It's official. MFA tucked safely into my pocket, I've decided it's time to make the news... well... new! As an alternative to my lengthy, rare website posts (see below), I've decided to blog. That's right, folks, I'm going to try my best to stay in touch. So, from now on, for the latest with regard to Flatbed Splendor, please visit my WordPress site. For more information regarding Open Edition, please visit the Open Edition wiki, which is the organizational hub for the project, serving both as a means for experimentation and as a forum for discussion. Anyone is invited to join, so go on and get your wiki on!

Flatbed Splendor is proud (and relieved!) to announce that her latest book, Fibre Libre, will be released on Thursday, September 2nd, 2010, at the opening of her solo MFA thesis exhibition. You can join Bridget and many of the project contributors at The Bama Theatre in Tuscaloosa, AL from 6:00-8:00 pm for a reception and exhibition viewing. The exhibition will be on display from September 2-17 and will feature Fibre Libre, as well as additional work produced by Bridget at The University of Alabama during her three years as a graduate student in the MFA in the Book Arts program. In addition, there will be a public presentation regarding Fibre Libre and the Open Edition project on Friday, September 3rd, on the fifth floor of the Gorgas Library at The University of Alabama in room 503 at 1:00 pm. The public presenation will follow Bridget's formal thesis defense and will feature a presentation of images and an opportunity to handle the book more extensively. Many thanks to all of the contributors and supporters of this project!

As promised, another update! Just returned from a month-long adventure in Colorado Springs, where I served as Visiting Art Professor and taught a Book Arts and Letterpress course at The Press at Colorado College. A highlight was our collaborative project, a one-sheet typography guidebook that featured linoleum cuts, handset lead and wood type, and photopolymer plates printed on three of CC's beautiful presses. While at CC, I received confirmation that I will be presenting a paper at the College Book Art Association Biennial Conference in Bloomington this January entitled "Relational Continuum: The Book as Lasting Encounter." The paper engages Nicolas Bourriaud’s Relational Aesthetics as a lens through which to critically approach the book arts, focusing on Impractical Labor, Book Bombs, and Temporary Services as case studies. And finally, it's official! Flatbed Splendor's latest book, Fibre Libre, will be finished in August. The book release will coincide with a solo exhibition at The Bama Theatre in Tuscaloosa and a public thesis defense at The University of Alabama on September 3rd.

A conundrum: the more news I have to share, the less time I have to share it. As such, I offer a long overdue, four-month update as to the goings-on of Flatbed Splendor. Recent exhibitions include Inventive Structures at the Creative Arts Workshop, the Third National Juried Show by San Diego Book Arts, and Hand Prompts the Mind at Asheville BookWorks. Future presentations include, "Unevenly Distributed: High, Low and Mixed Technologies in Three Artists Organizations" at the Mid America Print Council Conference in Minneapolis, where she will join her colleagues from Impractical Labor, Preacher's Biscuit Books, formLab and SCAP. In addition, Flatbed Splendor will present at the College Art Association 2011 99th Annual Conference in New York City, where she will speak on a new media panel entitled "Fight the Power: Open Source, Free Software, and Critical Digital Practice." Finally, thanks to Vamp & Tramp Booksellers, Flatbed Splendor's books can now be found in collections across the country at institutions including Yale, NYPL, and UCLA. More soon... I promise!

Is it almost March? Really? Updates include two new exhibitions featuring Flatbed Splendor's work. Currently showing at the Museum of Fine Arts at FSU, Studio Art Faculty features work from... I bet you can guess who... that's right, FSU Studio Art Faculty! The show will be on exhibit in the Lower Gallery from February 12th to March 28th. On the evening of March 27th, Flatbed Splendor will join Kristie Cornell, Sara Hopp, Sarah Wiseman and Blue Mullet Lounge for a one-night show at the Ephemeral Gallery in Baton Rouge, LA. I heard a rumor about wood-fired pizza... yum. In January, Flatbed Splendor's chapbook, The Troubled Lyricist, was awarded a Purchase Prize at The Assignment exhibition in Portland. Thanks to 23 Sandy Gallery, CBAA and the Multnomah County Library for their support! Also, check out the Impractical Labor website for updates about recent presentations and publications by ILSSA Co-Operators. And finally, keep your eyes upon for updates regarding Flatbed Splendor's next publication, Fibre Libre, which will be available in May. 2010, it's on.

As promised, more details about a few upcoming exhibitions that feature Flatbed Splendor's work. The Assignment: A Juried Exhibition of Artist Books, organized in conjunction with the College Book Art Association, is now showing at 23 Sandy Gallery in Portland, OR. If you happen to be in the Pacific Northwest on Friday, January 8, join us at the closing exhibition from 5:00-8:00 pm at 623 NE 23rd Avenue. If not, feel free to visit the on-line catalog for a beautiful digital presentation of the show. In addition, The Book as Vessel, a collection of twenty-one contemporary book artists from all over the United States, will be open from January 11 through February 4, 2010 at the University of North Florida Gallery of Art in Jacksonville. Visit the UNF Gallery of Art website for more details as the opening approaches.

