…but also a path of creation?

So, no, this isn’t one of the BALLER Profiles we’ve been sharing on Wednesdays so far this year, but with apologies to our patrons we just didn't quite pull one of those together this week. Because reasons.

Instead we thought we’d share a long overdue post that is nonetheless about a bookish person and bookish things.

Today I want to share about an altered book that I did not personally alter but for which I am nonetheless somewhat to blame. And no, I’m not talking about the Frankensteining of Frankenstein – I was present and directly implicated in that one! No, I’m talking about a book being altered because I gave someone the idea to.

By way of background, since back in 2019 I’ve had the privilege of guest lecturing in Candas Jane Dorsey’s Print Culture Studies class at MacEwan University, talking about the book as object and performance as well as about altered books, then leading a second workshop where we actually start experimenting with an altered book project of some kind. As the guest lecturer, you go in, you do your song and dance, and then you leave. And then the next time it’s a new group of students. You don’t often get to see the impact, if any, of your visit to the class.

Well unbeknownst to me until last year, one of Candas’ students, Jennifer Galm, left the workshop and decided to create an altered book as her final assignment for the class. And she did it by deconstructing the textbook for the course, The Book History Reader, Second Edition, edited by David Finkelstein and Alistair McCleery. Brilliant!

Last year, Candas invited Jennifer back to the class on the day I went in to guest lecture and surprised me with the project and the story. And I was blown away.

The project is thoughtful and thematic and beautiful.

So without further ado, a peek at the project to share with you, our beloved patrons.

Happy exploring!

— Winston