The Poplar Tree editions Warm greetings from the Blue Ridge of Virginia!

The New Year has already brought much work and excitement here at St Brigid Press. On New Year's Day itself, I moved into the little room at the Penland School of Crafts (in the mountains of North Carolina) that would be my home-away-from-home for the next two weeks. I had been notified last autumn of my acceptance to Penland's 2013 Winter Residency in Letterpress Printing. At their wonderfully equipped printing studio, I had the honor of studying letterpress and hand bookbinding with Master Printer Rory Sparks of Em Space Book Arts Center in Portland, Oregon. My three fellow residents and I spent an intense fortnight bringing to fruition the project-proposals we had submitted with our applications. We had very little sleep, but a whole lot of fun! The experience was tremendous, and I came home with new skills and confidence in this art.

I also came home having published a book -- "The Poplar Tree." It is a small, limited edition volume, the centerpiece of which is a poetic meditation upon trees. I had been working on this short essay for some time, and it seemed a good fit for the letterpress process. All of the text is set by hand using historic typefaces and printed on a cylinder proof press. The binding is hand-sewn with linen thread. It was a joy to create, and I hope it may bring joy to those who experience it.

Of an edition of forty books, twenty are now for sale at $12 each. "The Poplar Tree" is available in the St Brigid Press Store (with additional pictures). If you are in the greater Augusta/Nelson County area of Virginia, please contact Emily directly for purchase.

Photos from my time at Penland School of Crafts may be seen <here>.

Blessings and best wishes to all in 2013!

Emily

Printing "The Poplar Tree"

Title page of "The Poplar Tree"

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