In February I received a homemade postcard from Gustave Morin. He was writing for confirmation that I was still living in the same place, and to see if I was interested in looking over a manuscript for possible publication. He included his email address on the postcard and I wrote him back telling him that I'd received his postcard and, yes, I'd love to see a manuscript.
Fast Forward a few weeks and I received a hefty package in the mail. Part of its heft was the submission itself: nearly thirty 8.5 by 11 sheets. The package's additional heft was the result of a 6 page typewritten cover letter. It was still February at this point, so I brewed a coffee, and sat down by the fireplace to look through the submission, and to read through the letter.
Whereas most cover letters (even the ones I send out to publishers) are cut & paste jobs that could be printed off twenty times and sent to twenty different journals...(Dear editor, please find enclosed my submission to your journal. I have read previous issues and I believe my work would make a good fit. Thank you in advance for your consideration...etc.) Gustave's was a real letter. I felt like his letter opened up a doorway into a small section of his life. I learned about his day-to-day, his likes and dislikes, his favorite movies and books. I learned about this kitchen cabinets in need of repair. I learned about his family, his wife and their daughter. I learned about some of the processes he used to create his work. By the end of his letter, I felt like we friends.
I worked through his submission. Selected the pieces I like the most, the ones I thought would make for a diverse, yet contained chapbook of visual poetry. I made scans and copies of all the pieces I wanted to use, and then pulled out my own typewriter. I set out to match Gustave's six page letter, but only made it to page five. I don't remember exactly how long it took, but I was punching the keys for a while. I'd typed poems before. A few short letters. But this was definitely the longest continued piece I'd typed, and just in that time, I felt like I learned a lot about the machine.
I put it all together and shipped it off to Gustave. Then waited. This process definitely took longer than other chapbooks projects in which all of the correspondence happens via email, and I can connect with an author in a matter of minutes. A week or so later I received another postcard, and then a week after that, another package, which included another 6 page letter.... ABANDON G*DSPEAK was coming together.
ABANDON GODSPEAK features 11 visual poems. Some are collages. Some are typewriter poems.Some utilize rubber stamps. And some use a combination of these techniques. I've been a big fan of Gustave's work for a few years now, and I'm thrilled to that he now has a chapbook through Puddles of Sky Press.
Throughout the project we connected once or twice through the internet, but everything else was done through letters and Canada Post. It made for a slow, but thoughtful experience. In fact, I still owe Gustave another letter. Time to pull out the typewriter and get that bell dinging.
ABANDON G*DSPEAK is being sold for $5.00 + Shipping and can be found on our CHAPBOOKS page.
Fast Forward a few weeks and I received a hefty package in the mail. Part of its heft was the submission itself: nearly thirty 8.5 by 11 sheets. The package's additional heft was the result of a 6 page typewritten cover letter. It was still February at this point, so I brewed a coffee, and sat down by the fireplace to look through the submission, and to read through the letter.
Whereas most cover letters (even the ones I send out to publishers) are cut & paste jobs that could be printed off twenty times and sent to twenty different journals...(Dear editor, please find enclosed my submission to your journal. I have read previous issues and I believe my work would make a good fit. Thank you in advance for your consideration...etc.) Gustave's was a real letter. I felt like his letter opened up a doorway into a small section of his life. I learned about his day-to-day, his likes and dislikes, his favorite movies and books. I learned about this kitchen cabinets in need of repair. I learned about his family, his wife and their daughter. I learned about some of the processes he used to create his work. By the end of his letter, I felt like we friends.
I worked through his submission. Selected the pieces I like the most, the ones I thought would make for a diverse, yet contained chapbook of visual poetry. I made scans and copies of all the pieces I wanted to use, and then pulled out my own typewriter. I set out to match Gustave's six page letter, but only made it to page five. I don't remember exactly how long it took, but I was punching the keys for a while. I'd typed poems before. A few short letters. But this was definitely the longest continued piece I'd typed, and just in that time, I felt like I learned a lot about the machine.
I put it all together and shipped it off to Gustave. Then waited. This process definitely took longer than other chapbooks projects in which all of the correspondence happens via email, and I can connect with an author in a matter of minutes. A week or so later I received another postcard, and then a week after that, another package, which included another 6 page letter.... ABANDON G*DSPEAK was coming together.
ABANDON GODSPEAK features 11 visual poems. Some are collages. Some are typewriter poems.Some utilize rubber stamps. And some use a combination of these techniques. I've been a big fan of Gustave's work for a few years now, and I'm thrilled to that he now has a chapbook through Puddles of Sky Press.
Throughout the project we connected once or twice through the internet, but everything else was done through letters and Canada Post. It made for a slow, but thoughtful experience. In fact, I still owe Gustave another letter. Time to pull out the typewriter and get that bell dinging.
ABANDON G*DSPEAK is being sold for $5.00 + Shipping and can be found on our CHAPBOOKS page.
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