Tag Archives: Chad Pastotnik

A keepsake for Diana Gabaldon

01 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by in Broadsides, ephemera, Letterpress, Printing, Traverse City National Writers Series Authors

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Diana Gabaldon

Last fall I started doing occasional ephemeral printing for the National Writers Series and started with a poem for Nikki Giovanni. Now, with very short notice, I’ve received the “go ahead” from Diana Gabaldon’s publishers to do something for her evening of conversation at the Traverse City Opera House with the NWS.

But I only have 7 days to do it. Ah well, deadlines are fun, right? Right?

Diana’s famed series began in 1991 with her first novel, Outlander, which became a wildly popular historical, sci-fi, adventure, romance, non-fiction, and fantasy series. Readers have been hanging on the edge of their seats ever since for the next thrilling installment of Claire and Jamie’s story. The seven book series has sold more than 20 million copies and a television series based on the Outlander series is currently filming and will premiere on Starz network later this year.

So here’s the deal, apparently I can pretty much use any of Diana’s writing that I want but I’ve not read her books. (sorry) My wife is a big fan, many other good friends too so I know some of the story – one thing I recall is that the heroine hooks up with a printer at some point in time which, obviously, piques my interest. So here it is from Voyager, book three in the Outlander series:

 

It was a longish, winding close, and the printshop was at the foot. There were thriving businesses and tenements on either side, but I had no attention to spare for anything beyond the neat white sign that hung by the door.

A. Malcolm

Printer and Bookseller

It said beneath this, Books, calling cards, pamphlets, broadsheets, letters, etc.

I stretched out my hand and touched the black letters of the name. A. Malcolm. Alexander Malcolm. James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser. Perhaps.

 

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What do you think? Captures enough of the essence of the series to be a memorable little bit with the first reunion between Jamie and Claire? Do you have a better suggestion? I need it quick to start playing with type and composition!

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The Traverse City National Writers Series was started back in 2009. Since its inception over 70 writers of note from around the world have come to Northern Michigan to give readings in the Traverse City Opera House, meet the local book culture and perhaps ingest enough of our region to spark their imaginations in other creative ways. On July 7th Diana Gabaldon will have a conversation with a host and talk about her book series and then, of course, you can buy her books, chat a little and, if you’re lucky, get something signed. As a bonus for buying a book on this evening you will receive a copy of the little broadside I am making for Diana and the NWS in an edition of no more than 100.

 

The Mad Angler Poems – trout, ink and paper

28 Saturday Jun 2014

Posted by in Book Bindings, Books, Letterpress, Printing, The Mad Angler Poems, The Mad Angler's Manifesto, Trout

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I’m happy to announce the arrival of The Mad Angler Poems, the latest book of verse by Michael Delp produced here at Deep Wood Press. Twenty four poems accompanied by 5 hand colored wood engravings by Chad Pastotnik and an introduction by Jack Driscoll.

Ever since last falls release of Mike’s poem The Mad Angler’s Manifesto which I produced as a large broadside I have been working on this updated and complete body of poems that embodies the habitat of trout as sacred places and the defilement, which is man, of the balance of nature. While the theme may be angling, trout specific and a little angry these poems transcend the niche and are just as much about how we interact with the natural world and the compromises and justifications we make to do it. Most often this is also done with coyote charm and devilish delight – excerpted from The Mad Angler Speaks Truth to Power:

I say that water is better than money,
something wet and smooth to be taken in and coveted.
I say that long ago we spoke to water and it spoke back.

Water is a form of being saved, lying down,
something wise in our cells seeking gradients,
places to run and places to rest.
I claim that once, in a dream, I walked on water.
Storms came.
I entered the clouds and when I came back down,
I spit the truth.

Michael Delp is a writer of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction whose works have appeared in numerous national publications. He is the author of the following five books from Wayne State University Press – Over the Graves of Horses (1989), Under the Influence of Water (1992), The Coast of Nowhere (1997), The Last Good Water (2003), and As If We Were Prey (2010) in addition to six chapbooks of poetry and being the co-editor of the Made In Michigan book series from Wayne State University Press. He taught creative writing at the Interlochen Arts Academy, has twice been the winner of the Passages North/NEH Poetry Competition, and has won a PEN Syndicated Fiction Award.

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The regular edition is quarter-bound with a brown Harmatan Moroccan goat with a cotton/linen Asahi book cloth. Gold title on spine with a varnished panel on the cover cloth overprinted with the brown drake fly wood engraving and Hahnemuhle Bugra in mocha colored flyleaves back up the book blocks which are hand sewn on straps. The book is composed in 11 and 14pt  Janson with Garamond in display sizes and printed in 2 colors on Magnani Revere Book cotton 120gsm paper. 8 7/8 x 6 7/8 x 1/2 inches, 33 pages.

Edition of 71 books, the first 5 are reserved for the deluxe edition and one special copy for the author. Signed, numbered and available for purchase on the Deep Wood Press website for $350.00.

from The Prayer of The Mad Angler:

“I pray that the water in the heart of Jesus might wash away the sins of fools who erect dams, channel rivers, build levies
and create false cataracts in the lobbies of hotels.

I pray for eddies, backwaters, the slow places where current cannot find its way and I pray for shallow riffles where gravel churns up new words constantly,
the river a book spoken in all kinds of weather.”