William Andrews Clark Jr., California Fine Press, Independent Publishing, and Literary Activity in Los Angeles
Magra Books author and editor Bill Mohr, and Magra Books co-publisher Paul Vangelisti are speaking at this event on small press publishing in Los Angeles!
The event site description:
Organized by Johanna Drucker, Distinguished Professor and Breslauer Professor Emerita, Department of Information Studies (University of California, Los Angeles)
The connection between William Andrews Clark Jr. and the fine press community that emerged in Southern California in the 1930s is evident in the extensive collections assembled in his lifetime and after. This conference reflects on the role of Clark and his Library in the broader range of literary and publishing activity in the decades after its founding.
From his initial interests in antiquarian books, Clark extended his engagement to direct patronage of John Henry Nash, a San Francisco printer known for his exquisite book design and exclusive clientele. But the emergence of fine printing in Los Angeles was in part the result of the activities of Ward Ritchie working in the orbit of Jake Zeitlin whose bookstore served as a major node of social and professional connections in the community. Most of this activity flourished after Clark’s death in 1934, however, and was not part of the original core focus. The Ritchie papers are one of several key collections at the Clark Library that provide insight into the development of fine printing and its relation to literary and artistic activity in the 1930s. The region did not support the same level of printing—or literary culture—as the Bay Area, and in some ways remained a provincial outpost until well after World War II and mid-century. Few literary figures of note can be identified from the early twentieth century and fine press productions were mainly derivative in style, based on other modern and humanist revival approaches. Writers of note and significant literary merit were part of the Hollywood industry, but their work was in a separate sphere and played a small part in small press and independent publishing activities.
In the later twentieth century and into the present, literary activity in the Los Angeles region continued to diversify and expand. California fine press production, in the manner established in Clark’s original collection through the work and vision of Lawrence Clark Powell during his term as Librarian, has continued, but its role and profile have shifted from the identity it had in the 1930s when it served as part of the aspirational vision of affluent collectors eager to demonstrate standards of taste. The founding of the Rounce and Coffin Club by Ritchie and others, alongside the more establishment-oriented Zamorano Club, supported private collectors building a community of like-minded individuals. Meanwhile, independent publishing and small press activity in support of poetry, activism, community voices, and experimental literature has created other networks of literary activity.
At this point in the twenty-first century, revisiting the connection between Clark and the fine press community provides insight into one aspect of the cultural and social life of Los Angeles by addressing the aesthetic profile of the individuals and presses and situating it within a broader context. Much can be learned from the study of these materials, their research value has been under-explored—as per my experience of studying and teaching the Paul Landacre archives and the California Fine Press collections.
While there are exceptional, unusual items among the fine press works, the larger context of their circulation and reception provides critical insight beyond the aesthetics of the book. This conference seeks to situate the profile of the Clark Library collections within the history of Los Angeles’s cultural identity, including its exclusions, provincialism, aspirations, and transformations. The set of panels on this history and the lineage/legacy of fine printing and/or independent literary publishing in Los Angeles over the last hundred years allows us to reflect on the value of the Clark collections within larger conversations about the history of collecting, the role of the Library, and other matters that may have implications for the Library’s mission ahead.
Speakers
John Bidwell, Curator Emeritus, Morgan Library & Museum
Helena de Lemos, Curator of Special Collections, Occidental College
John Howell, Owner, John Howell for Books
David Kipen, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Times, 21st-Century Federal Writers’ Project
William Mohr, Professor Emeritus, California State University, Long Beach
Bonnie Thompson Norman, Proprietor, The Windowpane Press
Patrick Reagh, Printmaker, Patrick Reagh Printers
Brian Kim Stefans, Professor of English, University of California, Los Angeles
Paul Vangelisti, Professor Emeritus, Otis College of Art & DesignThis event is free to attend with advance registration and will be held in-person at the Clark Library. Seating is limited. Walk-in registrants are welcome as space permits. The registration form will be posted here approximately one month in advance of the program.
Image: Left: Marjorie Butler, This Great Age of Printing: Some Examples from the Leading Modern Fine Presses and Designers. Los Angeles: Zeitlin Books, 1930. Middle: Alfred Young Fisher, Lawrence Clark Powell, ed. Ghost in the Underblows, designed by Alvin Lustig. Los Angeles: Ward Ritchie Press, 1940. Right: Bruce McCallister, The Zamorano Club. Los Angeles:1929.
