A Fiend-ish token
Remember the poll I ran a while ago, asking folks to weigh in on which design I should use for a special bookmark for FIEND?
Earlier this month I was at the Frederick Book Arts Center (FBAC) in Frederick, Maryland to make that very bookmark!
This whole thing came about through Marlene and Tom England, owners of Curious Iguana bookstore and Dancing Bear toy store in Frederick (as well as Wordplay, in Wardensville, WV). Curious Iguana has taken to holding its book events outside the store due to space constraints, and Marlene asked if I thought the FBAC might be a good place to hold our event. Then we brainstormed about how do more with the venue, and the idea for the bookmark was born.
I’ve always loved letterpress. I’ve loved all kinds of printing, actually, from the mimeos we used to get in grade school to silk screen, which I did quite a bit in high school. Letterpress always stood apart for me: so elegant, plus it required special equipment, too, big machines. I always hoped I’d be able to try it one day but never thought it would actually happen.
If you live in the Frederick area, I highly recommend a visit to FBAC. They run workshops and give private lessons and you can use their equipment for your printing projects. And, as I said, we’ll be holding the event in their space, which is filled with printing memorabilia.
For the bookmark design, I used the font closest to what’s on the book cover and added a piece of vintage art that I find fitting to the story. I have a stamp of the laughing devil which I plan to use at live book signings, too (you’ll actually have a choice of two devil designs.) The card stock is lush and heavy without being too cloth-like. We’re all super pleased with how it turned out.
Bookplates will go to pre-orders, along with a few other goodies. I’m waiting on the bookplates but once they’re in I’ll let everyone know how to get theirs (while supplies last).
MANY THANKS to Casey, FBAC’s director, and Eric, studio director, for making my design work out and for making the whole thing so much fun! And of course, big thanks to Marlene and Tom for agreeing to my little scheme, and special thanks to Tom for taking a long turn at the press to give my arms a break.
RECOMMENDATIONS: If you like travel shows, I have two for you. Long Way Home (Apple+) is the latest installment of the long motorcycle trips taken by pals actor Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. This time, they’re touring Europe on vintage bikes. There are lots of stops, making it more travel show than motorcycle show, and besides, it’s sweet to see how their relationship has maintained since the first installment (Long Way Round, in 2004).
The second is Travel Man, which you can see a variety of places (Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, and we watch on YouTube). British comic/director Richard Ayoade spends 48 hours in a variety of cities, accompanied by another comic. The series was filmed in 2015, so not current, but every one we’ve seen has been entertaining and scratches the itch to travel.
As for books, for me lately it’s been to blurb books that won’t come out for months, so I won’t annoy you. I will mention thriller writer Andi Bartz’ latest, The Last Ferry Out, which just came out. I haven’t had the chance to read it yet, but Andi never fails to deliver.
I never thought I’d be on a podcast talking about a part of Star Wars, but I recently had the opportunity to talk all things ANDOR with David Agranoff, Issa Diao, and David Woken. If you’re into the show you might enjoy it, but be warned: it’s all spoilers.
We are watching Long Way Home! As avid motorcyclist we have loved these shows. So nice to see Ewan and Charlie back on the road!
That is so neat!