Dr. John Briggs will speak to The Book class on November 2.
Dr. Briggs is currently a senior editor at Connecticut Review. This is particularly significant to members of this class. Dr. Briggs and I have discussed the possibility of The Review publishing excerpts from works in progress and he is keenly interested in recruiting such work for future editions of The Review and potentially for a university press, currently in the planning stages here at Western, as I have told you.
On Thursday, I will hand out current and past issues of The Review. Dr. Briggs will discuss the process of submitting to the journal when he comes and talk about why publishing in the Review first is a good, first step on your journey to being publishied. In the meantime, please think about which might be most suitable as an excerpt. Even though it would be an excerpt for a larger work, it must be a complete, self- contained story that reads like short story even though it is an excerpt from you novel.
October 24, 2006
Briggs Speaks
October 15, 2006
Found in the Garage
“Found in the Garage:
A Collection of Writings, Musings and Way Too Many Opinions.”
By Katie Raymond 
This title by Katie Raymond shines with the bright light of a young woman I have always know was on her way to someplace important. Well, she’s left the building and we’ll be watching with great anticipation to find out where she’s headed. Without an ounce of shame, let me say, “buy this book.” Go to WWW.Lulu.com. Katie has already pledged royalties to incarcerated women Katie has befriended.
October 14, 2006
Keith Smith Art Binding
The Book is the name of the course I teach periodically at Western Connecticut State University designed for students just beginning a book-length projects or others with manuscripts in various stages.
On Oct. 12, Prof. Hugh McCarney presented a wide variety of exquisite, hand-made books by Keith Smith.
While we generally only cover the writing process related to book publishing, students nevertheless are always interested in almost every aspect of the business. McCarney, a long-time friend of Smith, showed off a wide range of work by this innovator, who writes, edits and distributes his own titles from offices and a warehouse in Rochester, N.Y.
Since 1967 Smith has been making books. They range from artist books to poetry, textbooks and dictionaries. He has made over 150 one-of-a-kind artists books, most of which are in his own collection, seen by only a handful of people. Smith has published over two dozen small editioned artists books and book-length poems and written ten small dictionaries to aid structure and vocabulary in his poetry. The only books to have widespread distribution are his eight books-on-books: Structure of the Visual Book, Text in the Book Format, Bookbinding for Book Artists and the five volumes of Non-Adhesive Binding: Books without Paste or Glue, 1- 2- & 3-Section Sewings, Exposed Spine Sewings, Smith’s Sewing Single Sheets and Quick Leather Bindings.
You can find him yourself at www.keithsmithbooks.com