Magra Books @ Next Chapter 2026
Come say hi as we table at the Next Chapter Writers’ Summit and Book Fair!
Below is this year’s description!
Next Chapter 2026
Join LA County Library and the City of West Hollywood for the Next Chapter Writers’ Summit & Book Fair, a free daylong celebration of books, storytelling, and belonging. Whether you’re a devoted reader, aspiring writer, or an industry professional, the Next Chapter Writers’ Summit & Book Fair brings together narratives from across Los Angeles County and beyond for an inspiring day of author talks, panel discussions, consultations, and community connection.
Celebrating the Art of the Story
This year’s theme centers on celebrating the art of the story by honoring the timeless power of storytelling to connect people, preserve culture, inspire imagination, and create lasting change. Every story has the ability to open minds, spark meaningful conversations, and help us better understand ourselves and one another. This year’s theme recognizes storytelling as both an art form and a powerful force that shapes communities, challenges perspectives, and builds empathy across generations.
For avid readers, stories offer opportunities to discover new worlds, explore different experiences, and connect with voices that leave a lasting impact. For aspiring writers, every story represents the courage to create, share their truth, and to contribute something meaningful to the literary ecosystem. Whether written through fiction, memoir, poetry, or children’s literature, stories remind us that every voice has value and every experience deserves the opportunity to be heard.The Next Chapter Writers Summit & Book Fair is committed to uplifting the freedom to read, championing creative expression, and amplifying stories from underrepresented communities. By celebrating authors whose perspectives have too often been overlooked, we create space for richer conversations, broader representation, and a literary future where every reader belongs and can find themselves reflected in the pages of a book.
Join us in celebrating the artists behind the stories, the readers who keep them alive, and the enduring power of books to educate, inspire, and transform lives. Together, we celebrate the art of the story and the voices that shape our next chapter.
ᙅᗩTᙓᘜOᖇIᙅᗩᒪᒪY, ᖴOᒪK: ᖇᙓSᑭOᑎᗪIᑎᘜ ᑭOᙓTIᙅᗩᒪᒪY TO ᗪIᘜITᗩᒪ-ᙖOᖇᑎ ᙏᗩTᙓᖇIᗩᒪ
Jessie McCarty, author of Pretty Punks, is holding a workshop as part of the PO Box Poetry Series: Reading, Writing Workshop & Potluck, hosted by the PO Box Collective in Rogers Park, Chicago.
Per the event description:
This workshop holds space for the idea that all cataloging should aim to be reparative, that metadata is never stagnant, and automatic writing can be done in praxis with a digital collection. In this workshop, we will look at digital material as active folklore.
Participants will read selected images and texts and respond through 1-5 "Prompts and Visions."
Thursday | October 15
PO Poetry Series | 6900 N. Glenwood Ave, Chicago, IL.
workshop | 6:30pm
doors | 7:30pm
reading | 8:00pm
Books will be available for sale!
Effie Street Reading: Vincent Katz and Paul Vangelisti
The Effie Street reading series will resume on Sunday September 27, 2026 at 4 pm, with poets Vincent Katz and Paul Vangelisti. Light foods and drinks, alcoholic and not, will be served, as always.
Vincent Katz is a poet, translator, and critic. He is the author of the poetry collections Daffodil (Alfred A. Knopf, 2025), Broadway for Paul (Alfred A. Knopf, 2020), Southness (Lunar Chandelier Press, 2016), and Swimming Home (Nightboat Books, 2015), among others. He collaborated with Anne Waldman on the book-length poem Fantastic Caryatids (BlazeVOX Press, 2017) and with Andrei Codrescu on A Possible Epic of Care (Black Widow Press, 2023). Katz is the author of The Complete Elegies of Sextus Propertius (Princeton University Press, 2004), translations of the Roman love poet, which won the 2005 National Translation Award from the American Literary Translators Association. His translations of the Works and Days and Theogony of the ancient Greek poet Hesiod are forthcoming from David Zwirner Books’ ekphrasis series. Katz is the editor of Black Mountain College: Experiment in Art (MIT Press, 2002), and he curated an exhibition on Black Mountain for the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid. His most recent book is Accounts, a collaboration with painter Richard Bosman. He is currently working on a memoir about Edwin Denby, Rudy Burckhardt and Yvonne Jacquette and the circles of artists they knew and collaborated with and is curating the exhibition “A Shared Life” on the same subject for the Colby College Museum of Art. His writing on contemporary art and poetry has been published widely. He lives in New York City.
