January Bundle News

Hi Folks, the January bundles are sitting in my car, stamped and sealed and ready to go to the post office. They were stuffed on Friday afternoon by a small crew of Ivan Snyder, Laurie Kitzke, and me, with an assist of dubious value by my children. The envelopes were printed by Mike Coughlin, although I'll take the blame for the marker and pen fiasco at the bottom. We had a miscommunication over the months needed, and then I just couldn't get out to the garage to fix them in a more professional way. All the usual excuses: the garage is too cold, it's too dark and I just want to go to bed, I have no borders to cover the type, it will be faster if I sit here by the fire and do it by hand. (Wrong! It WAS warmer, however, and let me practice my cursive to please June B.).

All of these excuses make me even more impressed with the fine work that shows up every month in my mailbox. Thanks, devoted amateurs. Keep up the good work. If you are interested, here is a link to an essay from 1971 by the experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage called "In Defense of Amateur," about how he is most honored by having his work described in that way, and hopes to forever remain an amateur, "for the true amateur, even when in consort with other amateurs, is always working alone gauging his success according to his care for the work rather than according to the accomplishments or recognitions of others." It is a bit of a ramble, but some of you might find it interesting:

https://hambrecine.com/2014/05/28/ameteurbrakhage/

Happy New Year to all of you, near and far. It's a cold and windy day here in Portland, but the sun is shining and the sky is blue. I'll write again in a couple of days with my picks of the month.