ask and ye shall recieve

Our first ever DGP Subscription offer for 2008!
details here.

I will also be hosting some drawings and giving away some free titles from THIS year next week, so stay tuned...

tomorrow night

It took some finagling and I possibly had to kill someone and turn over my first born, but I landed my first ever etsy treasury last night (a nifty feature where you get to pick all sort of pretty things and other people can look at it for you non-etsy addicts..) This one is pink and Christmasy, but I want to do a poetry one next time I can nab one. But for now you can peruse some of the folks I'd put in it here, here, here, here, here and here.

Whenever it starts to get toward the end of the year I always feel this sudden, urgent need to take stock. The same thing happens around my birthday in a similar way, but at the end of the year I like to start planning what I want to do in the next year and figure out what steps I need to take to get there…Admittedly, it’s been a pretty awesome year in the writing arena…a lot of journals I’d been knocking on doors at for awhile finally wanted to publish something. feign was released by New Michigan in February, two other chap projects out over the summer, including the four years in the making Cornell thing. Plus finishing my MFA, another four year saga. Three issues of wicked alice put out, 14 chapbooks for dgp, plus some really good exposure for the endeavor and now its own studio space with Atelier, something which I didn’t really have any long range plans for, but something that just sort of delightfully happened in the span of a couple months. Plus the expansion of our etsy store with more visual art and design stuff, which is just a lot of fun for me personally…

Next year, of course there will be more chaps, and the epistolary project, which I’m way excited about. Plus Robyn’s full-length book, the Poetry Center Juried chap, and hopefully some broadsides. Sometime in the next few months in the bird museum, will be done and available. (still working on layout logistics with Susana..) and Lauren and I plan on doing another collaborative thing which is still in the planning stages. I have a cache of new work I will be submitting after the new year. I also want to finish the new manuscript by sometime in the next year. For Atelier, I want to steadily increase the programming, both the free and tuition-based workshops, as well as the readings and events, so that space is in use as much as possible....(I tend to spend my time there working in the mornings & early afternoon, but that leaves nights & weekends free ....)

Of course, there's still so much to do before the end of this year--one more chap, the pesky print annual that is in various stages of dissaray since the move and still needs to be assembled. Plus I'd like to get a start on the January book at least. December will be busy in general with workshops and readings and sundry holiday tasks..... though come December 23, I'm taking a couple weeks off from everything, so I need to have everthing done, printed, mailed, signed, sealed, and delivered by then.....

Once again catering to all your vices (poetry, vintage lingerie, sparkly things, booze) these are new at the shop. I've been coveting one every time I saw anyone pull their ID from one at the circ desk. So I decided to make a bunch with all sorts of pretty paper.

Speaking of pretty vices, I'm so in love with these and these for my tree, which will hopefully go up next weekend...but have, for the moment anyway, talked myself down from the etsy buying frenzy...

Had an excellent weekend involving way too much turkey and pie, plus thrift store combing, craft store hunting, and mall browsing. Plus a trip to Ikea to get some more folding chairs and different table legs for my desk. I was finding I needed a counter height workspace more than a table height one for functionality. Thanks to the Vika system, all I had to do was swap my short legs for some telescoping longer and voila! instant counter.

dgp bits

*Kristy Odelius' Bee Spit is in the final production stages as we speak. This week I will be folding and assembling, and they will be available at the Quimby's reading and hot off the press. We'll also have lots of copies of Elisa Gabbert & Kathleen Rooney's Something Really Wonderful. Hope to see you there!

*a review of Brandi Homan's Two Kinds of Arson is up at Rattle..

* I will be making decisions on the epistolary project hopefully by December 15th..thanks to everyone who sent work..

saturday, december 1st

quite possibly

the most beautiful fabric/paper I've ever seen...(for all you textile and paper freaks...)

A few weeks ago I got some envelopes on etsy made with Amy Butler paper. I saw the name referenced in another listing, and since I had no idea who they were talking about, decided to google it. Damn, it's a good thing I don't really know how to sew yet or I'd be bankrupt...I did order some of the papers from an online scrapbook store, apparently a whole pad of different ones. I think Michaels carries them as well, so I will have to check when I'm out in the suburban wilds this weekend..As much as I like to make fun of the rabid scrapbooking women, they have made it much easier to get beautiful paper.

now available

Something Really Wonderful
Elisa Gabbert & Kathleen Rooney
dancing girl press, 2007

get it here...

some more pics here...

Yesterday was fun, though only a handful of people stopped by, which I knew going in would be the case. I had a brief moment of terror that NO ONE would come beforehand and that I'd be sitting there eating my sad little store bought cookies and crying in my coffee, but, finally they did. I got to meet Kathleen Rooney for the first time, to boot, whose chap with Elisa Gabbert, Something Really Wonderful, is underway and will be available before the end of the week. I was there pretty late last night stapling and folding, and only need to do some trimming, before they are done. Kristy Odelius' Bee Spit is similarly getting it's final layout tweaking and will be out around the first of December in time for the Quimby's reading and then it's onto the December chap. Yeah, not much rest for the wickedpen these days, but I'm having fun--it's a good kind of stress, unlike when I was still in school. I'm excited about the boatloads of stuff I have to accomplish before Christmas... Today I've been polishing up some etsy stuff (flasks, slips, some chokers made out of vintage trim and ribbon), which at least seem to be bringing in a bit of extra income for press and studio. I spent way to much at the fabric store this afternoon buying pretty little doodads, though.