Paul Vangelisti is the author of some forty books of poetry, as well as being a noted translator and editor. His latest collection, Traveling, was published this past year by Shearsman Books in the U.K. while the new and revised edition of his memoir, Detours, will appear momentarily from Magra Books. In 2015 he edited Amiri Baraka’s posthumous collected poems, S.O.S.: Poems, 1961-2014, for Grove Press. He lives in Pasadena and Bagnone (Italy).
L.A. Book Launch: Paul Vangelisti & Vincent Katz
In Person at Beyond Baroque and Live on YouTube
Join us for an afternoon with poets Vincent Katz and Paul Vangelisti. Katz will present Daffodil, published by Alfred A. Knopf, as well as Accounts, his collaborative book with painter Richard Bosman, published by Karma Books. Vangelisti will read from his recent book Traveling, published by Shearsman Books in the U.K.
Both poets are prolific writers and translators whose work has been influential in contemporary poetry and the arts.
Event Video
An Afternoon of Poetry & Music at the Paul Robeson Center
Overview
An Afternoon of Poetry & Music
Join CSU for an Los Angeles poets will perform their original work acompanied by a performance from Local Musicians - The Robyn’s Nest Quartet. The event is organized and hosted by CSU Board Member David Lloyd.
About the Poets
LA native Pam Ward recently released her poetry anthology, “BETWEEN GOOD MEN & NO MAN AT ALL” (World Stage Press) and is the author of novels “WANT SOME GET SOME,” (Kensington) and “BAD GIRLS BURN SLOW” (Kensington). A UCLA graduate, California Arts Council Fellow and Pushcart Poetry Nominee, Pam is also a founding member of the Leimert Park Book Fair. Published in numerous publications, including Voices of Leimert Park, New York’s Renaissance Noir, and the Los Angeles Times, she was recently honored by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs in 2025 as the city’s Trailblazer writer. In 2024, Pam participated in the first Poetry Olympics in Paris and has been writer in residence and a board member of Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Foundation as well as The World Stage in Leimert. Pam conducted workshops for Black Women for Wellness, Art Center College of Design, the California African American Museum, and runs a design business as well as the community press, Short Dress Press. She’s the program director for the feminist political poetry troupe, THE OVARY OFFICE which showcased at the LA Festival of books. She recently completed a YA novel, STOVES DON’T CRY and the historical novel, “I’ll Get You My Pretty,” based on her family’s role in the Black Dahlia Murder. https://pamwardwriter.com/
Paul Vangelisti is the author of more than thirty books of poetry, as well as a noted translator from Italian. His latest book, Just in Time, came out with Lithic Press in 2024. Prior to that his collaboration with artist William Xerra, Fragment Science, was published by Edizioni il verri (Milan, 2022). In 2015 he edited Amiri Baraka’s posthumous collected poems, S.O.S.: Poems, 1961-2014, for Grove Press. In 2006, Lucia Re’s and his translation of Amelia Rosselli’s War Variations won both the Premio Flaiano in Italy and the PEN-USA Award. In 2010, his translation of Adriano Spatola’s The Position of Things: Collected Poems, 1961-1992 was awarded the Academy of American Poets Prize. From 1971-1982 he was co-editor, with John McBride, of the literary magazine Invisible Cityand, from 1993-2002, edited Ribot, the annual report of the College of Neglected Science (CONS). He lives in Pasadena and Bagnone, Italy.
Robyn’s Nest Quartet, featuring musicians:
Jeff Kaye - trumpet
Karen Hammack - piano
Jeff Takaguchi - bass
Kendall Kay - drums
About the Host
David Lloyd is a retired professor of English at the University of California Riverside and has been involved with CSU since 2011. As well as a teacher, he’s a poet and playwright and has been involved in several social justice movements, from divestment against apartheid to Irish political prisoners’ rights. He is currently also on the Advisory Board of the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (usacbi.org) and a member of the Pacifica Radio collective for South and West Asia and Northern Africa Region that produces KPFK’s weekly SWANA Region Radio show (https://www.kpfk.org/on-air/swana-region-radio/). Having grown up in Ireland, he has written extensively about the Irish famine, food policy and hunger in the context of colonial capitalism.
Dennis Phillips at Effie St. Reading!
