Read This Out Loud

This page is a work in progress. READ THIS OUT LOUD is a downloadable book template available for anyone to use. Make as many copies of this book as you can and disperse them in your community. If you sell copies of this book, all proceeds from the sale should go towards Black Lives Matter.

Links to downloads and video demonstrations below.

ABOUT THIS BOOK
This book was designed by Big Jump Press in June 2020 in response to the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor. With help from friends and colleagues, this book will be distributed for free around my community. If you wish to participate, download the templates and watch the demonstrations below.

At least 1,944 Black people were killed by police between 2013 and 2019. At least 335 of those people were unarmed. This list of names was compiled by MappingPoliceViolence.org using data from FatalEncounters.org, the US Police Shootings Database, and KilledbyPolice.net. A police killing is defined by Mapping Police Violence as “a case where a person dies as a result of being shot, beaten, restrained, intentionally hit by a police vehicle, pepper sprayed, tasered, or otherwise harmed by police officers, whether on-duty or off-duty.”

From Mapping Police Violence: “Law enforcement agencies across the country have failed to provide us with even basic information about the lives they have taken. And while the recently signed Death in Custody Reporting Act mandates this data be reported, its unclear whether police departments will actually comply with this mandate and, even if they do decide to report this information, it could be several years before the data is fully collected, compiled and made public.”

Tools you will need:
scissors
craft knife (or box cutter)
ruler
needle
pushpin
dental floss
large paperclip
A cutting mat is very helpful

Downloadable PDF of the book
This document can be printed double sided on ten sheets of copy paper. Video demonstrations of the binding process can be found below.  Please check this site for updates. download link: https://bigjumppress.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/readthisoutloudtemplate.pdf.zip

A4 Size PDF of the book for people outside the US

8.5 x 11″ Template for two covers to save paper

Sewing diagram
This diagram for the french web sewing should accompany the sewing demonstration below.  Download link: https://bigjumppress.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/readthisoutlouddiagram.pdf.zip

Demonstration #1:
How to trim and collate your printed sheets sections ready for binding

Demonstration #2
How to punch holes in your sections and prepare for sewing

Demonstration #3
Sewing the book. This is best followed with the diagram for the French Web (above).

Demonstration #4: Attaching the covers

If you have benefited from these demonstrations or have received a copy of the book for free, and you are able to do so, please make a donation towards an organization working for social justice in your community.

I recognize that making books and donations is only is a place to begin. We should all be looking for ways to work for social justice, including supporting Black artists and Black-owned businesses, and working to make substantive changes in our own workplaces and communities. Also, check out this excellent project by students at Scripps College: Of Color: Race & Identity in Artists’ Books (Thank you Tia Blassingame of Primrose Press for the link via the Book Arts Listserve)

In designing this book I wanted to provide a pathway for myself and others to raise money for Black Lives Matter and other organizations devoted to social justice as well as call attention to the sheer numbers of Black individuals who have been killed by police in recent years. In reading pieces like Shessa Garbut’s post on Medium.com Black Lives Matter is Not a Design Challenge  I realize that I may be falling into the same trap as many other well meaning White people responding to a lived experience that we cannot properly understand. I am also making efforts in other areas, from examining my teaching habits, making personal donations to several organizations, and trying to educate myself. I hope that the benefits of this project will outweigh any of my missteps.