Leaving here for awhile...

I am off to travel the Continent tomorrow.

Looking forward to getting out of Auckland and away from campus for awhile. I finally have some time for relaxing (proper) and traveling.

Part of my holiday time means some time for reading...

The Journals of Anais Nin - diary writing is my literary indulgence, I love confessional writing.

How We Are Hungry by Dave Eggers - have not read any of his yet... a book my partner lent me... Thank you!

The Public World / Syntactically Impermanence by Leslie Scalapino - (who is incredibly amazing) I am writing a paper on this book so I cannot leave it behind. I am actually really looking forward to spending some more time with it - it is an extremely difficult and wonderful critical book.

The White Fire of Time by Ellen Hinsey - a book another friend lent me... Thank you!

Androgyny Magazine - I'm not much of a magazine person, in fact, I have not even read this publication before - but I decided I needed a travel treat - it looks very pretty...

...I am also taking some photocopied selections from Susan Howe's The Midnight... delight.

Of course, I am too, looking forward to perusing the new How2 issue.

So, I will be out of blogging action for about 4 weeks. Please feel free to email me re chapbook swaps and art trades - bearing in mind I will not be able to do your mail out until the end of July.

Emma X

naming my press; Winterling

I came across the word ‘Winterling’ in Literature Nation by Maria Damon and Meikal And.


How to recognise: a/the/such as, "winterling".


Suffixing winter with-ling, makes the "winter": pejorative, diminutive, small or refers to a person described in the/as "winter".


I am moving beyond botanical drawings, seasons, or a creature.



Winterling: is not like when something breaks, but more, it is, as distance (smallness, diminuation) - but always locatable. "Affect", and when, there is sound. It is something material, like object. Registering. It also comes before there is sound, much like splintering something, broken in fragments and simply left - sounds - like words. With sound and as though, with or not, -ling, a long trembling and feeling like "facing down" or "looking away". But looking toward the splintering, but occurring not before it.

Dusie: Kollektiv Participation, My Next Big Project...

Illustration from Dusie : 3

Dusie du...

The wonderful Susana Gardner who facilitates Dusie, the journal, press & many other writing projects, kindly invited me to participate in the Dusie Kollektiv Chapbook Project for this year. I'm so greatful to be a part of this and really excited about this project!

How it works... Susana has divided the group into partners, or rather created a kind of chain where, for instance, I will be giving writing to another in the Kollektiv for them to publish, and someone else will be giving me their writing to publish. Things are very much in beginning/organising stages at the moment, but I will keep you updated on the project here. I can say at this stage that I am so lucky to be paired up with such inspiring, experienced, wonderfully supportive writers...

Winterling and other things...

I originally had plans to make more chapbooks of my own writing this year (self-publication was a good place to begin and test things out), but now I can see that is probably not going to happen - not only because I realised how long it takes to make a chapbook, but also because I want to work on other writing projects, i.e. I do not think everything I write has to be "chapped" necessarily and I have also realised that would love to publish others' writing. So Winterling Press as a chapbook series will include my own writing but I am hoping to mostly publish others' work.

So... I think I will make some more copies of there is always the impossibility of being able to move sideways and As For We Who Love, At the Instant As Being Entirely Different From It for more chapbook swaps and art trades this year. Writing that I have done for the forthcoming Anathema ... chapbook, is no longer going to be "chapped" (well not by Winterling anyway) - I think it will be reworked into more self-contained sequences - which I then plan to send out into the world - my first time submitting for publication in journals. I have decided I will make two new chapbooks at the end of the year, after Dusie, over the summer - and I will be publishing another's writing for each, I am very excited about this - such a great way to diversify and move Winterling along.

Emma X

"Generosity As Method"

I am so overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity I have experienced conducting chapbook swaps so far - the giving and gifting that occurs is productive on both distributive and communicative levels. Not only has this given me a chance to expand my "readership" (or rather start), swapping has allowed me to share in the creative processes and publishing activities of many wonderful writing communities and independent presses, here in Auckland and on the other side of the world. I often experience a lot of anxiety, as a beginner - writer and publisher - so being in contact with very inspiring, experienced and dedicated people has alleviated much of this. I feel chapbook swapping will positively influence, open up and diversify my practice more - not only as others support my activity through the exchanges, but as they share their own writing and publishing experiences with me. Thank you! I hope to continue to do more swapping.

I also would like to take the opportunity to showcase such wonderful gifts - from three wonderful wee presses:

Michael Steven's Soapbox Press

Click here to be directed to Michael's wonderful poetry blog

Lovely to find other small press activity right here in Auckland... Soapbox publications are stocked at Parsons and Jason Books, or alternatively you could email Michael (you can find his contact email on his blogger profile).

Carrie Hunter's ypolita press

Carrie sent me two beautiful chapbooks - Gothenburg from Three Geogaophies: A Milkmaid’s Grimoire by Arielle Guy ...

... and ypolita's latest chapbook, Easter Sunday by Barbara Jane Reyes.

I love the beautifully illustrated covers.

... take a look inside Easter Sunday.

Juliet Cook's Blood Pudding Press

to be administered in spoonfuls...

Juliet, also very kindly, sent me two chaps! Ectoplasmic Necropolis - great title! Love the binding - making use of different kinds of ribbon-ish materials - and the brightly coloured paper too ...

... back cover illustration surprise!

... and The Laura Poems - am looking forward to reading this very much...

... Twin Peaks is such a great series, and as Juliet's poems are, I'm sure.

If anyone would like to do a chapbook swap - and remember I am keen to trade for any other lovely bits - please be in touch!

More soon! X

More Winterling Packettes...

For my next set of chapbook swaps I wanted to create an alternative cover/sleeve. I decided to make simple large envelopes - without seal or adhesive, these may be opened and closed by the tie at the top.

I decided to pare the collage for these covers right down - the back of the envelope looks very similar. I am basically working with part of a map/some kind of numerated diagram image - so cutting up found material and then using a basic computer illustration program to erase most of it, aswell as the evidence of my cut up procedure.

I think I will keep generating more ideas and possibilities for these packettes and try to establish a kind of loose aesthetic 'feel' for the Winterling project. Please be in touch if you would like to do chapbook or an "anything else" swap! (There is a link to my email on my profile). Thank you so much for those who have responded so far - your packettes will be posted at the end of the week. I hope you will enjoy them.

More soon! X

P.S. I was not sure if the US Postal Service would let me send thank-you-note-twigs from New Zealand - so I made a little collage and printed it on handmade paper instead!