We’d like to begin this December update by thanking everyone that came to see and support our work at the first Chicago Art Book Fair, and at the Rrréplica gathering in Mexico City. Both events were tremendously successful in very different ways. Chicago has long been a rich city for all kinds of publishing activity spread across many neighborhoods and populations. Our friends at No Coast demonstrated, with their impeccable organization of this event, that our pins on the artist publishing map are only growing and becoming ever more varied. 

To visit Mexico City is to see a place where all sorts of presses are chugging and banging away in open storefronts and public squares. In collective spaces and studios, RISO duplicators like the one we print on, are also in constant action. This was our second trip to Rrréplica, which is organized by Gato Negro Ediciones and Casa del Hijo del Ahuizote, and it was great to revisit Casa del Hijo del Ahuizote for this spirited event of mostly underground Mexican publishers. Far from being simply a book sale, Rrréplica featured many talks concerning everything from the impact of the recent earthquakes to publisher presentations and demonstrations of old mimeograph technology. Artist publishers were extremely keen to barter, and through an arrangement with the Joan Flasch Artists' Book Collection at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, we traded many of our books for over 30 publications from Mexico that will be added to the Flasch Collection, where they will be viewed by the thousands of students and visitors that pass through every year. 

One of the big reasons so many publishing events of this kind are happening, is due to the tremendous influence of Printed Matter, the long-running artist book store, publisher, gallery, and distributor that organizes the New York and Los Angeles Art Book Fairs. It’s hard to comprehend the impact that those fairs have had on our community. Beyond helping us distribute thousands of publications over the years, these fairs have helped us forge relationships with artist publishers from all over the world. It was at the Los Angeles Art Book Fair two years ago that we became instant friends with Gato Negro Ediciones, for just one example, which led to our repeat travels to Mexico City. 

We join Printed Matter, and many friends, in mourning the recent death of Shannon Michael Cane, who was a friendly organizing force at both of Printed Matter’s fairs. We have been great beneficiaries of his tireless efforts over the years. His warm presence will be missed at future fairs, and his legacy will live on through the many new art book fairs being organized in numerous cities throughout the US.

To close, thank you for valuing what we do. We hope to see you soon at an event, a reading, a book fair, a protest, or during one of our many trips to the post office. 

- Marc and Brett