June Spotlight Shorts

ARTIST: Jennifer Borges Foster, seattle poet and chief editor of filter, a limited edition, hand-bound literary journal

PUBLICATION: Filter (vol. III), available at tickerfinch.etsy.com ($50–$70)

RELEASE PARTY/READING: 6/17, 7:30 p.m. Fremont Abbey, 4272 Fremont Ave. N; 206.414.8325; fremontabbey.org

BD: Creating a literary journal is hard enough. Why add the burden of hand-binding it?
JBF: Putting literature, specifically poetry, in a visual and tactile context makes it more appealing to those who might normally shy away from poetry. If you hand a person something that they actually want to hold, they are more likely to explore the contents.

BD: Past issues of Filter have been embellished with stitching, folded compartments and screen prints. What techniques will you use in the new issue?
JBF: The cover will be letter pressed this time, replacing the screen printing I’ve done in the past. It will actually be more like a treasure box—each set of poems or prose will be individually bound and placed into the box so that the contents can be arranged in any order, art pieces can be removed and place on walls, etc. There will be hand sewing and perhaps some machine stitching as well.

BD: About how long does it take to make a single copy?
JBF: The last issue evened out to about 4-5 hours per copy, but I was doing most of the work by myself. In the third volume, I’ve had the help of editors Kate Lebo, Emily Kendal Frey, Tonaya Thompson, Emmy Burns and designers Kate Fernandez and Kim Drake. I think we’ll probably end up putting 3 hours of work into each copy.

BD: In what way is hand-binding a book like writing a poem?
JBF: With both, I feel like I’m working on an intuitive level. You begin with an idea, and end up with something that has become its own world. You try to follow an order so the thing can hold together, but oftentimes, that order is usurped by some surprising bit of beauty that changes the outcome for the better.

 

Final Bows
A Flock of PNB Dancers Exits

That rustling sound you hear at Pacific Northwest Ballet isn’t just the tutus being put away for the season. A slew of longtime, beloved dancers are leaving the company—either of their own accord or because contracts have not been renewed. Principal dancers Ariana Lallone, Olivier Wevers, Jeffrey Stanton and Stanko Milov are moving on (see Lallone at Teatro Zinzanni and Wevers in own company, Whim W’Him). Popular corps de ballet members Stacy Lowenberg, Barry Kerollis and Josh Spell, and soloist Chalnessa Eames will also bow out. PNB will fill all eight spots by next season, but meanwhile there’s one more chance to see these performers on the PNB stage: This year’s “Season Encore Performance” is not so much a reprise as a way to showcase these dearly departing dancers. 6/12. 6:30 p.m. Prices vary. Pacific Northwest Ballet, 321 Mercer St.; 206.441.2424; pnb.org.