the raw materials

A new Pania Press project is brewing - two in fact, and I'm hugely looking forward to getting busy crafting again after a busy semester of teaching. I've been invited to present a paper on bijou publishing at the Art + Book Symposium, which is taking place in October as part of the Dunedin Festival of Art. You can click on the link above for details. 

I'll be talking about two new publications from Pania Press, the first of which is a poem by Michele Leggott called "matapouri". I've had the poem printed on unbleached cotton, and I'll be using the stash of vintage flags (above) that I found in the basement (aka the treasure trove) for decorative details.

The use of flags in the design is not purely decorative. You'll see that the first stanza of the poem makes reference to a figure on a flag hanging on an orange wall. The work being referred to is the flag poem "Macoute" by Leigh Davis, which Michele saw hanging in Davis's Matapouri home. You can see a selection of Davis's flag poems by clicking on the link.

I've started playing around with the design and I'll have more to show you soon.

It's mighty nice to be back! Have a lovely weekend.