LETTERS TuE ALCUIN SOCIETY was the idea ofGeoff Spencer, to promote a wider appreciation Kogawa talks to Alcuin of finely wrought among Seventeen Alcuin Society members and their lovers around the wodd. Other founding guests participated in the first of a new series of members were Basil Stuart-Stubbs, Bill members-only meetings last March 30, at the Duthie, Sam Black, Bill McConnell, Dale historic Joy Kogawaheritage house in Vancouver. Smith and Sam Fogel. Kagawa House Committee member Ann-Marie Merten started the evening by explaining the The name Alcuin was chosen to honour series of successful steps that were taken to save the memory of Alcuin of York (A.D. 735 to the historic house from demolition. Future 804). Alcuin was a man who cared deply plans are to return the house to its original about books and literacy. As Charlemagne's condition and then to offer the house as a place "Minister of Culture," Alcuin selected the of retreat for writers of conscience from around most legible script of his day and gave the world. it official blessing. Known as Caroline I then had the pleasure of saying a few words minuscule, it ultimately led to our modern about Joy's considerable literary achievements lowercase alphabet. in the areas of fiction, poetry and children's To further its aims, the Alcuin Society Ii terature. Copies of her books were available for engages in a wide range of educational members to examine after the presentations. The definite highlight of the evening, activities, many of them in collaboration however, was a by Joy from her with educational institutions-lectures, award winning novel Obasan. The reading had workshops, exhibitions, field visits and particular resonance for the audience since Joy competitions. Annual design awards are continuously referred to places mentioned in made by a panel of expert judges for the the novel that were right before the audience's best in Canadian . Amphora, eyes. After the reading she spoke with incredible the Society's journal, cove.rs a wide range energy and passion about the Japanese of topics related to the book: the future of internment during the Second World War, and the book, the history of the book, the book all of the hardships and suffering experienced arts (typography, type design, calligraphy, by so many Japanese families and the Japanese community in Canada as a whole. Fortunately papermaking, illustration, and some reparation for these wrongs has occurred binding), , , book in the form of Federal Government redress and collecting, notable collections, and in the saving of the Kagawa house itself. All reading. of the audience members felt at the end of the evening that they had received a rare privilege OFFICERS & DIRECTORS in being able to hear Joy read and speak about CHAIR - Howard Greaves her own moving personal experience. TREASURER - Douglas Bruce Richard Hopkins DIRECTORS - Nicholas Collins, Vancouver, BC Leah Gordon, Richard Hopkins, Kate Russell, Ralph Stanton, Claudia Wober's Beauty & Power Eric Swanick, Ryan Vernon It is with profound sadness that I share with you the Ex 0FFJCIO BOARD MEMBERS - loss of a talented book artist and very dear friend, Don Atkins, Marlene Chan, Claudia Camille Wober, on February 26, 2007. John King, Jim Rainer Claudia graduated with a BFA in Book Arts SECRETARY - Barbara Fairchild and Photography from Oregon College of An and Craft in 2001. Despite being diagnosed The Alcuin Society with an aggressive form of multiple sclerosis at is proud to have as patron the the start of her final year, her time at 0CAC was GoVERNOR GENERAL OF CANADA the happiest of her short life. She threw herself I Her Excellency the Right Honourable into all aspects of the book arts with unflagging Michaetle Jean. passion, intelligence, and commitment, quickly

2 becoming, as the department head Barbara Tetenbaum noted in her eulogy, one of the best REALLY SMALL students to come through the book arts program at OCAC. Has anyone seen Teeny Ted? Several of Claudia's student books went on to win awards, most notably The Child's Foot, a book she created when she was selected for the OCAC's Commission Award in Book Arts in 1999. She also entered it in the Northwest Bookfest that year, where it so impressed the judges that a special category was added to acknowledge her as ari emerging book artist. Sandra Kroupa of the University of Washington wrote of it that "the jury came back to this understated but very VANCOUVER ARTIST, AUTHOR and publisher compelling book again and again as a favourite. Robert Chaplin's latest work simultaneously It is a subtle, well-crafted piece based on a simple expands and shrinks (by factors of ten) the scope but potent line by (Pablo) Neruda which has of work for which he enjoys growing renown. been combined with soft photographs of baby Teeny Ted from Turnip Town, issued in April, has feet and hands .. . It was a pleasure to see such a set a new record for the world's smallest book, finely focused piece from a new artist trained at measuring 0.07 by 0.10 millimetres. While the Oregon College of Art and Craft." the issue price of $20 ,000 from the of Claudia returned to Vancouver after grad­ 100 copies might seem steep, that's nothing uation where for the next six long and tortuous compared to buying the scanning electron years she struggled to create while constantly microscope needed to read the book. battling her ever-diminishing motor skills. The Written by Malcolm Douglas Chaplin, it is agony this horrific disease put her body through the story of Teeny Ted's victory in the turnip was nothing compared to the loss of her ability contest at the annual county fair. Chaplin set to make art. the text in majuscules, and it was then carved With the help of friends and volunteers she into 30 microtablets (i.e., pages) on a single produced exquisite gocco-printed Christmas chip of polished crystalline silicon, using a cards, redefining with her poetic sensibilities focused-gallium-ion beam with a minimum the beauty and perfection of simplicity. She also diameter of 7 nanometres. (The work was done published Poetry at Hand, completing two in in conjunction with Simon Fraser University's a series of cards featuring a letterpress-printed Nano Imaging Facility.) Asked to describe the poem by an emerging Canadian poet on one experience of reading the book, Robert is his ~ide, and a gocco-printed design by Claudia on usual effusive self. the reverse. These were distributed guerrilla­ "It's like flying into Las Vegas at night, or style and were meant to by found by people landing a space ship. At first you see nothing in unlikely places. The second was Crows, a more than an atmosphere of constantly shuffling poem by Gina Page, which unintentionally but gray and black and white pixels, a shimmering fittingly became Claudia's last gesture as a book mass of electrons. Then as you focus the electron artist. The poem's description of the accidental beam, you lock in on the x, the mark on the death of a crow hit by a truck is beautifully surface of the chip, big enough to see with a expressed through Claudia's restrained and naked eye. At this distance, it looks like a austere imagery. It ends with the haunting line trench made by some twisted gigantic machine, "Bare wires are left/to hum the elegy. " and the pixels still shuffle like a boiling mass Powerless to slow down the inevitable, of cloud. Somehow in this chaos you begin to despite Herculean efforts, and unable to bear discern a vague outline, an area with a slightly any more pain and anguish, Claudia, with more rectilinear boil. It begins to take shape, typical strength, courage and deliberation, appearing like magic before your eyes, focused ended her suffering. Yet again, as she did in her in a shower of electrons." To date only one copy art, Claudia has revealed the beauty in sadness, has been produced, but as Robert says, "Ifeven just and the power in powerlessness. one person bought a copy, how cool a world would Simone M ynen that be to live in!" New Westminster, BC For more on Robert's work, see www.robertchaplin.ca.

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