We are closing out another week and there is much in the way of design work for a batch of upcoming chaps that should be hatching in the next couple of weeks (books whose designs entail all sorts of things, including seascapes, psychoanalysis diagrams, boxing memorabilia, exploitation film posters, and anatomical diagrams). I am also, wading my way through wicked alice submissions in an effort to catch up and improve response times (the rest of the press business takes so much of my time, things sit way too long in the inbox and accepted work sits way too long in the queue.  I keep thinking if I just had another hour here and there I could stem the chaos, but I never get there.  It's pretty much all chaos, all the time.  I think I've been waiting for about 6 years to actually catch my breath on things and be caught up to an acceptable level, but I'm realizing it's never gonna happen really.

I am getting ready for a couple readings around the first of the month, enjoying the warm (though a bit muggy and stormy) weather, and plotting out ways to enjoy summer, or maybe moreso to seize summer so that it doesn't wriggle half away before I even appreciate that it's here.

weekend

 

 

This weekend is brought to you by my new issue of Stolen Island, which on top of being possibly one of the most lovely lit mag designs I've seen, also has some of the little moon poems among it's pages. (Incidently those poems might be coming to a zine/chap  like thing soon, I've been musing over a design concept this week.  They were folded into a bigger project that is out there under consideration right now, but I'm thinking they might be perfect for something small and more immediate.)

 

 

 

 

Otherwise, Friday was definitely one of those lovely swirly, creative maelstrom days in which I have all sorts of ideas and never any time to actually get them off the ground, collage series to finish, to start, new book object ideas.  I did determine that I should at least get some more of the original pieces getting dusty in the studio bagged and ready for sale, up in the shop, and at least all squared away by the open studio I'm thinking of doing in June, so watch for those.  Also I'll be adding some prints from the radio ocularia series and maybe some paper goods (and eventually the zine of the entire project someday when I actually finish it all.)

 

This is one of those mythical three day weekends, and while I spent some time working on books yesterday, I am doing nothing but household tasks today and tomorrow.  It's still too chilly now to spend much time outside, mid 60's, and I've still really yet to pull out the sundresses and flip flops, but June is right around the corner right, and it's gonna happen sooner or later, no?  I mean it has to, right?

 

new look

@ dancing girl press & studio

Over the past couple of days I've been doing a little spiffying up over at the main dgp page, replacing the link buttons, adding new images.  It's been at least a couple years since the last update, so I was feeling a little restless.  It also matches with the new wicked alice look...(which incidently has some amazing new poems up by Emily O'Neill, so check them out...)

Otherwise this week's projects have included finishing up some books (titles from Jennifer Faylor, Melissa Eleftherion, and Caroline Crew), working on another set of cover art for upcoming titles.  My reading in Logan Square was a fun time.  I wound up just reading more of the apocalypse poems, which folks seemed to like.  I'm still writing them here and there as I work on other things, so we'll see what happens.  There is also the ghost landscape pieces underway, and the radio ocularia series (which you'll be able to get a peek at in the upcoming issue of Yew Journal in a week or so.)

weekend

 

So once again, Friday come round the bend and not just Friday, but the very last day of the semester, which was still bogged in some work related ickiness, but also had amazing (and even more amazingly vegan) chocolate peanut butter cupcakes that were possibly an almost religious experience. I am going to a friends graduation downtown on Sunday, and spending a couple hours in the studio, but otherwise, tomorrow, I am not moving from the apartment, possibly not even from the bed.  I realized this morning that I haven't had a day off in the two weeks since I landed back in town, which always makes me a little raw and growly by the end.  But soon, my weekends will be my own again, and I intend to keep them that way.

 

 --a peek at the artwork for Kristin LaTour's dgp chap, Agoraphobia.. It was actually a bit of collaboration with her ideas and my scissor skills but it turned out really awesome. I'm working on a couple other collage-ish pieces for some other upcoming chaps and I'll share those soon.

notes, etc..

 

 

 

1. Jillian Mukavetz was kind enough to interview me for a profile up at Women's Quarterly Conversation in which I talk about some of the work in my upcoming book girl show and various randomness...

2. I got a bit behind in my 365 Days Project due to batteries in my camera --or the lack thereof and the necessary funds to purchase said batteries (I keep having weird little things gobbling up my disposable cash--candy colored nail polish, ballet flats, purple cardigans.)  But I am once again fully powered and posting daily pics.  I'm finding that it has me looking for interesting and beautiful things, and more to the point, noticing such things at all.