After several months of busy-ness, Flatbed Splendor FINALLY dropped off a pile of goodies at Textures Handmade Market in her new hometown of Tallahassee, FL. Letterpress printed cards, prints and books abound, along with an amazing array of handmade goods made locally by area artists. So, if you happen to be in Tally, be sure to stop by. You probably want to pick up an incredible sweet treat from Lucy & Leo's Cupcakery on your way... but I'm no cupcake pusher (they kinda seem to push themselves).

In other news, Flatbed Splendor's books will be featured in several upcoming exhibitions at 23 Sandy Gallery, The University of North Florida Gallery of Art, and Florida State University's Strozier Library Special Collections. More details to come!

Thanks to the kick-butt Kathryn Hunter of Blackbird Letterpress, my butt was kicked into action to contribute to the Ladies of Letterpress Old Maid card exchange. Flatbed Splendor's contribution? Lucia Libre, La Luchadora. Inspired by Nacho Libre (the perfect movie to watch whenever you need to laugh out loud) and Irma Gonzalez (the legendary luchadora), this three-color linoleum reduction was my first printing experiment on the Vandercook Universal I at SCAP. Success! The text is handset Spartan Black Condensed and Spartan Heavy. I love Spartan! Check out the rest of the deck on the Blackbird Letterpress blog.

On a relatively unrelated note, We Can Go Beyond It will be featured in the Scissors: Pop-Up exhibition at the Florida Craftsmen gallery, which opens on September 18th and will run through October 31st of this year.

Well, folks, they went rogue. I offer the Second Edition 1989 of the Oxford English Dictionary as a reference.

rogue, v. (r{schwa}{shtu}g) Also 6 ro(a)ge, 6-7 roague. [f. ROGUE n.]

1. a. intr. To wander idly about after the manner of rogues; to live like a rogue or vagrant; also, in later use, to play the rogue or rascal. 2. a. trans. To denounce as a rogue, to call (one) a rogue; to accuse of roguery. Obs. b. To cast discredit on (something). Obs. 3. To practise roguery upon; to swindle. 4. To free from inferior plants or seedlings. Also, to take out (inferior plants) from a crop.

The preparations for Fibre Libre have begun! Flatbed Splendor is in Asheville, NC, for a two-week residency at Asheville BookWorks. She is spending day and night in the new paper studio, cutting down, soaking and beating cotton clothing to a pulp! All of this activity is in preparation for a workshop happening this weekend. Fibre Libre: Open Source Papermaking is the first Open Edition event. To read more about the workshop, you can visit the Fibre Libre page on the Open Edition wiki. The project is also featured in Asheville BookWorks' latest Newsletter. Many thanks to the wonderful folks at BookWorks, who made this project possible. Also, props to her pals (and roommates in a past life) at Harvest Records. If you're free on the weekend of August 13-15, you might want to make your way up into the Blue Ridge Mountains for a little something called Transfigurations. Guaranteed entertainment. Possible life-altering experience.

The Open Edition wiki is ready for viewing.

For those of you wondering, "what the heck is she talking about?" Open Edition is a creative thesis project proposed by Flatbed Splendor, which explores the philosophy of FLOSS (Free/Libre/Open Source Software) through the medium of the artist's book. In this exploration, the artist's book is considered both for its potential as a free information technology and as a free cultural work. As such, Open Edition will attempt to extend the Free Software Foundation's "four kinds of freedom" to the users of the artist's book. This extension begins as an attempt to establish a Free Book Definition. The wiki serves as a project hub, featuring Events, Discussions and many opportunities to participate. Please do!

It's official! Flatbed Splendor has relocated to Tallahassee, FL, where she will soon begin a one-year Artist Residency at the Small Craft Advisory Press. SCAP is an artist's book press at Florida State University, newly founded in January by the fabulous Denise Bookwalter. During the residency, Flatbed Splendor will be assisting Denise at the press, teaching Book Structures at FSU, and completing her creative thesis project. Thanks to her friends at Grove Street Studio, she will also be sharing space at The Hive, a collective studio located in the Railroad Square Art Park. This T-town sure knows how welcome a lady!

Just returned from The Hybrid Book Fair & Conference in Philadelphia. A mad rush of productivity preceded the event! Flatbed Splendor is thrilled to announce the self-publication of her latest artist's book, We Can Go Beyond It. More details regarding the piece are available on the Books page. In addition, Impractical Labor released their second Quarterly at the event, announced the upcoming Festival to Plead for Skills, and welcomed 20 members to the organization. Many thanks to the folks at The University of the Arts who made this event such a success.