The Printer's Devil and The Little Bear by
A poet with a camera and a passion to learn about letterpress – and a printer with a passion for linocuts; Jen Hadfield and Ursula Freeman have collaborated, with the assistance of Arts Council England, to produce this folio. Every page shows a way of presenting poetry on paper. Multi-media is a contemporary catchphrase, but this is above all a book of poems, a playful treatment of poetry.
How did this partnership arise? Jen was writing in the cabin built by her grandfather, in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. She found the Redlake Press website and emailed Ursula from British Columbia. Ursula replied with enthusiasm. After a spell as Writer in Residence in Shetland, Jen arrived at the home of the Redlake Press in the Welsh Marches, bringing poems, photographs, drawings and ideas. Here for two months she set type and operated the Vandercook proofing press, proving herself born to be a printer.
- The pages are presented in a portfolio lined with paper based on Jen’s linocuts. They are unbound in order to allow the reader to rearrange them, study them, pin them on the wall or read them aloud.
- Poetry and illustrations are by Jen, creative input and experience of lead, ink and paper from Ursula.
- Price £50.00.
