Tuolumne Meadows Poetry Festival Broadsides
By Jim Cokas
Jim Cokas has been designing and commissioning the printing of poetry broadsides for the Tuolumne Meadows Poetry Festival in Yosemite National Park since 2003. Jim and Sandy met in 2011 at the CODEX Book Fair in Berkeley, CA. The lone goose press broadside series resonated with Jim at the time he was looking for a new letterpress printer for his broadsides.
After contacting Sandy in the spring of 2012, they agreed to collaborate on the 2012 poetry broadsides which included four broadsides and have been working together each year since. Typically there are three broadsides a year. lone goose press provides the option of digital as well as letterpress printing, allowing a wider range of imagery. Jim and Sandy discuss paper options and select a high quality printmaking paper that is appropriate for the broadside under consideration.
The broadsides are printed in a limited edition and signed by the poet. They are all 10 x 14 inches and may have a vertical or horizontal format. The series is truly a collector’s edition produced to commemorate the Tuolumne Meadows Poetry Festival. All profits from the sale of the prints are donated to support this ongoing event.
One may purchase the broadsides on Jim’s Etsy site.
Since starting this collaboration Jim and Sandy have combined their talents producing broadsides commissioned by poets and other entities.