The first thing to do was editing. Now, I haven’t been specifically trained in editing poetry—it’s not one of my specialities, as I stick more to fiction—but all that was really needed for this chapbook was fixing a few typos. Carla and I discussed the form and function of the poems, and while most were standard, a few had some special spacing, which I accounted for. When discussing the design, we spoke of wanting to incorporate some of Carla’s own artwork, mostly sourced from her website, with a unique sketch for the cover.

I then set to work digitally designing the book, and once we were happy, I began printing. I actually got the main process of printing, folding, and trimming done early, and I stitched one of the books (with the chain stitch method), before leaving the other 99 to sit to the side while other work became the priority.

Read Bill Arnott’s review on Miramichi Reader!

We chose the chain stitch because, of the three chapbook binding methods available, we liked it best. The poems are elegant, and I find the chain stitch method to be more intricate than saddle stitch, which matched well with the poems. The fonts we chose are more environmentally friendly and were chosen specifically because of this.

In the pictures below, you can see my progress, printing on quality ivory Strathmore woven paper and white cardstock. I used multiple colours of waxed embroidery floss; there are about five of each colour. All of the colours chosen are either neutral, or they match with one of the coloured images of Carla’s artwork. The middle of the book doesn’t have any images, so the colours don’t clash, which is nice.

We’re also hoping to host an in-person event at the Joy Kogawa House in June! Stay tuned for more information.