Design Brief : Blue Mountains Walking

The budget was modest—the sponsor was a non-profit arts organization—and the booklet would not be sold commercially. It would feature twelve poets—among the most published and celebrated contemporary poets writing today.

It was incredibly generous of the poets to contribute their work, and I put a great deal of thought into the project to honor their confidence in it.

36 pages. 500 copies. Cover fold was myCordenons Stardream in Lapis Lazuli, flyleaf was Pop-tone Vellum in Lemon Drop. Interior was printed on Domtar Cougar Natural. Hand-sewn with Irish waxed linen thread in Autumn Yellow.

The chapbook arrived today and is above and beyond beautiful—a true tribute to the art itself. I was a bit stunned by the personalized presentation box—that beautiful image, the typeface, the white space, the delicate tie-string and the way it worked. Everything that followed, both poems and design, lived up to that first impression. And then at the end—that list of all the Festival’s participating presenters! Breathtaking.

— Jane Hirshfield

Such a pleasure and an honor to get to present the work of these esteemed authors!

Handmade Boxes—I created custom individual presentation boxes for each of the participating poets to receive their copies.