Please Feed The Robot

Consider helping out my good friend & ever-awesome one-man publishing machine aka Peptic Robot Press!

Dear artists, friends, friendly artists, artist friends and friends of artists.

Hi. How are you? I am well thank you very much. I hope the New Year is treating you super. I’m currently in a hospital waiting for my nephew to be born. 32 minutes until 2011. (addendum. He was born at 11:00 pm… I just didn’t know it.)

So I wanted to talk to you about something. I hope you’ll consider it. As some of you know, and for those who don’t, I am currently the Visiting Asst. Professor in Book Arts and Printmaking at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. It’s a swell place with some pretty topnotch artists running the Department. I was brought in after Kat Anderson petitioned and succeeded in getting a Book Arts Major established. (Super Kudos to that fight!) For the past year and a half I have been working on developing the Program into something to be proud of and worthy of what she envisioned. It’s slowly happening. The presses are all up and running (3 letterpress, 2 litho, 2 etching, screenprinting and non-toxic capabilities) we have a great studio tech – Alison Filley – straight outta Iowa City who has added essential skills to this 7 room space and we have a new curriculum getting ready to pop out.

“That’s great!” you may say, “good job.”

Thanks, but here is the juicy part. We’re pushing farther. We’re bringing back a letterpress imprint – The Black Cat Press – that will start producing broadsides and artist’s books and collaborations with other St. Ambrose departments (starting this winter with “Mazy Mind” an all-letterpress nonfiction lit journal of student work), local and regional art organizations and visiting artists.

“Hey man, that’s alright.”

We’re also developing the space into a community center through St. Ambrose University called “The St. Ambrose Book and Print League” or the SABPL for short (copyright pending) Through this community center we hope to do the basic stuff: provide cheap classes, studio time, community outreach, lectures, presentations and general making of things along with innovative and creative things…that I haven’t thought of yet.

“Ok, that’s a lot of info” you may be starting to think as you check to see what time it is and if you wish to continue reading.

Get to the point Joseph.

The point. I’m trying to raise some money for the B&P League by providing an Open House in the Shop on February 12th (possibly the 26th). This Open House is mainly geared at introducing the community to the idea of the Shop and trying to raise its public awareness as well as the public awareness of the Program itself. This includes a student at every press printing take-away art, a public presentation, a new subscription series of “Baby Broadsides” by great writers and poets (Jami Attenberg, Aaron Burch, Natalie Edwards, Farrah Field, Sarah Gardner, Carl Herzig, Steven Karl, Jonathan Messinger, Audrey Niffenegger, Owen Rogel, and Kevin Sampsell), music, food and a silent auction.

Ahhhh…. So this is it. This is what I am requesting. I am asking you and anyone you can think of who may be supportive of this idea to donate a small work (preferably book, print or paper related, but not required) for the Silent Auction to raise money for the St. Ambrose Book and Print League.

The money raised from the auction will be used for:

Development of a functional bindery
Expansion of supplies and equipment for letterpress and basic print
Creation of a space and supplies for papermaking
Promotional material
Payment for Visiting Artists or Instructors

There are very few rules.

Rule #1: I would need the piece of art shipped by February 4th.
Rule #2: It would be shipped to St Ambrose University, attn: Joseph Lappie, 518 W.
Locust St. Davenport, Ia 52803
Rule #3: Confirmation of interest as soon as possible at
pepticrobot@pepticrobotpress.com
Rule #4: A price point you’d like to start at (if desired)
Rule #5: Any questions or concerns please ask.

In return for your charity I will make everyone who participates a small editioned Artist’s Book for their trouble. It’s not much, but a token of appreciation.

Thank you for slogging through this chunk of text. Thank you for thinking about participating even if it is something you choose not to do. Have a good day and a good year.

Until then,

Joseph the Lappie

pepticrobot@pepticrobotpress.com
www.pepticrobotpress.com
www.thebakerygallery.blogspot.com

Francis Bacon at the Met

Just a reminder the Francis Bacon exhibition will only last a few more days.

