Kick it old school in this day-long letterpress book making workshop where printers of any level will get their hands inky working on a collaborative book that will be finished at the end of class. In the course of just 8 hours Master Printer Mary Risala Laird of Quelquefois Press will lead students through every aspect of making a book from choosing a theme, designing the covers and necessary pages, to editioning and binding. Decisions will be made, type will be set from SFCB’s extensive collection of lead and wood type, and everything will be printed with each student leaving with a small edition of the class book. 

Students will gain an overview of letterpress printing learning how to set type, mix ink, prepare makeready, deal with kiss-off, determine paper grain, read a pica ruler, cut and wax thread, and sew a pamphlet-stitch book. Pulling proofs, making corrections, printing, and distributing type and spacing will also be covered. 

*This workshop is open to beginners.

Materials to Bring: Writing utensil and paper for note taking, if desired.

Workshop + Materials Fee: $175.00

Date & Time: Sunday, April 23, 2017 :: 9:30am-5:30pm

Location: 375 Rhode Island St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Note: Please read over the SFCB Registration Policies before signing up for a class

REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE 3 DAYS PRIOR TO THE START DATE OF THIS WORKSHOP.

About the Instructor | Mary Laird

Mary Risala Laird, MFA printmaking, University of Wisconsin, Madison, has been doing letterpress books since 1969 as Quelquefois Press. She partnered in Perishable Press Limited editions from 1969-84. Ms. Laird has taught letterpress at San Francisco State University, Kala Institute in Berkeley, Naropa University, and at the San Francisco Center for the Book as well as workshops in Utah, Idaho, Colorado and Washington state. For fifteen years she worked with the entire 7th grade class as a guest artist, making handmade journals. Her focus in printing is poetry. She binds the editions she prints.  Her work is in many collections across the country, including Stanford, UC Berkeley, Library of Congress, UW Madison, the British Library, Yale, University of Washington, and UC Santa Cruz. She has three grown children, lives in Berkeley with her husband John Malork, and is a member of the Sufi community. Currently she serves as a board member at the San Francisco Center for the Book.

Past Student Reviews:

“The instruction was clear, logical, personalized, and encouraged exploration of the medium.”

“Mary is an exceptional teacher / instructor, her method of encouragement, while developing independence was much appreciated.”

“Mary! She's an awesome teacher and I am so glad I got the chance to have her as my teacher.