About the 2022 Fine Press Seminar for Emerging Writers (Application Closed)

Eight writers will be selected to participate in the 2022 program led by CBA Master Printer Barbara Henry.

Henry will teach the 2022 participants the basics of letterpress printing—including traditional typesetting and methods incorporating new technology—empowering each writer to produce their own broadsides and chapbooks.

Participants also will hear lectures from various professionals in the field—printers, fine press publishers, book artists, and dealers, to get a practical overview of small press publishing.

The 2022 program will take place in-person at CBA across five days in February from 10am-4pm. Those selected must attend the entire five-day workshop.

Tuition for the seminar is FREE and all materials are also provided free of cost. Undergraduate students are not eligible to apply, but graduate students are welcome. The program is most suitable for those with little to no letterpress experience.

Please fill out the application and provide a sample of creative writing sample no longer than five pages. We welcome and encourage writers and publishers of all backgrounds, abilities, and experiences to apply.

Questions can be directed to CBA Artist Programs Manager Camilo Otero at camilo@centerforbookarts.org

About the Seminar Instructor:

Barbara Henry holds an MFA in painting from American University and studied typography at the University of Iowa with Kay Amert. From 1985 to 2004,  she was Curator of Bowne & Co., Stationers at The South Street Seaport Museum NYC. During this time, she produced books under the name Harsimus Press. In addition to her work at the press, she serves as the Master Printer at Center for Book Arts NYC as well as teaching workshops there.

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the seminar will take place entirely online. The seminar is tuition-free for participants. Those selected must attend the entire duration of the workshop. Participants will engage in lectures from visiting artists and publishers in the field to discuss the production, distribution, history and practice of creative publishing.

The seminar will be led by MC Hyland. Dates will be announced soon.

Industry professionals and visiting publishers will lecture on the various sectors of the publishing world, followed by discussion and Q&A sessions. The instructor will also host hands-on workshops on digital typesetting and design, book structures, and binding techniques. Participants will also be put into critique groups to hold discussions of short assigned readings, share, and critique works-in-progress in assigned breakout groups. There will be a schedule for office hours, with up to a half hour of additional one-on-one time with the instructor. Throughout the course, participants are expected to actively participate in seminar discussions, as well as on Slack Channels which will remain available after the seminar ends.

There will also be readings, resources and coursework which will be assigned outside of the seminar. By the end of the course, each participant will have a better understanding of the publishing process and will produce a digital and/or printed publication that features their writing.Twenty participants will be selected to take part in the seminar online. Participants located outside of NYC & the US are encouraged to apply.

Note: Undergraduate students are not eligible to apply, but graduate students are welcome.

Applications are now CLOSED. Applications will reopen in the Spring for the Summer 2022 session.

To apply: Please provide a sample of creative writing sample with a five page limit in addition to answering application questions. We welcome writers and publishers of all backgrounds, abilities, and experiences to apply. Politically engaged writers especially encouraged.

Questions can be directed to camilo@centerforbookarts.org

About the Seminar Instructor:

MC Hyland is the founding editor of DoubleCross Press, a poetry micropress started in 2008. She has worked at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts and the Center for Book Arts (NY), and holds MFAs in creative writing and book arts from the University of Alabama and a PhD in English from NYU. She is the author of over a dozen poetry chapbooks/artist books and two full-length books of poems: THE END (Sidebrow 2019) and Neveragainland (Lowbrow Press 2010).