Winter Book | Minnesota Center for Book Arts

MCBA is proud to present our 2011 Winter Book, Come and Get It by beloved Minnesota humorist and storyteller Kevin Kling, with illustrations by Michael Sommers. Come and Get It becomes the twenty-first in MCBA's perennial series celebrating the handmade book; it will be released on December 10, 2011 at a special publication party at MCBA's gallery and studios in downtown Minneapolis.

Winter Book is the embodiment of MCBA's artistic vision: to preserve and promote both the traditional crafts of bookmaking as well as the contemporary exploration of the book as art. Since 1988, Winter Book has engaged artists, designers, papermakers, printers, bookbinders and community volunteers in producing a handmade, limited edition artist’s book featuring poetry or prose by a Minnesota author. The artistry, sumptuous materials and hand craftsmanship of each Winter Book makes it an avidly collected series, included in museum and rare book library collections across the country and around the world.

EDITION DETAILS AND ORDERING

Come and Get It, published by Minnesota Center for Book Arts under the direction of MCBA Executive Director Jeff Rathermel, is available in three limited editions. The text of each edition is letterpress printed in three colors on Zerkall Nideggen paper, by master printer Erin Maurelli with assistance from Sara R. Parr and volunteers from MCBA’s artist community. Text by Kevin Kling is set in Filosophia. All illustrations are by Michael Sommers. MCBA thanks Wet Paint Inc. for their generous support.

The Chapbook Edition ($35), numbered 1 through 200, was bound by volunteers under the direction of Erin Maurelli and Sara R. Parr. The book features a double pamphlet binding with deep blue Hahnemühle Bugra cover.
(Shipping & handling costs for the continental U.S.: $10 first chapbook, $2 each additional chapbook. To avoid shipping charges, you may arrange to pick up your books in person at The Shop at MCBA by calling 612-215-2520. Call for AK/HI/international shipping rates.)

The Standard Edition ($155), numbered 1 through 100, was bound by Campbell-Logan Bindery. The book features a case binding with Natural Linen bookcloth and deep blue Hahnemühle Bugra paper, with Fabriano Ingres endsheets. Included is a 20-page "composition book" of illustrations by Michael Sommers to supplement the text, letterpress printed on Johannot, Zerkall Nideggen and Frankfurt papers, pamphlet-bound with Fabriano Ingres endsheets and black Royal Complements cover.
(Shipping & handling costs for the continental U.S.: $14 each. To avoid shipping charges, you may arrange to pick up your books in person at The Shop at MCBA by calling 612-215-2520. Call for AK/HI/international shipping rates.)

The Deluxe Edition ($570), in 26 copies lettered A through Z, was designed and bound by Jana Pullman of Western Slope Bindery. The book features a case binding with Steel Blue Rayon bookcloth and walnut-dyed flax handmade paper by Cave Paper, and Fabriano Tiziano endsheets. Included is the 20-page "composition book" of illustrations; BIRD OPERA, a pamphlet-bound suite of poems by Kevin Kling, letterpress printed in two colors on Zerkall Frankfurt paper with Vidalon Vellum endsheets and hand-overmarbled French Marble cover; and a frameable print by Michael Sommers illustrating Bird Opera, letterpress printed on Rives BFK. All contents are gathered in a handmade box, with Natural Linen bookcloth outer finish and deep blue Hahnemühle Bugra paper lining.
(Shipping & handling costs for the continental U.S.: $14 each. To avoid shipping charges, you may arrange to pick up your books in person at The Shop at MCBA by calling 612-215-2520. Call for AK/HI/international shipping rates.)

You may also order by mail or by phone.
To order by phone, call The Shop at MCBA at 612-215-2520.
To order by mail, email mcba@mnbookarts.org to request a prospectus.

Check out highlights of the stage production of Come and Get It, as performed in 2008 at Open Eye Figure Theatre in Minneapolis. Performance documentation courtesy of www.iDream.tv: videography and editing by Paul Auguston, artistic director. (To open the video in a new window, click here.)

ABOUT KEVIN KLING

Kevin Kling is one of Minnesota's most beloved performers, best known for his humorous commentaries on National Public Radio's All Things Considered and his storytelling stage shows, plays and adaptations which have been performed around the world.

Kevin describes his zodiac sign as "Minnesota with Iowa rising." He grew up in Osseo, a Twin Cities suburb, and graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in theater. His work has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts, The McKnight Foundation, The Minnesota State Arts Board, The Bush Foundation, The Jerome Foundation, the National Storytelling Festival and many others. Prior publications include The Dog Says How and Holiday Inn (both Minnesota Book Award finalists), and a number of compact disc collections of his stories. His first children’s book, Big Little Brother, was published this November by Borealis Press. To learn more, visit Kevin's website.

With the publication of Come and Get It, Kling joins the list of acclaimed Minnesota writers who have graced the pages of MCBA's fine press Winter Book editions, including Robert Bly, Bill Holm, Louise Erdrich, Louis Jenkins, Carol Bly, Larry Millett, Patricia Hampl, Judith Guest, Jon Hassler, Bryan Thao Worra and many others.

"I am so excited to be working with Minnesota Center for Book Arts. It's truly an honor. The authors they have represented are among the finest of our generation. My stories come from the spoken word and because of that don't often translate well to the page. The key to success is finding a way to visually represent 'the voice'. I'm very pleased with the care and quality the book arts creators provide each publication. From the handmade paper, the color of paper and ink, the textures... it gives the work a visceral quality. The use of Michael Sommers' incredible imagery heightens the experience as well. I love his work, it stands as a story on its own. These elements combine to give a new experience to the text: not performance, not a read, something entirely on its own. I'm thrilled with the product." - Kevin Kling

ABOUT MICHAEL SOMMERS

Michael Sommers has worked in professional theater for over 30 years and is recognized as one of the country's most versatile and ingenious theater artists. An Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance at the University of Minnesota, Sommers is a two-time Bush Fellowship recipient and a 2004 McKnight Theatre Fellow. In 2008 he was awarded a Ford Fellowship and in 2009 he was recognized with the Bush Enduring Vision Award. In 2000, he co-founded, with his partner Susan Haas, Open Eye Figure Theatre, where he has created over thirty works for the stage. To learn more, visit Open Eye Figure Theatre's website.

"With Come and Get It, Kevin’s and my artistic partnership jumps from the stage to the page. Theatre is ephemeral. My work with Kevin making theatre for the past twenty years has lived in the moment. Come and Get It captures those moments in an object that can be held and returned to over and over. I am thrilled to have been part of the creative process and see it realized in an object that captures minds, hands and souls." - Michael Sommers

ABOUT MINNESOTA CENTER FOR BOOK ARTS

As the largest and most comprehensive center of its kind in the nation, Minnesota Center for Book Arts celebrates the book as a vibrant contemporary art form that takes many shapes. From the traditional crafts of papermaking, letterpress printing and bookbinding to non-traditional artmaking and self-publishing techniques, MCBA supports the limitless creative evolution of book arts.

MCBA serves upwards of 70,000 patrons (including over 25,000 K-12 students) each year, working with groups in our studios as well as in school classrooms, libraries and community events across the state. MCBA is also home to a vibrant working artist community, from college students to retired lifelong learners and everyone in between, at every skill level. Our world-class artistic and community programs include: critically acclaimed exhibitions that are always free to the public; year-round free public programming on engaging topics in the arts and beyond; top-notch artmaking workshops for families and adults; and a dedication to the support of working artists that is simply unmatched in the community. MCBA gives people at every age and every walk of life the opportunity to explore and expand their understanding of contemporary art and the book arts.