Image from Karen The Small Press Librarian
Our sadness about losing a large Borders bookstore in Pittsburgh may for a time be taken over by the opportunity to creatively fill such a key central location.
By April 30th, Borders will be gone and the space filled for at least a month by a Pop up small press project called--Fleeting Pages. Could they show art; host craft workshops; poetry readings and musical events? Yes! At this point it seems very much up in the air how long this might last, what might be sold and when, where and if this might later live on in another location. (Since this space is almost certainly going to attract viable retail.)
The idea is a result of a few things; the toll taken on local booksellers by big box bookstores, a concern for the cultural effects of big box stores in both their existence and their failure, a general frustration with the model of the publishing industry, and a great appreciation for independent and self-published works of all kinds, as well as for those who create them.
We felt compelled to do something. Fleeting Pages is what we came up with. It will test the theory that what is happening with “books” – creation, consumption, access – matters to many. And if given the opportunity to take over, or take back, one of these empty spaces they will. And in the most brilliant of ways.
The end result, what Fleeting Pages will ultimately become, is a beautiful unknown as it is dependent upon what others are willing to add. The framework is there – the space, the concept, and a few people willing to work their hardest in support of the project.
Fleeting Pages is in need of, and open to, work of all kinds to fill the shelves, ideas and people to create and run workshops, ideas for how to re-imagine the space, 30-days of events, people willing to come out and help at the space, partnerships, collaborations,….a community.
As of today, we have 5 weeks until the proposed opening day….. Let’s test what’s possible.
An open call is out there to anyone and everyone--for Volunteers; For Ideas, For Artists and Designers and most of all for content.
We need books! We need inventory of all kinds to stock the shelves with as much work as possible. Here’s a list of some of the types of work we are looking for to get you started. Don’t let the list limit any ideas you may have for things that could be added to our shelves that are not on this list.
Books
Journals
Zines
Graphic novels / Comics
Magazines
e-Books
Book art….??…
Calling--Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York....Alabama and Alaska if you are a publisher or have content follow up and submit.
Some of the website is still being added to
Fleeting Pages Website
Fleeting Pages Facebook
Fleeting Pages on Twitter
Heads up to Occassional Diggingpitt contributor, Karen Lillis, AKA Karen the Small Press Librarian
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