Pub. Date: November 14, 2025
ISBN: 979-8-9926955-2-6
Magra Books is pleased to announce the publication of The Cartographer’s Lament, by Dennis Phillips. Now included in this masterful, book-length sequence, Magra first published Phillips’ 17 Meditations on Time in 2021. The poet, in his Lament, seeks to capture the evanescent, to grasp the ungraspable, wrestling with that oldest and most unmappable of mysteries, time. In this remarkable project, Phillips shows himself to be a true practitioner of the impossible.
Book designed by River Jukes-Hudson
with Drawings by Courtney Gregg
Invitation from David Lloyd
Dear Friends,
After another hiatus, during which we were able to refurbish the back yard and make a yet more attractive space for our guests, the Effie Street reading series will resume March 8, 2026 at 1 pm, with poets Dennis Phillips and Rick Snyder. Light foods and drinks, alcoholic and not, will be served, as always.
Dennis Phillips was born in Los Angeles in 1951. He is the author of 20 books of poetry, most recently, The Cartographer’s Lament (Magra Books, 2025), Mappa Mundi (Talisman House, 2019), 17 Meditations on Time (Magra Books, 2021), and Sonnets (Magra Books, 2022). In 1998 he edited and wrote the introduction for a book on the early essays of James Joyce, Joyce on Ibsen (Green Integer). His novel, Hope, came out in 2007 (Green Integer). Phillips has translated or co-translated the works of Italian poets Milli Graffi and Susanna Rabitti. He is a professor in the department of Humanities and Sciences at Art Center College of Design, in Pasadena California, where he has been teaching literature and writing since 1979.
Rick Snyder is the author of Here City (Parlor Press, 2021), Escape from Combray (Ugly Duckling, 2009), and six chapbooks. His poems have recently appeared or are forthcoming in the Bennington Review, Fence, Hanging Loose, Lunch Break, and other journals. He currently lives in Long Beach, CA, and teaches in the classics department at the University of California, Irvine. For more information, see ricksnyderpoet.com.
In the event that it rains, or in the case of uncomfortable chill, we can move inside, so do come whatever the weather.
Parking may be easiest west of our home, up the hill on Redesdale, which runs between Berkeley Ave and Effie St.
Please feel free to forward this information to any individuals you think might be interested in this or future readings. We plan to host regularly again, with the usual open-air format, weather permitting.
Hope to see you 1 pm, Sunday March 8 at 3018 Effie Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026.
…
David
Magra Books on Panel for Translation and Publishing as Book Arts
Panel Description
How does a book travel from one language to another, and what skills make that possible?
This panel brings together poets, translators, and independent publishers to explore translation and publishing as creative, material, and collaborative practices central to bookmaking. Featuring Paul Vangelisti (Magra Books), Renata Morresi (Arcipelago itaca), and Ramón García, the conversation will consider translation not just as linguistic transfer, but as editing, curating, designing, and circulating texts across communities and geographies.
What does it mean to “make” a book in more than one language? How do small presses shape literary exchange? What craft decisions shape the life of a translated work?
Moderated by Sean Pessin, this discussion will illuminate the behind-the-scenes labor that transforms manuscripts into books and books into cross-cultural conversations.
Ideal for writers, editors, translators, and anyone interested in translation!
Magra Books @ CSUN Book Arts Fair
Magra Books is tabling at the CSUN Book Arts Festival!
Pretty Punks: A Launch Party & Reading
Hosted by Dylan Fahoome
with
Temperance Agamohammadi
Emily Daniel
Mira Cameron
Cecily Chen
Colin Lavery
featuring
Three corpora in one, Pretty Punks forges a complex and intertwined aesthetics drawn from the American South, Irish/ Irish-American folk traditions, and the complexities of gender. "Poems" takes Yeats as a starting point and diverges with great urgency. "Portrait" offers a compelling told-tale about Louisiana bull riding and loss. "Play" features players contemplating the existential punishment of both facing and being death.
With drawings by Emma Wolgast.
Pub. Date: December 1, 2025
ISBN: 979-8-9926955-0-2
Magra Books @ Beyond Baroque
The series’ debut, Saturday, December 6, at 2pm, at Beyond Baroque, will highlight readings and discussion by Phillips, Mohr and McCarty, as well as introductory comments by Magra’s editors, S.E. Pessin and Paul Vangelisti. Books will be available for signing by the authors.
Magra Books @ North Fig Bookshop
Come enjoy an intimate reading from three fabulous Magra personæ!
Come enjoy an intimate reading from three fabulous Magra personæ!
