Jill Magi and Stephen Motika, from PLEASURE IS A TREASURE (2010)

In September 2010 Jill Magi was  in residence at the DEPARTMENT OF MICRO POETICS with SMALL TALK SMALL BOOKS. The original announcement for that residency can be seen here. Jill described the project as follows:

SMALL TALK SMALL BOOKS is a four-day residency/poets retreat taking place in theDEPARTMENT OF MICRO-POETICS. Jill Magi will be in residence for four days, inviting four New York area poet publishers and editors to come and talk informally about poetry, respond to the text works installed in the DEPARTMENT, discuss the relationship between publishing and writing, and chit chat about other topics perhaps not related to poetry.

Jill Magi and Sara Joredeno, What did you do with your body or mind? (2010)

Jill Magi and Jennifer Firestone, direction for how to leave poetry (2010)

A cross between coffee klatch, talk show, cooking show (where something is made together), and workshop, each SMALL TALK SMALL BOOKS session culminates in Jill and her guest making a small book together. The text for the small book—it may be prose, poetry, a survey, an essay or manifesto—comes out of the time they spend together talking, responding, and doing some writing together.

Jill Magi and Sara Jordeno at the THE DEPARTMENT OF MICRO-POETICS

Jill used the DEPARTMENT OF MICRO-POETICS to meet and discuss with Stephen Motika, Jennifer Firestone and Sara Jordeno. The images in this post document the books that were made. These were: PLEASURE IS A TREASURE (w/Jennifer Firestone); direction for how to leave poetry (w/ Stephen Motika) and What did you do with your body or mind? (w/ Sara Jordeno).

The original invitation for the residency invited artists to send a letter about their work, and Jill sent the following AUDIO LETTER TO DAVID.

The essay was first broadcast as part of VerySmallKitchen’s contribution to WRITING/ EXHIBITION/ PUBLICATION/ PRESENTATION/ DISCUSSION/ PERFORMANCE/ READING/ LISTENING/ SINGING/ PLAYING, curated by Sarah Jury and Ruth Beale for Charlie Woolley’s RADIO SHOW project at SPACE Studios on Oct 6.

On October 30th the SMALL BOOKS will be part of VerySmallKitchen’s contribution to SIDESHOW in Nottingham. More info about that project here.