A dream ... about stories. Or rather, a dream about books.
When I was six years old I used to make my own books. Mostly they were Halloween stories, because I really liked Halloween. Being that I was only six, my plot lines were not too advanced. "A ghost and a witch and a skeleton were friends, and they hiked up to a haunted mansion," and so on. Nor were the books very well-made objects: construction paper covers, lined paper folded to make the guts, finished with a few staples along the spine. But I got the greatest enjoyment from making these tiny volumes, re-reading them, flipping through their rough-bound pages. The book as an object held me fascinated.
These were the first stirrings of my love affair with tomes, and my first grasp at the simple and powerful mechanism of printing. You put some ideas down on paper, you fold the paper into a book and it becomes portable, a little carrying-case for thought. Even when blank, the notebook has a fresh feeling, the magic of possibility, with all those pages waiting to hold characters, drawings, secrets.
Later comics, and then zines, drew my teenage interest. Zine makers clearly capture the passion to share an idea, be it instructional screen printing or political rant. The authors use their time and hands to craft hundreds of volumes, each detailed one a small piece of art. They are carried out to local bookstores or coffee shops and into the hands of others, who absorb their contents.
I realized young that I wanted to be a part of that whole process, and still do. I have read voraciously, written all variety of stories for newspapers and magazines and blogs (and for myself), played with words in rhyming notebook rambles never intended for reading. I have shipped and collected books, stacked them tall along my wall, taped their pages into paper chains strung across my studio. The love affair continues.
In 2011, now 35 years old, I am founding Bluebird Books.
It is part vintage bookstore and part mobile art house. It is locomotive and emotive. A place to learn about bookmaking. A passion for words and ideas, illustrations and the book-as-art, put on four big bus wheels and headed your way. Stay tuned.
Considering I'm in the e-book biz, I've got a front-row seat to witness the rapid disappearance of the print book. As I become more eco-friendly, this concept appeals to me. As a lifelong lover of the feel, the sound, the smell of print books...the sight of old, cracked spines on my shelves...the concept breaks my heart. Good on ya, Mitz. And good travels!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. I feel those same conflicts at times, the old versus the new. It's an interesting journey, and hard to know where this might lead. Printed matter is something I feel compelled to hold on to and preserve. I hope I can make these ideas as successful in reality as they are in my heart.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing better than walking into a book store and taking a deep breath. I love books! The way they smell, the way the feel in your hands, and the stories they hold. Follow your dreams and you will be amazed at where they will take you! I am looking forward to tagging along on your journey. Who knows, perhaps one day soon my journey and yours will cross paths at Bluebird Books.
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