Whitney ISP

Host:	Art in General
Type:	Music/Arts - Exhibit
Network:	Global

Date:	Saturday, May 9, 2009
Time:	6:00pm - 8:00pm
Location:	Art In General
Street:	79 Walker St, 6th floor
City/Town:	New York, NY

Phone:	2124311737
Email:	whitneyisp@whitney.org

Description

featuring work by:
Kasper Akhøj
Natalia Almada
David Baumflek
Nanna Debois Buhl
Heather Hart
Emma Hedditch
Bani Khoshnoudi
Liz Magic Laser
Liz Linden
Ilya Lipkin

Mores McWreath
Meredith Nickie
Anna Ostoya
Hong-An Truong

(exhibition will run from May 9th to May 17th ONLY)

Also please attend an Evening of Screenings and Performances May 15th

Gallery hours
Monday–Sunday 12–6 pm

Secret School Comes To Philly

This looks pretty damn good. I went to the first Secret School & left feeling impressed & inspired. If you're in Philly you should definitely check this out.

Secret School 02: Statelessness at Basekamp, Philadelphia

February 20, 2009 from 7-10PM
Basekamp
723 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106

This Is Not Me. courtesy of Lin + Lam.

Secret School invites you to a collaborative event with Lin + Lam to examine the geopolitical implications of statelessness. Reflecting on tightened US immigration policy and the closing of Guantanamo Bay in the next year, Lin + Lam explore the inability or refusal to claim belonging to a recognized state. Lin + Lam will lead a discussion arising from their recent projects “Even the Trees Would Leave” and “This Is Not Me.”

Secret School will respond to the issues raised through Lin + Lam’s projects, and the concurrent exhibit at Basekamp: An Atlas, an examination of radical cartography organized by artists Lize Mogel and Alexis Bhagat.

Didn't We Say We Were Going To Tour The City Tasting Sweet Potato Fries?

Secret School 01: Language, Memory at OTO, Brooklyn.

January 17, 2009 from 7-10PM
OTO, 60 North 6th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211

Wheel In the Sky. Hong-An Truong.

Secret School is pleased to present Wheel In the Sky, a three-channel video installation by Hong-An Truong. Wheel In the Sky investigates the possibilities of media to bear witness to moments of trauma and moments of poetry when human memory fails. As the video unfolds, the artist questions her father about his interest in the band Journey, and his responses reveal a frustration and acute sensitivity to the loss of meaning in the translation from their native Vietnamese tongue into English and vice versa. The conversation also suggests what impact the years of colonization have had on his perception of Vietnam’s most treasured art form, the poem.

Secret School will collaborate with Hong-An Truong to create a text that reveals, complicates, and further conceals what is lost in translation, creating a liminal space out of what is inexpressible.

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WHERE: 440 Gallery, 440 6th Ave. at 9th St., F to 7th Ave., Park Slope, Brooklyn

WHEN: Sunday, January 18th from 4:40 to 6 pm Admission Free

WHO:

Meghan Punschke is the author of Stratification (BlazeVOX Books, 2008). She resides in New York City and has an MFA in Poetry from the New School. She is the curator and host of Word of Mouth, a reading series dedicated to poets and fiction/non-fiction writers. She is Managing Editor for the literary journal Oranges & Sardines. Punschke also teaches Communications and Writing courses for the University of Phoenix in Jersey City, and works as the Director of Business Development and Marketing for a technology corporation during the day. Her poetry was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2007. Please visit www.megpunschke.com for more info.

Eva Talmadge is a graduate of the University of Florida and the fiction MFA program at CUNY Hunter College. Her work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and has appeared in Subtropics, the New York Tyrant, the New Orleans Review, Sleepingfish, elimae, and elsewhere. She lives in Brooklyn.