Readers
Host
Jessie McCarty in Conversation with Northridge Review
Event Details
September 24, 2025
4pm–5pm Pacific
ZOOM: 862 6128 1695
Join Northridge Review, CSUN’s oldest literary magazine, as they virtually welcome Jessie McCarty to discuss writing, archiving, and producing literary culture.
Poetry as Magic: Celebrating the Fran Herndon & Jack Spicer Centennials
Magra author Avery Burns presents on a panel discussion about Fran Herndon as part of a three-day celebration of Jack Spicer and Fran Herndon.
Music and Poetry: Paul Vangelisti & Vincent Katz
Celebrate these two lyrical traditions with readings from new works by Paul Vangelisti and Vincent Katz.
Vangelisti’s reading will be accompanied by performances from jazz ensemble Robyn’s Nest, featuring Robyn Javier, trombone; Mark Massey, piano; Jeff Kay, trumpet; Jeff Takaguchi, bass; Kendall Kaye, drums; and vocalist Polly Geller. Katz’s reading will be accompanied by Colburn School musicians Gabriel Crist, piano; and Esther Zhang, cello.
Books will be available for purchase.
This event is part of Colburn School's Poetry Week, sponsored by the Library Learning Lab, and produced by Sean Pessin.
AWP Book Signing: Just In Time
Paul will be signing copies of Just In Time at booth 750 in the AWP 2025 Bookfair!
What Books Press and Friends: A Celebration of Small Presses from LA and Beyond
The Schedule
6:20 - 6:45: 7.13 Books
6:45 - 7:10: Magra Books [featuring Bill Mohr and Dennis Phillips
7:10 - 7:35: El Martillo Press
7:35 - 8:00: Beyond Baroque
8:00 - 8:20: break
8:20 - 8:45: Tía Chucha Press
8:45. - 9:10: Walton Well
9:10 - 9:35: What Books / Giant Claw
9:35 - 10:00: book signing, etc.
Event Photos
Featuring
Poets House 29th Showcase Exhibition
Magra Books is proud to feature the following titles, published in 2022–2023 for the 29th Poets House Showcase Exhibition:
Unfamiliar Terms, by Amy Allara, with drawings by Michele Lombardelli
In the Margins, by Avery Burns, with drawings by Giulio Lacchini
Sonnets, by Dennis Phillips, with drawings by Courtney Gregg
Terra Terra, by David Lloyd
Cancellations, by Lorenzo Mari
Eight, by Amy Allara
Displacements, by Bill Mohr
The Accelerated Abbott, by Gianluca Rizzo
The Beyond Gala
Magra author Douglas Messerli (On Marriage, 2018) is being recognized for distinguished service by Beyond Baroque at their annual Beyond Gala, alongside Sesshu Foster, Ashaki M. Jackson, Exene Cervenka, and John Doe in a celebration of the literary arts of Southern California.
Paul Vangelisti will offer a speech in recognition of Messerli.
Event Recording
Magra Books at LITLIT 2024!
Join Magra Books as we table at The Little Literary Fair (LITLIT) this year, presented by Los Angeles Review of Books and the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.
Just in Time: Poetry & Jazz
Featuring
Poetry by Paul Vangelisti
Music by Robyn’s Nest Quintet
with Vocalist Polly Geller
$10 tickets are available at the door.
Books will be available for purchase at the Beyond Baroque Bookstore after the event for $20.
Join a discussion about international small press publishing
L’autrice e poeta Renata Morresi, curatrice della collana Lacustrine per Arcipelago Itaca, converserà con il redattore capo Paul Vangelisti e il redattore generale Sean Pessin sulla storia e il futuro di Magra Books.
Author and poet Renata Morresi, editor of the Lacustrine series for Arcipelago Itaca, will converse with editor-in-chief Paul Vangelisti and editor-at-large Sean Pessin about the history and future of Magra Books.
Just in Time: Paul Vangelisti, Polly Geller, and Robyn's Nest — Poetry, Jazz, and Small Press Publishing
To commemorate the publication of Just in Time by Lithic Press, Paul Vangelisti will read poetry, with Polly Geller contributing vocal performance, and Robyn’s Nest, led by Dr. Robyn Javier, providing music. A conversation moderated by Sean Pessin about writing and making art — including publishing books with Magra — will follow.
Poets House 28th Showcase Exhibition: 2020–2021 (The Pandemic Years)
Magra Books are on exhibition at Poets House!
