Kalamazoo Book Arts Center Joint Show with Pendragon
Midtown Gallery
356 S Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo
Jan. 8-29
kalbookarts.org, (269) 372-0134

You might have some people on your shopping list who are tricky to buy for, but imagine shopping for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. Both Nobel Peace Prize winners were recently awarded the Fetzer Center Prize for Love and Forgiveness and $100,000 grant was given to each. Both were also presented with a handmade journal from the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center.

"This was just one of those fun things that you get to do, and knowing where it was going makes it more special," said Michael Dunn, president of the KBAC. "It was true collaboration...everyone contributed, and there was a real spirit of connection in the making."

This sense of connection permeates the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center. The organization was formed almost four years ago by a group of printmakers. Some made handmade paper and others were letter press people who all had a passion for books.

"We decided to apply the passion and create a place where we could teach and educate people on the traditions of the book and also move the traditions forward," Dunn said.

Now, the KBAC is a workshop and educational center where artists and members of the community can learn about the variety of presses and techniques involved in papermaking, book design, journal writing, calligraphy and other forms of printing. The KBAC offers classes in "everything connected with what it takes to make a book," from Papermaking with Garden Fibers to the Art of the Altered Book to Egyptian Coptic Stitch Binding.

"We're also connecting with writers and poets and people who actually do the work that goes in the book," Dunn said.

The joint show at Midtown Gallery is another prime example of connection. The Book Arts Center is exhibiting its work with Pendragon, a local group of calligraphers that have been around for over 20 years. Blank journals, books of handwritten poetry, prints and more will be available for purchase.
"It was a logical connection [between] people who made books or prints and the people who illuminate them," Dunn said. "We've all been wanting to do this."

"Threshold," as the show is called, is an exploration of "crossing the boundaries of the old and into the new year." Dunn cited the "spiritual energy you get when you make a transfer" of the old and enter into the new. As members of the two groups collaborate, Dunn expects to enter "new territory." Both the KBAC and Pendragon are moving their traditions forward, and the result is "not the everyday book that people see, but a special book."

Other Literary Events:

Teresa Ann Winton
Barnes & Noble, 5701 Beckley Rd., Battle Creek
Jan 16, 1 p.m.
barnesandnoble.com, (269) 979-8060

Author Teresa Winton's novel Pieces of the Pearl: Memoirs of a Foster Child's Triumphant Transformation landed on bookshelves Nov. 10 and she is stopping by Battle Creek for a book signing. Her novel is the true-life account of her painful childhood. Abused and neglected, Winton and her six siblings were removed from her parents and placed in foster care, where she continued to experience trauma and loss. Winton's story is also one of joy and healing, and she credits her relationship with God as the redeeming power. Minton says she has "found in writing an outlet for my losses and a great avenue of healing."

The January Series
Calvin College, 1835 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids
Jan. 6-26, 12:30 p.m
calvin.edu/january/2010/, (616) 526-6000

Calvin's annual January Series hosts speakers from a wide variety of backgrounds and topics. The Series, which has been around for 23 years, has been awarded the "Best Campus Lecture Series in the U.S.A." three times by the International Platform Society. This year, speakers include The Washington Post correspondent T.R. Reid, American Enterprise Institute president Arthur C. Brooks and Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia and many others. The presentations are free and open to the public.

Live Music @ KPL series: Belfast Gin
Kalamazoo Public Library, Central Branch
Jan. 20, 7 p.m.
kpl.gov

Enjoy a unique Celtic sound as you wander the stacks. Belfast Gin plays a blend of Celtic and classic rock. The group from Kalamazoo features conga drums, the djembe, guitars, bass, flute, tin whistle, bones and at times, a fiddle and bagpipes. The band's first CD, Ain't Been Sober Yet, was released on St. Patrick's Day of 2008. The high energy performance will begin at 7 p.m. and continue until the library closes at 9 p.m. This concert is part of the library's ongoing Live Music @ KPL series which provides performances from various musical genres. Previous artists were Joe Nolan, the Blue Moon Blues Band and Lloyd and The Fellas. John Wesley Harding is scheduled for February.