Poetry and the Page: Visualizing the Word

Poetry and the Page: Visualizing the WordCourse Code: 25MWR100I This one day, in person workshop takes place at CBA on Saturday, July 19th, from 11: 00AM to 5: 00PM ET. Saturday, July 19th, 11: 00 AM to 5: 00 PM ET Please Note: Registration for this workshop closes on July 13th, 2025 at 11: 59 pm. About the Workshop: This in person class at Center for Book Arts is taught by instructor Maria G. Pisano. What is poetry? How do words inspire us? The class will begin with choosing ones own text

Course Code: 25MWR100I

This one-day, in-person workshop takes place at CBA on Saturday, July 19th, from 11:00AM to 5:00PM ET.

• Saturday, July 19th, 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET

Please Note: Registration for this workshop closes on July 13th, 2025 at 11:59 pm.

About the Workshop:

This in-person class at Center for Book Arts is taught by instructor Maria G. Pisano. 

What is poetry? How do words inspire us? The class will begin with choosing one’s own text or a favorite passage, and proceed to extract words that can be formed into poetic form. Discussion will center on various forms of poetry, how to pull out meaningful text and compose one’s own poem. The next step is to respond visually to it via drawing, collage, printing and/or painting on the pages and transform them into a creative work of art. If time allows we will bind your pages into a book.

This workshop references Tom Philip’s A Humument – Please visit his site and read the introduction at: https://www.tomphillips.co.uk/humument

Required Materials:

• Choose 2 spreads, or 4 pages of a literary novel book you like – something that is of interest to you and has meaning that you can respond to. Xerox the pages you have chosen - so you will have multiple pages to bring to the workshop and work on them. Please use good acid free art paper to Xerox your pages, no larger than 8.5 x11. Bring at least two copies of each page, so you can practice on one and use the second for your final.

• Think of a media you like to use for painting (acrylics or watercolor only), printing - stamp pads, triangular make-up sponges - one per color; drawing - markers, colored pencils; collage, etc. – bring all relevant materials with you.

• Additionally please bring your basic bookbinding kit: Self healing mat, small snap blade knife, triangle, stick glue, small scissors, pencil, eraser, 12" metal ruler, bone folder, brushes

A more detailed materials list will be sent to you upon registration.

About Maria G. Pisano

Maria G. Pisano (she/her) is a book artist, printmaker, curator and educator. Memory Press works are represented in The Library of Congress, 9-11 Memorial Museum, National Library of Medicine, Columbia University, NY Public Library and many more. Her book Caudex Folium was exhibited at “Towers Rising“, the 9-11 Memorial Museum in NYC, and in 2022 her work was in “And Yet We Rise: A Retrospect of the Days and Times Surrounding 9/11″ at the American Consulate in London. She has curated a number exhibits including Book as Witness: The Artist’s Response at CBA in NYC and Crossroads: Book Artists’ Impassioned Responses to Immigration, Human Rights and Our Environment, at the Hunterdon Museum of Art, NJ. Ms. Pisano contributes to book arts publications and has presented lectures at the Library of Congress, College Book Arts Association and the Art Libraries Society of North America. Her article “Mark To Impress” was published in California Society of Printmakers and The Blue Notebook in the UK. She continuously gives workshops nationally and internationally, at her studio, libraries and institutions such as Bridwell Library, TX, CBBAG and Center for Book Arts in NYC.

All images courtesy of the instructor.