3)  Next Tuesday night, I'll be reading with some other fine poets (including a handful of dgp-ers) in Logan Square for Excalibur:  A Suturing of Body and Mind.  There are also a couple of other things
coming up in June, including a stint at W4tB...

and finally

it's really spring, or summer, or some ungodly warmth that finally did not require a coat or heavy knitwear or tights or any of the things that I have grown to hate so much.  Today there are polkadot dresses,  new buckle shoes,  chinese takeout,  and plenty of sunshine.  There are extra studio hours and stacks of chapbooks far as the eye can see, and sewing copies of i cheated on Chanel No. 5 with the most exquisite red embroidery thread.  My mood is tenuous, though, and I feel like it might just be tiny niggling little stresses that really don't amount to much, but are there at the edges nevertheless.  this week is stretching extra long toward the weekend, and then the semester is over and summer begins and there is nothing but blue sky beyond...

7 things I am loving

1.vintage Chinese thermoses

2.tiny potted succulents

3.salads with bleu cheese and mandarin oranges

4.sailor dresses

5.french mesh grocery bags

6. Essie nail polishes

7.chocolate peanut butter pie

getting in touch with the chaos muppet, part 2

I've talked a bit before about the chaos muppet/ order muppet dichotomy and I'm feeling a little bit of order muppet angst, ie shit's getting done, orders going out, books getting made, things getting laid out, but I'm also feeling a little stalled out creatively. I've written a whole bunch of nothing since I got back from Mississippi and nothing on the visual front, including a couple upcoming cover designs I've been waffling over.  This month and last seem sort of jagged which makes it easy to breeze through things productively, but difficult to relax and settle into anything that involves concentration for any length of time.

Spring seems have slipped away again, and today it's gray and chilly and my patience with just about everything is waning.  I am doomed to the library for another two days this weekend, so despite my love of having extra time in the studio, I am also feeling like I'm running a race with no where to sit down and take a breather along the way.  But another week, and the semester will be under wraps and my weekends will once again be mine. Summer, and already there are readings and open studio plans.  Plus a full dose of margarita and lakefront picnic plans and Italian ice plans and a variety of  outings. It cannot get here soon enough...

of tunnels and trains

So it is midweek, and with some extra hours daily in the studio (granted by my weekend shifts at the library) I am making some progress in digging myself from the hole that so much time away and/or dealing with general life stuff has cast me hopelessly adrift in.  But there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and though it may be a train, I am determined to catch up on author copies and outstanding orders in the next 24 and get to work on some new layouts for the next batch of releases.  I have just replaced Frankenprinter and we are back at full capacity operation. I also did some updating of wicked alice, so there are some new poems up there from Elizabeth Blair, with a few more authors to come in the next couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, it is definitely spring in Chicago, after taking so unbearably long to actually get here. My apartment is still rather cold and it's chilly enough for a sweater by the lake, but it's something.

 

Another Saturday in the library (and Sunday) and hopefully I can catch up on a few things:some re-do's on layouts that are trapped on my pretty much defunct work computer (two layouts that were still in progress and now I have to do them from scratch-boo!), an interview about the upcoming girl show, and some new cover designs. Plus, my self-evaluation for work and everything I really haven't been able to do because of said defunct work computer. I've been using a painfully slow old extra PC in back that sucks when it comes to actually trying to do anything swiftly or efficiently. 

Otherwise, there are more apocalypse poems to work on, updates to wicked alice, and my own submissions to tend to. I also have some tiny new succulents for my windowsill and some pretty nail polish coming in the mail (vestiges of cash birthday presents.) And my new printer, which will speed up my progress on getting orders out exponentially.I've been muddling through til I had the extra cash, but frankenprinter desperately needs a replacement.

notes, etc...

1.  I am stoked to have some poems from my newest series of apocalypse themed poems in a couple of journals, including birdfeast and the jet fuel review.  I am about midway through the series and still don't know if it's going to manifest as a chap or a book (depending on how quickly I get tired of them, but they are lots of fun, so I might be in it for the long haul.)

2. dancing girl press is now open for submissions for 2014 season of chaps, and already the inbox is stacking up with manuscripts.  We'll start making some decisions in a month or so...

3. I am set to finish some layouts this week for books from Brandi Homan, Aviva Christy, and Caroline Crew, plus get the author copies of the last couple books in the mail.   We are again, a little behind schedule but I'm hoping to make up some time now that things have settled down a little from April's crazy. I also have a new press offering idea I've been cooking up which I'll reveal a little further down the road (think a limited edition box set series of thematic related mini-chaps)..