I did finally have to pull out the winter wear for the first time--a couple days the last week i've just been being stupid and stubborn. Of course, Christmas is now pervasive downtown, all the shops having been decked out and trees lit for the big Mickey parade last night, (aka the Festival of the Lights.) It was INSANE down there yesterday, and will pretty much stay that way through the holidays, which means long bus rides and more annoying bag toting tourists.

okay

You seriously know you're spending too much on art supplies and shipping materials when you're credit card thinks it's some sort of fraud. Between buying stuff for the studio, a huge Staples and Uline (packaging) order, a big stamp order, plus the regular dgp paper and random crafty goods on e-bay, I spent over about 500 bucks, which apparently set off alarms--the lady said it was the Paypal e-bay charges that might have raised alarm and made them freeze my acount. What's stupid is I sent a payment to cover those charges completely on Wednesday, since I don't like to carry a balance from month to month..I hardly think I'd be paying my bill if I wasn't me...

interview

Lately, it seems you cannot shut me up. There's a new one at
the local what to wear during an orange alert..

the studio

This gives you a general idea of what the place looks like, albeit rather dark, and this is looking toward the windows from my desk/work area, but you get the gist. The cushions in the corner are in case more than 11 people show up at the same time, since until I get back to IKEA, I only have ten chairs..this pic is from the crappy webcam, but I plan on bringing my good camera in on Saturday, so I'll post much better ones then...

ghost road press

details here.

Yesterday was spent making/packaging new things (see above) and filling orders. I'm gearing up for crunch time with multiple chaps due out before the end of the year and an increase in etsy biz for the holidays, so it might take me a couple days to respond to e-mails and such if you need me. The Handmade Show on Saturday was a rousing success and a fun time. I actually signed up for a couple more shows over the winter (through March, except for December which was already booked.) They apparently do it one Saturday a month. It doesn't even feel a bit like work to lay out all my wares and have a couple drinks and hang out selling stuff (though not too many or I'd just wind up giving stuff away..) Plus, I ran into one Maggie Lopez, former MFA program comrade who I hadn't seen in forever, who was selling all sorts of cute things from her shop Clothespin, just across the aisle.

it's live

photo by madelaine adélaïde


wicked alice | fall 2007

where I'll be Saturday

Seriously, a craft fair in a bar? I may have died and gone to heaven.

dancing girl press, of course, will be selling chapbooks, notecards/postcards, original art, and other paper-related goodies.

***


The Handmade Market is an event to connect the makers of beautiful things to people who appreciate the unique and handmade. There will be 32 fabulous sellers at the Market selling jewelry, purses, knitted items, clothing, paper crafts, and more!

The Handmade Market
Saturday, October 10th
noon to 4:30
free to the public
at the Empty Bottle
1035 N. Western Ave.

See all the details and a list of our sellers at
www.handmadechicago.com.

***

Thus, I am in a serious flurry of making more chaps, more notecards, and more collage thingies for that. On other fronts, I am finishing up the edits on the fall wicked alice and should have it posted by the end of the evening. I am also tweaking the layouts on the November chaps, which should be handed over to their respective authors very soon. Did finally get to some actual production work in the studio this morning and realized how nice it is to not have to chase a cat off the work area every ten seconds and to have some more space to spread out. I still have to actually assemble the print annual this weekend, and get the postcard/flier packets for atelier out to people who most awesomely have agreed to help spread the word. They should be on their way Monday...

With all the whirlwind of the last week, I haven't had time to sit down and plot out my take regarding THIS..which I want to get to very badly...so soon.

In the meantime, go read some interview action at DISLOCATE...

newsie things

*The studio is, of course, awesome, and all the IKEA furniture procured not only fits, but amazingly came with all of its pieces and was, as promised, reasonably easy to assemble. I'll get some photos up soon. Still looking a little bare, but I will be transitioning more stuff from home in the next couple of weeks, plus hanging some art. Right now the printers are not as yet in working order, since I have to load the software into the new laptop. I need to print more Orange Girls and finish the print annual covers as soon as they are. Plus the shipping supplies are in disarray, so things will be a bit behind on orders this week, but everything should go out beginning of next week. I am also happily reacquainting myself with the dining room and may finally be able to have people over to dinner without the scanner and paper trimmer, which make horrible centerpieces..

*I was apparently a finalist in the Cranky chapbook contest, which is cool. It was a small segment of pieces from girl show, which I probably won't worry about finding a home for now, since the whole mss. will eventually be published in a couple years, but I'm happy to be a bridesmaid still…

*I was guest blogging briefly at Rose and Thorn last week and was too crazy busy to point you in that direction, but here it is a little after the fact.



and one sucky thing:

I just got back the samples that I submitted for the staff arts award here at CC, which I did not win, which was not surprising or particularly saddening since prizes have tended to go to the sexier arts. I was a bit disgruntled to find the books I sent had been rendered anonymous by unremovable stickers. This would not quite be so disconcerting if they had told us to submit anonymous materials (last years competition was not judged as such) or if they'd not promised to return them, in which case I would have just submitted manuscripts or photocopies. As such, they ruined about $50 worth of books irrevocably. So not cool…

I SO have to get some of these...

courtesy of Carol Lee Designs.


one hour later:

of course, my buying something there set me off on a deadly Etsy binge, and I wound up with these and these...it's a vicious cycle, having to sell more things to buy more things...I think that's how the whole drug trade works..