News from St Brigid Press for May, 2015

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Mira, the Shop Dog, watching over her Princess-dom in the May evening light.

Warm greetings from the Press!

Forgive our "radio silence" for the past few months ~ we have been hard at work, finishing several commissions and, as you will see, completely revamping our website. We're just now coming up for some beautiful Spring air, and wanted to take a moment to let you know about some of the irons currently in the fire here.

Bookbinding:

One of our Spring projects has been to expand our selection of hand-bound blank books, as well as our repertoire of binding styles. For the past couple of weeks, Emily has had great fun learning a type of Asian side-bound (or stab-bound) book called "Kangxi." It hails originally from China, where it was developed to honor one of the first Qing Dynasty emperors:

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Poetry Chapbook:

Forthcoming in the autumn of 2015 will be a new collection of poems by Emily Hancock. We are in the early stages of designing the book format, settling on a typeface, and making decisions about paper. Here's a sneak-peek at the beautiful "water drops" silk-screen printed mulberry paper from Thailand that will be the cover:

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Etcetera, etcetera, and so forth!

In between and around the larger book projects, we're continually having fun creating coasters, journals, a new line of Blue Ridge notecards, calling cards, and the like. Let us know if you'd like us to handcraft something just for you, from personalized stationery to business cards!

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Happy beautiful spring days to you 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:

The Holiday Table

Greetings, Friends,

We hope you all had a safe and peaceful Thanksgiving! Our table here was ringed with joyful spirits and filled with beautiful bounty.

'Tis the season for many things, especially Gratitude, and as we approach the two-year anniversary of St Brigid Press, we are aware of so many blessings: dear friends made, serendipitous connections with printers and bookmakers across the world, the joy of spending the days making things by hand, much learning about antique machinery and practices(!!!), and the amazing support of friends and family and the support of those who have taken a bit of what we've made home with them.

To all of you we say a deep-hearted THANK YOU. May your holy seasons be filled with peace and warmth, and may a centerpiece of every table be gratitude.

All our best,

St Brigid Press

Local Artist Check-in: Emily Hancock

Hello, Friends! We were honored to be interviewed by Raennah Lorne of C-ville Niche Magazine a few days ago. Enjoy!

St Brigid Press

Move over Gutenberg: Carved movable type from China

Fascinating account of the ancient movable-type tradition in China! From Ramble's author, David George Haskell:

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

October News from the Press

Greetings, All, and Happy Autumn :-) We are honored and excited to let you know about this event St Brigid Press is participating in at The Barn Swallow Artisan Gallery, taking place this coming Sunday, October 5th! Full details below, courtesy of Barn Swallow artists/owners Janice Arone and Mary Ann Burk.

Save the date, and we'll see you there!

All best,

St Brigid Press

Celebrate fall with a new art exhibit at the Barn Swallow!

Fledging, Flourishing, and Falling Prints, Books, and Words influenced by nature

Works by Lotta Helleberg, Emily Hancock, and Lana Lambert

October 2 – October 31, 2014, The Barn Swallow Opening reception and artist demonstrations October 5, 2014, 1 – 3 pm

Three printmakers showcase their nature-influenced work at the Barn Swallow this upcoming month. Lotta Helleberg will display naturally dyed and eco-printed textiles, artist books, and journals. Emily Hancock will bring hand-typeset and letterpress printed poems and other texts, as well as hand-bound journals. Lana Lambert will exhibit intricate Japanese woodblock prints.

Please join us for an opening reception on Sunday, October 5, 2014, from 1 – 3 pm. The artists will offer demonstrations of traditional typesetting, Moku Hanga block printing, and simple book binding techniques.

We are also happy to announce that starting on October 14, we will extend our opening hours to Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am – 5 pm, and Sunday 12 – 5 pm.

Hope to see you at the Barn! Janice Arone and Mary Ann Burk

THE BARN SWALLOW, Artisan Gallery 796 Gillums Ridge Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903 Hours: Thursday – Saturday, 10 am – 5 pm, Sunday 12 – 5 pm 434-979-4884, barnswallow@comcast.net www.thebarnswallow.com Copyright © 2014 The Barn Swallow. All rights reserved.

"O, the places you'll go…" for great arts and crafts!

Here in the Central Blue Ridge region of Virginia, we are blessed to have an array of wonderful galleries and shops that curate and highlight the rich, diverse art and craft being made here. From pottery to book arts, painting to textiles, wood turning, jewelry, and much more, there is a veritable cornucopia of handmade beauty to explore.

Including, we must say, lovely letterpress printed items ;-)

St Brigid Press is fortunate to be included in the artisan offerings at a number of fine establishments. We thought we'd share their info, so the next time you're looking for art or crafts for your home or for giving, stop by and see what awaits!

Not in the area? No problem. Many of these shops ship anywhere in the world.

All best to all,

St Brigid Press

* Click on the gallery and shop names below (in green) to be directed to their website *

The Barn Swallow Artisan Gallery

More than 80 artists' work, including pottery and glass and fabrics, curated by Mary Ann Burk and Janice Arone and beautifully displayed in an early-1800s barn near Charlottesville, Virginia.

The Barker Gallery of Staunton

The area's newest fine art gallery, founded and curated by artist David Barker, featuring the work of Ann Deutermann, Sharon Morris Kincheloe, William Bishop, and many more in a gorgeous loft in Staunton's historic Wharf District.

Stone Soup Books and Cafe

Wonderful collection of books (used, new, and vintage), homemade locally-sourced food (soups, salads, sandwiches), beautiful gardens, and artisan goods ~ all tucked into a 1895 farmhouse in Waynesboro.

The Market at a.m.FOG

Food is an art and a craft, too! This new market, located in Afton, offers a wide selection of local organic fruits, veggies, meats, and now artisan goods from jewelry and painting to iron-work.

Black Swan Books and Music

Excellent stock of used and vintage books and vinyl records, including local/regional authors' works and regular live music events, in a great location in Staunton's historic Beverley Street shopping and dining district.

Barrister Books

Thousands of excellent used and rare books, curated by Anthony Baker, in a sweet little shop near Staunton's historic courthouse. On display currently: miniature hand-made books from the Virginia Arts of the Book Center.

The Sacred Circle

"Enlighten the mind, nurture the spirit," is this shop's motto, and they live up to it with a space packed with handmade fair-trade artisan gifts from around the world ~ books, CDs, wood crafts, jewelry, and much more.

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

St Brigid Press on Public Radio!

Greetings, Friends,

Last week, I had the honor and pleasure of being interviewed by regional NPR reporter and producer Martha Woodroof. For several years now, Woodroof has been talking with folks in our area (the Shenandoah Valley and central Blue Ridge of Virginia) who are creatively engaged with the world ~ from musicians to sculptors to computer programmers ~ and sharing these conversations with her public radio listeners on NPR-affiliate WMRA.

The weekly 10-minute show is called "The Spark," and Woodroof's piece on St Brigid Press will air this Friday, June 6th, at 6:20pm in our area. The interview will also be available to listen to online after Friday, at the following address: [embed]http://wmra.org/programs/spark[/embed]

In the meantime, check out the promo that is up on "The Spark" page ~ it includes a slideshow of the St Brigid Press shop.

Woodroof and I had great fun talking about all things printing, bookbinding, and poetry. Hope you enjoy listening!

All best from the Press,

Emily Hancock