But we also did get in some bookbinding here and there.

Photo by Avelino

In June, we took a day to teach a bookmaking workshop to some Spanish exchange students. There are photos of that around somewhere, and we may get those posted someday, but in the meantime, here’s a photo of Arturo, the Spanish student that Avelino and I hosted. We thought he was pretty much the coolest kid ever.

In September, we had the opportunity to sell some books at a local craft fair. It was an entirely last minute effort, but we sold quite a few books and took a custom order for a few more.

In December, we started to make our yearly Christmas cards, but then got swept up in the rush of the holidays and promptly never finished them. *sad*

Hard to believe a year could be summed up so succinctly, but there it is. Although our 2011 was less than impressive, we’re looking forward to 2012. We’re hoping to dig up more time for bookiness, and we’re looking forward to exciting new ventures. In particular, Meredith was asked to teach a second section of the bookmaking class, Literary Publications, at UB. This is super exciting news, and she can’t wait to get started!

So here’s to a year of books and fun!

Now that we’re back from the holiday break and time spent visiting with family, I’m stewing about on some new ideas. I’m especially excited to get back into things because Avelino just finished building a fancy new hydraulic book press (he’s pretty much amazing that way). I’ve just loaded it up with a freshly sewn signature, and I can’t wait to use it for everything else.

January won’t be any slower than December was, what with trips to Kansas City and Costa Rica coming up in the next few weeks, but the UpDown crew is excited about the new year and all the bookmaking it holds. And, of course, we wish all of you much joy and wonder in 2011!

In other news, I got word from Charlotte Elliott that we’ve sold a few more journals. Yay for books finding homes! Now, off I go to the studio to keep working on those custom orders, as well as a few more tiny book ornaments.

Journals and photo albums make great gifts, and we still have a limited number of slots available for custom orders. If you’re interested, contact us at updownbindery@gmail.com before December 10th (to allow time for production and shipping). Gift wrapping available if you’d like us to ship directly to the recipient.

I’m sending many happy and appreciative thoughts out to that man, wherever he may be now, as well as the other wonderful folks who were so gracious as to give a couple of our books a home. Happy writing!

One of my favorite things about book binding is watching paper and board and glue and thread transform into the finished product–that amazing shift from piece to whole is breath taking. And that’s usually where I stop thinking about it, but today I got to see the display turn our books from simple journals into a collected whole, which was amazing.

I am extra thankful to the folks at Charlotte Elliott for their genuine enthusiasm for our work. It’s nice doing business with real people who clearly love books and are able to see the artistry and time that go in to these pieces. I also feel they deserve special recognition for the attention they are willing to give to this small press–in a bigger store, it’s highly unlikely we’d get a dedicated display, much less one so nice. The books look so at home on those library steps, nuzzling up to one another. It was nice, too, to see that they had included a book on journaling in the display, as a way to encourage would-be writers in their pursuit of self-reflection.

All in all, it’s been a busy month. I’ve made about 40 books for Charlotte Elliott, in addition to teaching and my work at UMBC. I’m ready to slow down the pace a bit as we move into the holidays and spend some time with family. In spite of my need for  a bit of rest, I’m still scheming away on what will come next (a bound Abecedarium, book ornaments, and a couple custom orders that need my attention), and I’m incredibly thankful for how fortunate this fledgling press has been to land in such a wonderful place.

So, if you have a moment, come and visit Charlotte Elliott in Hampden and take a look at all their wonderful wares. And be sure to say hello to our books–even if you don’t find one to take home with you, I promise they’ll appreciate the visitors.

See more on Flickr.

Charlotte Elliott is a wonderful store chock-a-block with fantastic antiques and vintage clothing, books, and jewelry. I’m a frequent shopper–I can always find a least 1 or 2 or 10 beautiful old books to add to my collection. A few weeks ago, by chance, the proprietor and I struck up a conversation about my book collecting. I explained that my collecting was only a small facet of my relationship with books, and I rambled on about loving to read and write and make books. Thank goodness for my rambling, because the owner jumped in and said they had been looking to sell original, handmade journals and would I like to bring some by in a few weeks?

Of course I said yes, and today I dropped off 15 handmade journals. They’ve asked me to make and bring more, and they’ll be making a special display for the books. I’m so excited, and already my brain is running on high speed to come up with more ideas for books. The pick of today’s litter is a journal I just finished using an anatomical transparency from an old biology textbook (photo above). You can see some photos of it and my other recent pieces on my Flickr page.

As you are surely aware at this point (because I haven’t stopped talking about it for almost a month), my thesis project required me to write, design, and hand-make a book. It’s been quite a learning process, but I’m mostly done, with 30 copies just waiting to be hauled to the reading this Friday.

I plan on sharing the “making of” the book in a later post, but for now, The Mockingbird’s Song by the numbers:

• 3 years of writing
• 39 poems
• 30 copies (in a run that I may extend to 40, depending on interest)
• 15 pads of 14×7 drawing paper cut into 600 pages
• 3 pots of glue
• 10 brushes totally destroyed
• 1,440 inches of linen thread
• 1 handpainted water color egg

More photos of the book can be found on my flickr site.

The Details

On May 7, 2010, I will present and sell my MFA thesis project, a book of poetry I have written, designed, and handmade, at a public reading.

On May 16, 2010, I will graduate from the University of Baltimore with a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts. After three years of honing my writing skills and learning book arts and design, they’re ready to set me free.

Why am I telling you?

Because I hope that you’ll be able to join me as I celebrate this achievement. If you’re local and you’d like to come out for the reading at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 7, I’d love to see you there (email me for directions/details).

And while I’m only allowed five guests at the graduation ceremony, we’re having a party at my house afterward. If you can make it, we’d be thrilled. That’ll be Sunday, May 16, at 4:30 p.m. (invitation to follow with location). If you’re from out of town, no worries. Just send some happy thoughts my way. It means so much to me just to know you’re thinking of me on my special day.

A month or two ago, Mary Banks, a classmate of mine from the University of Baltimore, contacted me. She was writing for Indiestry and wanted to know if I would be willing to be profiled. I was honored and surprised (I must admit that I often think of this little venture as more hobby than business, and I assumed the world did, too)–it was nice to get some validation for all the work we’ve been putting in. It was also a confirmation that we’re moving into something more sophisticated than we’ve ever done before.

The article is wonderful, and I owe Mary a great deal of thanks for making UpDown look so good. If you’re interested, you can read the full story here. I encourage you to check out the rest of the stories in this issue (themed “Rebirth”), as well as the site in its entirety.