Free the Books Vol. 6

We’re back! After a hiatus to deal with ongoing health issues, we’re printing up a storm again in support of the freedom to read. The poster that started it (shown above) is back in stock after a reprint and we’ve got a lot of inspiring projects to share below.
When the news is overwhelming, it’s more important than ever to get inky, use your press power and fight for your Constitutional freedoms.

Here’s the Free the Books call to action, as well as the pdf with ideas to get you going.

Our first contribution this month is from longtime Starshaped pal and mentor, Jessica Spring of Springtide Press. A portion of all sales of the below book are donated to Freedom to Read Foundation, a non-profit legal and educational organization affiliated with the American Library Association.

The first edition of "An Inflammatory Guide: Banned & Challenged Books You Should Read" was printed in 2005, with an update in 2012. This 2024 edition reveals a dramatic increase in challenged and banned books—especially and alarmingly in public libraries.
A collaboration with sweet pea, the owner of King's Bookstore, this little accordion book expands from within a matchbook-inspired cover that reads "open mind before striking." Banned and challenged books—many familiar and surprising—are organized under eight categories, including LGBTQIA+ and Racism/DEI, with quotes from authors on censorship.

Years ago, I met Nancy Hill of Hazel & Violet in Phoenix, Arizona. She uses her beautiful, airy studio for regular open print sessions. These are a few recent projects with some notes from Nancy:

Hazel & Violet is a local community letterpress shop led by artists and filled with 8 printing presses! We believe in the power of print! We offer community workshops, retail stationery, and prints to keep our doors open!

Hazel & Violet is owned and operated by Nancy Hill, with the help of a fabulous group of artists and volunteers: Eric Lindquist, Michael C. Leeder, Monica Robles, and Jill Bernstein.

Posters/stationery are available here.

Tribune Showprint is in Muncie, Indiana, and is known for their fabulous posters for local and national events. We love their vibrant split fountain prints and timeless style. They’ve recently implemented Open Press Nights for the community. More from them here:

Open Press Nights came from the desire to have a no-barrier community activity. These events are free for anyone to come and participate. I say it's very punk rock because we use magnets to keep the type in place because our goal is to get ink on paper. We make it so people of all ages and skill levels can walk away with something they created. I find it important for people to have the experience of making something and letterpress allows people who think they aren't creative to express themselves and see that they can create.

People are struggling right now, whether it be emotionally or financially and we wanted to make a space where people could find ways to connect, find their voice, and not have to worry about having money to do so. We do offer workshops for people to dig in deeper and learn more about letterpress as well. We felt now was the time for people to learn a bit about the history of protest posters and how they can help your voice be heard. Many aren't sure how to help or what to do currently and this workshop gives them a bit of power back.

Hazel & Violet and Tribune Showprint are both offering ways to get ink on paper and spread important messages, including those in support of the freedom to read!

Quick Notes:

Jessica alerted me to the podcast ‘Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams’. In the April 17th recording, Stacey talks about the recent removal of books from US military bases, including one of hers.

The Freedom to Read Act is making its way through various state legislatures. Find out where your state falls in the fight. Mine led the way!

Congrats to Partners in Print on their new location! This is a great community shop with so many initiatives to help the public develop their voices.

Fleeting Beauty: Theory of Paste-up with Jess Snow is one of many fabulous workshops at the upcoming Ladies of Letterpress conference. Jess will be sharing tips for taking your work to the streets with the theme of ‘freedom to read’.

And for inspiration, read the Freedom to Read Statement from the ALA and another reason Dolly Parton is a queen.

Want to contribute to a future newsletter with your prints/actions around book banning? Email me.