02 May 2008

Book arts.

When I was a wee undergraduate, Thylias Moss had us make chapbooks at the end of the semester. It's a tradition I keep in my advanced undergrad and grad workshops. I think it's nice to have some kind of commemorative artifact at the end of the semester. Some folks give them to their relatives. I never gave one to a relative.

Here's a glimpse at what some of my undergrads did. You'll note that one chapbook, by Joe Iselin, is printed on t-shirt remnants and bound in cardboard with electrical tape. The other two chapbooks are by Tara Kaloz and Dave Mullen. Nice job, guys!


Tonight is the first of our two graduation readings, and I just realized I didn't use waterproof mascara this morning. At least I have many hours of bill paying, grocery shopping, and house straightening between then and now. And I don't think I'll wear these jeans and flipflops to the event.

Thunderstorm out there today. I love a good thunderstorm (though there are better times than 9 am on a busy Friday morning).

3 comments:

Jay Robinson said...

Worthington once performed Lear wearing a costume composed of t-shirts rendered into chapbooks. The result was a melee!

marybid said...

Oh yeah? Well, LuLu Barnes performed the role of Cordelia in the stacks of the grad library at the University of Michigan, clad in nothing but vellum broadside remnants. The result was a spewing black pool of emotions!

Matthew Thorburn said...

Hey, I remember making those chapbooks for Thylias! That's a great tradition to carry on with your students.

Charleston gratitude and overdue update

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