Paige H. Taggart lives and works in a house in Brooklyn. She has an e-chapbook out with Scantilly Clad Press, Won’t Be a Girl. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in the Agriculture Reader, La Petite Zine, My Name Is Mud, Blazevox, Ditch, Elimae, Robot Melon, Caketrain, Critphoria, EOAGH, Sawbuck, and Eleven Eleven.

In Obscured Offerings, Richard Eagan presents two strains of his characteristic constructed paintings. The first employs "bursting" elements to suggest the decline of Coney Island's amusement beach, while the second presents variations on the "target" theme reminiscent of the live-ammunition shooting galleries on the streets of Coney. A founding director of the Coney Island Hysterical Society, Eagan is active in the struggle to preserve the zoning and character of Coney Island's world-famous amusement zone.

About 440 Gallery: Park Slope's only artist-run gallery, a jewel box space offering an alternative venue for Brooklyn artists. 440 Gallery seeks to present surprising, unexpected art to the community through exhibitions, talks, readings and events centered around direct contact with the artist. Open Thursdays and Fridays from 4-7 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 12-6 pm, or by appointment.

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About those sweet potato fries

Chicago: All That Jazz And Then Some

If you find yourself in Chicago definitely check out Joseph Lappie's solo art exhibition.

Believe Inn is proud to present "Before There Was Us And Them There Was We," the solo exhibition of Joseph Lappie.

"Before There Was Us And Them There Was We" is a collection of new drawing prints and paintings continuing the theme of relationships between the self and others, communicative constipation in word and deed, and the necessity of factual fictions in order to move forward day to day. The anthropomorphic qualities of certain figures suggest the true character of each individual. One that often remains hidden under the skin. It is not meant to be a mythological character, merely an aspect of us.

Before There Was Us And Them There Was We

Solo Exhibition by Joseph Lappie

Believe Inn

2043 N Winchester

Chicago, IL 60614

http://BelieveInn.org/

Peptic Robot Press Interview

My forthcoming chapbook, State(s) of Flux is a collaboration with the artist, Joseph Lappie. Peptic Robot Press is Joseph's one-person publishing press which focuses on art books, so it's a distinct pleasure to have Joseph designing, laying-out, creating, and illustrating the book. Here's an interview with Joseph.

Present Prescence Presents Past Flashed

Friday I eased on up out of bed and met Veronica at the Grand Central Terminal then we departed on a quick train trip to PS.1. There were many many highlights (some of which can be read on Veronica's blog) so I just suggest you go check it out yourself. It's definitely one of the better exhibits in the New York Metro area. One of the exhibits consisted of Complaint Choirs. I sent this link to my friend, Nicole, in HK and she said Hong Kong doesn't have one 'cause no one complains there- she's funny. I replied yeah no complains in the US either.
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Friday night I met Deep Disco and we took in the Olympic ceremonies. Pretty awesome stuff.
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I missed a picnic & a bike ride on Saturday (I still haven't fixed my bike) but went the poetry reading at Melville House which was quite good. Then I met up with my friend Ship and we went to O.C. to hear our astrologies... but the reader did them in groups of 6 to 8 so nothing too specific was obtained... although she mentioned that Aquarius are pretty much fucked for money culminating in a large-scale disaster on September 15th. Hmmm.... Should all Aquarius play the lotto on the 15th just to give the stars a cosmic chuckle??
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Sunday I streamed the USA vs China basketball game. The result of this is that I didn't make it to CA's BPC play/reading performance, but I maintained a shred of Philly cred by attending Juliette's Corollary Press reading. Juliette is super-sweet and just oozes warmth- writers must feel lucky to have her as their editor/publisher. Tisa Bryant read and we both know that we know each other but couldn't figure out how....Do you know how Tisa and I know each other?
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Now here we are Monday. Tonight's reading looks like this:

7x7

7 poets at

7 min at

7pm at

7th St.

