Now Available: Small Patches of Land

New project! Small Patches of Land is a collaboration with Katie Baldwin that began, long ago, as an interest in seed banks. In the intervening years, this book evolved into the story of a saved Alabama Blue Collard Seed, and the intertwining narratives of two women farmers in Alabama. I’ll have this book, and many others, at the Codex International Book Fair and Symposium in Oakland this weekend, table 76.

Small Patches of Land was designed and produced in Alabama by Katie Baldwin and Sarah Bryant between 2024 and 2026. The text for this book evolved from interviews with Margaret Ann Snow and Jean Mills conducted in the summer of 2025. Imagery originated from photographs of collard plants taken at Snow’s Bend Farm and microscopic imaging of seeds harvested by Margaret Ann Snow in spring of 2025. Soil maps and additional language were found in Soil Survey of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, issued in August 1981 from The United States Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service and Forest Service. You can view a handling video here.

Jean Mills and her partner Carol Eichelberger founded Tuscaloosa CSA, the first community-supported agriculture farm in Alabama, in 1990. In the years that followed, they shared their crops, expertise, and commitment to organic farming with an expanding community in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and a national network of organic farmers. Mills and Eichelberger taught courses in organic farming at The University of Alabama and operated their farm out of Coker until they closed in 2006 after Carol was diagnosed with Huntington’s Chorea. They relocated to California in 2017.

Margaret Ann Snow founded Snow’s Bend Farm with her partner David Snow in 2004. Snow’s Bend grows a variety of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and cut flowers using organic practices. Snow’s writings on farming have been published in Gravy from Southern Foodways Alliance, Gastronomica:The Journal for Food Studies, and Tributaries from the Alabama Folklore Association. Snow is currently working on a Masters of Science in Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences through Auburn University, coupling her experiences as a farmer with scientific research.

Text for this book is set in Arno, designed by Robert Slimbach, and Myriad, designed by Robert Slimbach and Carol Twombly. Imagery was printed on an etching press and a Vandercook proof press using masonite, polymer, birch plywood, and fabric. Colors for this project were matched to Margaret Ann’s collards, harvested in the spring of 2025. Grays were printed with crushed graphite ink. Materials include Pansion paper, and Asahi Natural Linen bookcloth.

19 x 25 inches when open
Edition of 25
$2800/$2500 if ordered prior to March 2026

If you are interested in adding this book to your collection, you can order a copy here.

With deep gratitude to Margaret Ann Snow and Jean Mills for sharing their stories with us,

Katie Baldwin & Sarah Bryant
Huntsville & Tuscaloosa, 2026