From the Poets House event page:
The 28th Poets House Showcase features over 2,600 books from more than 600 different presses and publishers. For nearly three decades, the Showcase has helped to keep our collection current and relevant, building one of the most extensive collections of poetry in our nation—an expansive record of the poetry of our time, freely available and open to all.
The exhibition features our following titles:
A Theory of Consequence, by Amy Allara, with collages by Courtney Gregg
The Insistent Island, by Art Beck, with drawings by Michele Lombardelli
Furrow Archive, by David Lloyd, with smoke drawings by Jessica Huang.
More Fuges, by Susanna Rabitti, with collages by Courtney Gregg
Document, by Amelia Rosselli, with drawings by Giuliano Della Casa
A full catalog of participating presses and titles is available on their website.
Magra Books at North Fig Bookshop
Join us at North Figueroa Bookshop, Sunday afternoon, December 10 at 5pm., to celebrate Magra Books 2023 publications. We will feature Lorenzo Mari’s Cancellations, Bill Mohr’s Displacements and Amy Allara’s Eight, with in-person readings and book signings by Mohr, and Magra authors Avery Burns, David Lloyd, Dennis Phillips and Martha Ronk also featured.
Magra Book editors Sean Pessin and Paul Vangelisti will be on hand to introduce and discuss their project.
Voci/cancellazioni. Poesia, editoria e traduzione
Featuring Paul Vangelisti, Fabio Orecchini and Lorenzo Mari
When we talk about poetry, publishing and translation, both nationally and internationally, reasoning about “voices” and “cancellations” is the order of the day. The meeting with the authors and translators Paul Vangelisti, Fabio Orecchini and Lorenzo Mari will focus on some issues related to the publishing and translation of poetry starting from two texts that, incidentally, are entitled precisely to “voices” and “cancellations”.
VOCI (Argolibri, 2023) is the masterpiece of an author born in Conflenti, in the province of Catanzaro, and naturalized Argentine, Antonio Porchia (1885-1963). It is a collection of very short texts that oscillate between the form of the aphorism and that of the lyrical fragment, such as: «I would like to be part of something, so as not to be part of everything». The book is translated by Andrea Franzoni for the “Talee” series by Argolibri, which Franzoni directs together with Fabio Orecchini; Franzoni has also translated Alejandra Pizarnik, an Argentine poet, who wrote about Porchia (L’altra voce 1955-1972, Giometti & Antonello, 2019): «I believe that Porchia is the purest writer in Argentina. He managed to restore words to their primordial mission: that of illuminating the essence of the human being, like Blake, Hölderlin or Rimbaud».
CANCELLATIONS (Magra Books, 2023) is a booklet by Lorenzo Mari, translated and edited by Paul Vangelisti. The selection of texts comes from the book Soggetti a cancellazioni (Arcipelago Itaca, 2022), a book in which the author experiments with various codes, including the QR code, and with the creation of virtual reality environments.
The meeting is also part of the California Rare Book School Italy 2023, a tour of meetings and presentations for UCLA librarians and students on book culture in Italy.
Hosted at MODO INFOSHOP.
•••
Lorenzo Mari is a teacher, translator and poet. In 2022 he published the book of poetry Soggetti a cancellazione (ed. Arcipelago Itaca). He has translated from Spanish (César Vallejo, Trilce, Argolibri, 2021) and from English (Joshua Clover, Riot sciopero riot. Una nuova epoca di rivolta, Meltemi, 2023).
Fabio Orecchini is a poet, artist and permaculture artist. In recent years he has been involved in research on a possible form of underground theatre, working on therioscriture and interspecies imaginaries, in which poetic writing, performance and visual and sound research can coexist. He also edits the Talee and Fuori catalogo series for the Argolibri publishing house.
Paul Vangelisti is a poet, editor and translator of much Italian poetry from the second half of the twentieth century (from Amelia Rosselli to Adriano Spatola, from Corrado Costa to Giulia Niccolai). He recently published Fragment Science / Tecnici del bianco, in collaboration with the artist William Xerra (Edizioni del Verri, 2023). For years, he has co-organized the California Rare Book School Italy
Intervengono Paul Vangelisti, Fabio Orecchini e Lorenzo Mari
Se si parla di poesia, editoria e traduzione, a livello tanto nazionale quanto internazionale, ragionare di “voci” e “cancellazioni” è all’ordine del giorno. L’incontro con gli autori e traduttori Paul Vangelisti, Fabio Orecchini e Lorenzo Mari metterà a fuoco alcune questioni relative all’editoria e alla traduzione di poesia partendo da due testi che, incidentalmente, sono intitolati appunto alle “voci” e alle “cancellazioni”.
