Block printing

The process of cutting lino, carving out shapes, inking it up and sliding through the rollers of the press. Hard lino, sticky ink, brisk paper. And then stacking up in the wire racks to dry. Multiples of things always look so poetic for some reason.

Evolution

Ideas and untold tales dying
On hundreds of sheets
Of paper separate from

One
Another

Some lost
In train stations
Supermarkets
Trolleys

Others lie
Between random sheets
In books buckets
Cupboards old
Games and wallets
All waiting
To be remembered by

The mind that saw them

This mind comes
It remembers
Writing caring loving them

Feeding them new words
Every day
Holding them gently

Though it touches them
And sees

Unfinished
Raw sentences
Words
Wasted pages

That must all be thrown away


Maria Leonchikova

Digital volume one

A digital version of Volume One is finally here. Click to open publication in full screen glory. 

Folding, exhaling,

The wheels are in motion, as we launch right in, all the way into the heart of book production, into this one we are making, without too much precision in our planning but a definite level of foresight. Printmaker Antonia Green has been helping out at headquarters with her playful ideas and huge expanses of knowledge and skill in the art of print - making (and origami!).

and then there was pineapples

Exploring the surface textures of pineapples as a printing medium.
I sort of wish that we had made a video or sound recording of the inky pineapple rolling across the surfaces of paper.

Remember potato printing?

The creative workshops are in session. The air alive with a subtle buzz, as we scribble and make notes, and start thinking about how volume two will look and feel.






Starting with a greylead line and ending in inked impressions of fruit dissected. Remembering cut out shapes in potatoes, dipped in paint and splattered on the pages of our childhood. Finding out that it is still fun, and that fruits (other than potatoes) already have amazingly intricate patterns designed into them.

Preparing for the lino print adventure.

The beginning has been moved

Workshops haven't started yet, but they will, this weekend, Saturday the 14th of June. There is still time to register if you hadn't yet but wanted to.

Put these dates in

...into your calendar as we launch headlong into the making of Volume Two of this periodical. Workshops are free and registration is essential. These are the sessions as follows, they may change depending on which way the weather blows, but this is a good starting point.

Creative workshops
Friday 6th June :: 4pm - 7pm This is a creative development session for the makers of volume one, to stimulate some new ideas and ways of working.
Saturday 7th June :: 4pm - 7pm This is a creative session for NEW participants
Sunday 8th June :: 4pm - 7pm This session is for everyone involved in Volume TWO. We will draw maps and come up with a new plan for how we are going to take this on, also introduction session with mentors.

Production workshops
The following sessions will be for layout, editing and production. we will experiment with different printing techniques and hopefully there will be an excursion otherwise we will at least talk about the beauty and wonder of excursions over cups of tea.
Saturday 14th June, Sunday 15th June, Friday 20th June, Sunday 22nd June, Friday 27th June :: 4pm-7pm
Monday 7th July :: 4pm-7pm Tying the last knots that need to be tied and celebrating!

Volume two is on the way

Registrations are now open for the next program of workshops beginning 7th of June, there are nine workshops in the series, and the sessions are all from 4-7pm on different days. More information coming soon, or even better just email chayya.clancy@gmail.com for all the details and to register your space in this brilliant project. What will issue two look like and how are we going to fold it?

The EWF press fair

A buzzing part of the Emerging Writers Festival every year is the independent press fair that happens in the Atrium at Federation Square. Black clothed tables lined with all manner of books, zines, and magazines ready for perusal, collecting and swapping. We had a stall for the Periodical and managed to send home quite a few copies with new friends. Adelaide and Karen brought down copies of their own book projects, and so our stall took over a few tables.



Karen's solo book, meticulously handcrafted, all five copies sold out at the fair.

Production

Independant Press Fair

The Emerging Writers Festival is on again this year, this weekend coming, even. To register and check out the program go to Emerging Writers Festival
As always the Press Fair is a highlight for any printer matter connoisseur, and this year we will be having a stall. This will be the first public outing for signal periodical and we would love for you to come down and flick through its pages whilst chatting to the makers. See you there.

SMALL PRESS & ZINE FAIR
in THE ATRIUM, Federation Square
on SUNDAY May 11th, 12 noon-5pM.
There will be over 30 stall holders featuring the best literary magazines, small press publishers, zine makers, poetry publishers, postering experts and everything in between

Friday

This friday we will be finishing off the last of the books in preparation for setting them free to the world, so they may wander and find new hands and laps to curl up into.

Workshop on Friday 9th May, 4 - 6.30pm at ArtPlay. We will be gluing the last of the books into their spines, discussing distribution and... the next issue? Registrations will open very soon for the next program, keep your listening ears on.