Hello, Milwaukee. Nice books!
Last Tuesday I voted, got on a plane, and immediately found myself in a room full of artists’ books. Max Yela, my gracious host at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, brought me straight to the library from the airport and invited me to be a fly on the wall as he talked to a group of graduate writing students. The tables were heavy with books, and we wandered through, paging through spectacular work and taking photos to show our friends and family. Do you want to see some books? I hope so because that is pretty much what this post is all about. Above: Wild Girls Redux from Ellen Knudson at Crooked Letter Press.
Aunt Sallie’s Lament from Claire Van Vliet at Janus Press
Quintessential Questions from Jody Williams of Flying Paper Press.
Atlas of Punctuation from Heidi Neilson. This book condenses all of the end punctuation in familiar books and presents it on the page as if you are looking through the book.
Below: all of the punctuation from Edwin Abbott’s Flatland
I Want a Prenup from Petra Press. Petra Press is her name! Her name!
Letter Home from Karen Hanmer
A Humument: A Treated Victorian Novel by Tom Phillips
Dear Johnny, a crazed obsessive one page book letter to Johnny Depp from one of Max’s students.
Deeply Honored from Fred Hagstrom of Strong Silent Type Press
The Well at Worlds End by William Morris of Kelmscott Press (!)
John Milton’s Paradise Lost from Golden Cockerel Press (Lettering and typography from Eric Gill)
In addition to unleashing us in this glorious book petting zoo, Max also demonstrated some one page book structures. Below: my first flexagon!
The last few days were spent teaching book structures to students at UW-Whitewater. Tomorrow: a visit to UW-Stevens Point? Or, possibly, staying in bed. Today I have been debilitated by a surprise illness that I chalk up to non stop running around plus planes. Cross your fingers for me.
2 comments on “Hello, Milwaukee. Nice books!”
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Big Jump Press 
Glorious. How can you bear standing near to such? Glad to see a few familiar names.
Is the Little Dutch Girl (Van Vliet) still clogging along in her wooden shoes? She did a workshop at UAlabama, you know.
So glad you enjoyed the collection. Love your description of it as Max’sclasses petting zoo! Perfect !