VOCI (Argolibri, 2023) è il capolavoro dei un autore nato a Conflenti, in provincia di Catanzaro, e naturalizzato argentino, Antonio Porchia (1885-1963). Si tratta di una raccolta di testi brevissimi che oscillano tra la forma dell’aforisma e quella del frammento lirico, come ad esempio: «Vorrei essere parte di qualcosa, per non essere parte di tutto». Il libro è tradotto da Andrea Franzoni per la collana “Talee” di Argolibri, che Franzoni dirige insieme a Fabio Orecchini; Franzoni ha tradotto anche Alejandra Pizarnik, poetessa argentina, che di Porchia (L’altra voce 1955-1972, Giometti & Antonello, 2019) ha scritto: «Credo che Porchia sia lo scrittore più puro d’Argentina. È riuscito a restituire alle parole la loro missione primordiale: quella di illuminare l’essenza dell’essere umano, come Blake, Hölderlin o Rimbaud».
CANCELLATIONS (Magra Books, 2023) è una plaquette di Lorenzo Mari, tradotta e curata da Paul Vangelisti. La selezione dei testi proviene dal libro Soggetti a cancellazione (Arcipelago Itaca, 2022), libro in cui l’autore sperimenta con vari codici, tra cui quello del QR code, e con la creazione di ambienti di realtà virtuale.
L’incontro è anche parte del California Rare Book School Italy 2023, un tour di incontri e presentazioni destinato a bibliotecari e studenti dell'UCLA sulla cultura del libro in territorio italiano.
Ospitato presso MODO INFOSHOP.
•••
Lorenzo Mari è insegnante, traduttore e poeta. Nel 2022 ha pubblicato il libro di poesia Soggetti a cancellazione (ed. Arcipelago Itaca). Ha tradotto dallo spagnolo (César Vallejo, Trilce, Argolibri, 2021) e dall’inglese (Joshua Clover, Riot sciopero riot. Una nuova epoca di rivolte, Meltemi, 2023).
Fabio Orecchini è poeta, artista e permacultore. Negli ultimi anni è impegnato in una ricerca su una possibile forma di teatro sotterraneo, lavorando su terioscritture e immaginari interspecie, in cui far convivere scrittura poetica, performance e ricerca visiva e sonora. Cura inoltre le collane Talee e Fuori catalogo per la casa editrice Argolibri.
Paul Vangelisti è poeta, editore e traduttore di molta poesia italiana del secondo Novecento (da Amelia Rosselli a Adriano Spatola, da Corrado Costa a Giulia Niccolai). Ha recentemente pubblicato Fragment Science / Tecnici del bianco, in collaborazione con l’artista William Xerra (Edizioni del Verri, 2023). Da anni, co-organizza il California Rare Book School Italy
Magra Books at Singapore Art Book Fair’s CUT COPY PASTE 2023, Day 3
Visit Magra Books on exhibition at the CUTCOPYPASTE 2023 Zine Potluck!
The books are available for purchase via QR code.
This event is hosted by Singapore Art Book Fair (SGABF), Thing Books, and Temasek Polytechnic.
Magra Books at Singapore Art Book Fair’s CUT COPY PASTE 2023, Day 2
Visit Magra Books on exhibition at the CUTCOPYPASTE 2023 Zine Potluck!
The books are available for purchase via QR code.
This event is hosted by Singapore Art Book Fair (SGABF), Thing Books, and Temasek Polytechnic.
Magra Books at Singapore Art Book Fair’s CUT COPY PASTE 2023
Visit Magra Books on exhibition at the CUTCOPYPASTE 2023 Zine Potluck!
The books are available for purchase via QR code.
This event is hosted by Singapore Art Book Fair (SGABF), Thing Books, and Temasek Polytechnic.
Magra Books with Argolibri
Lorenzo Mari, with Fabio Orrecchini & Andrea Franzoni from Argolibri, and with Paul Vangelisti & Sean Pessin from Magra Books discuss small press publishing and the labor of translation at La Confraternita dell’Uva, a cozy bookshop itself named after a translation the John Fante work.
In conjunction with California Rare Book School.