-and-leaf designs from the late 1800s.

In-stock coasters come in sets-of-6, printed in luscious deep green, and available direct from our Online STORE. Currently in-stock letters: A, B, C, G, H, N, R, and S.

Don't see your letter? Need a different color? Email us! We are happy to print custom orders of monogrammed coasters, journal covers, and stationery ~  stbrigidpress@gmail.com

With thanks, and all best from the Press,

St Brigid Press

For more information about the wonderful world of wood type, check out the Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum.

"Deep Peace..." Celtic Notecards

"DEEP PEACE  of the running waves to you

DEEP PEACE  of the flowing air to you

DEEP PEACE  of the shining stars to you

DEEP PEACE  of the quiet earth to you

DEEP PEACE  of the gentle night to you

DEEP PEACE  of the God of peace to you"

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Our roots are showing here at St Brigid Press. From our name to our green-themed color scheme, we don't mind sharing a bit of our Celtic lineage. Which is why we were honored to accept a commission for notecards featuring this ancient Irish blessing. From occasions of joy to expressions of sorrow, the gift of peace is always welcome.

Letterpress printed on our 100-year-old foot-treadled presses, these "Deep Peace" cards are made of thick, 100% cotton Holyoke Paper. The typeface is the beautiful "American Uncial," which was first designed in 1943 by Victor Hammer, and is resonant of millennia-old scripts. We hand-set each metal letter and space, and added lovely penline flourishes from the Dale Guild Type Foundry for ornament. Inks are oil-based and color-fast.

These "Deep Peace" cards are now available in our online STORE, as well as at Stone Soup Books and Cafe in Waynesboro, Virginia, in singles or packs-of-three (all with matching envelopes).

For whatever occasion, these notecards offer the beauty and peace of their heritage, along with the care and craft of their creation.

With thanks, and all best from the Press,

St Brigid Press

PS: Listen to Emily Hancock tell NPR's Martha Woodroof how St Brigid Press got its name: (48-second interview)

Summer News at the Press

(Yes, we think it's so lovely here that we just camp in the front yard.)  ;-)

Warm greetings, Friends!

We are entering the high, hot summer here in the Blue Ridge Mountains of central Virginia, and we've got many irons-in-the-fire at St Brigid Press. Our summer docket is jam-packed, and we wanted to give you a sneak peek at what's coming up ~

* We are in the early stages of the next broadside in our "Poetry in Translation" Series. (Learn more about this Series HERE.) Poet Jeff Schwaner will again be lending his translation skills to this project, rendering into English an 8th-century Chinese poem that will be a companion piece to "Sky Dream," the first production in the Series.

* Photographer James R. Plitt and the Press are teaming up to produce a limited-edition book that shares, in word and image, the beauty of Appalachian mountain creeks. Plitt's stunning color photography of the region will be paired with a moving original poem by Emily Hancock, letterpress printed and hand bound.

* Resident printer-poet Emily Hancock has three poems featured in the current issue of Appalachian Journal (Vol. 41, Nos. 1 & 2), published at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. For more information about that, click HERE. She is also at work finishing a small manuscript of haiku, which will be forthcoming from St Brigid Press in Fall 2014.

* If you missed the official air-time on June 6th, tune in to NPR-affiliate WMRA's interview with Emily Hancock HERE. It's a 9-minute piece produced by long-time NPR reporter and host Martha Woodroof, who speaks with Emily about St Brigid Press, bookbinding, letterpress printing, and poetry.

* Last but definitely not least, we are in the design and production phases of a host of new stationery items: cards, bookmarks, coasters, gift tags, postcards, and journals.

*WHEW!*  That's all for now ~ we'd better get back to work! We'll let you know as the above projects become available.

Until next time, all the best from the Press.

SBP

Twitter: @stbrigidpress   /   Facebook: www.facebook.com/StBrigidPress

"Sky Dream" ~ Poetry in Translation

Our new broadside series, "Poetry in Translation," highlights great literature from many places and many ages. We are excited to begin in ancient China, around 800 C.E., with the "ghostly genius" poet Li Ho.

His fabulous poem Sky Dream, translated here by Jeff Schwaner, looks at the moon (a "toad's eye," a "jade wheel") and at what the moon might see from its vantage point high above earth's beauty and trouble.

Our broadside, 10" square, was designed, hand-set in metal type, and letterpress printed here at St Brigid Press. The text is set in Bembo, a venerable typeface descended from 15th century Venetian originals, with title and author name in Garamond Italic. Sky Dream is printed upon tissue-thin Unryu paper, which literally means "Cloud Dragon Paper" and is made from the fibers of the kozo plant. The Unryu is backed by light grey Stonehenge paper, and framed by a night-sky-colored mat. This broadside was produced in a limited edition of 32 numbered copies. $15 each.

To order, please click HERE to enter our online store.

For more information about the poem, the poet, and the translator, please click HERE.

With thanks, and all best,

St Brigid Press