& First Ave

The International Bar

back patio

120 1/2 1st Ave

Monday August 11

Gary Parrish

Lydia Cortes

Brenda Iijima

Greg Fuchs

Marcella Durand

Phyllis Wat

Jonas Mekas

hosted by stephanie gray

It's better if you just leave it

Over There Yes I See A Waterfall

Olafur Eliasson has installed these waterfalls in New York. My friend, Ai, was nice enough to invite me along on a bike ride to view them. I think there wound up being 15 or so people. We met at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge then went to DUMBO, then off to Brooklyn Heights, back over the Manhattan Bridge and finally to Battery Park City. After that some went for beers while others went elsewhere. I was one of the elsewhere goers. The website has up a pretty decent bike map. Click "how to visit" then click "by bike." Below is a picture of one of the five waterfalls. We only saw four since the fifth is located near Governers lsland.

In other news, I'm pleased to say that Vanitas has accepted a poem of mine. I haven't had a chance to look at Issue 3 which just came out, but Issue 2 was really solid.

I Want To Believe

If haven't seen this yet go see it because it's amazing and it ends tomorrow!

Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe

It would be nice to stay here

It would be nice to have the time and money to stay at this art-project hotel in Paris, wouldn't it? Since it is only one room your name is entered into an auction assuming that you know what day they open the auction & then you basically cross your fingers and toes or you drop around $5,000 USD and bid for the room via ebay...

Here's the website:

http://www.everland.ch/en/home/

Get Art/Give Art

Fa-la-la-la-la I know you're jinglingly right along this time of year heavy-headed in getting and giving gifted & since you, my dear readers, live such poetic-ness lives maybe keep your step fresh and give the gift that keeps on giving i.e. art!

Peptic Robot Press (publishers of my chapbook, Lovers' Last Go Around and forthcoming chapbook poetry/art collaboration) has a nifty little mail-art gift idea.

It's as such:

What better gift then a year subscription to the 12 x 20 x 12 mail art campaign?

Contact Joseph Lappie at pepticrobotpress@hotmail.com and let him know who it is for and in what quantity. Give him the address & send him a check for 20 dollars (now holla if that aint on the real cheap!)

Here's what you get for your twenty bones:

12 months of art- 1 peice of art every month + for every person you sign up you get a "thank you" piece of art sent your way fa free!

PRP will ship via mail until the 20th and if there are any late buyers PRP will FedEx until the 22nd ($5 FedEx fee).

I've been getting his art since forever and I'm constantly impressed so yep I'm signing some peeps up myself!

Get an eyeful of prints, books, illustrations, etc at www.pepticrobotpress.com

If You Find Yourself in Chicago on Friday November 16th

This Friday the 16th from 7pm - 11pm sponsored by Allegoric Space and hosted at the Chicago Country Club Gallery I will have a literal hunk of my work on display Along with 20+ other artists from across the nation. I think 12 or so will be at the actual event for libations and canoodling. Artwork from $20-$1500 so a little bit for everyone.

This is a one night only gig. On Saturday the 17th I'll be gone. Where is this gallery at you ask?

1100 N. Damen Ave Chicago, Il 60622

That is one block south of the Division and Damen intersection. Easily accessible by the Blue Line and getting off at either the
Division or Damen stop then walking (or bussing) 5-6 blocks on either street until you hit the intersection. One block South and Voila!

What will be there? Glad you asked. Prints, Drawings, and Books by me...Paintings, Drawings, Textual sculptures, by others. Check out www.allegoricspace.com for the list and examples of artists.

Hey, while you're at it check out www.pepticrobotpress.com for over 70 new images (mainly in the drawing and print section) The website is in a constant state of flux so excuse the dispirate background images on some of the pages.

Any ?s I'll be happy and speedy in my reply.

Bring your dancing feet, bring your drinking belly, and bring your pocket book because the art is affordable.

Joseph

p.s. I know, logistically, that it is an impossibilty for many of you to attend this event. Nonetheless I wanted to send an invitation.

Thanks.





www.pepticrobotpress.com

Get Art; Get Lit

My good friend and esteemed colleague has revamped his website. He's an amazing artist and a special talent when it comes to book arts so take a look for yerself,

http://pepticrobotpress.com/