Yes, for those of you wondering, Mike got his article done on time. And so did our other Issue Twelve authors.
Today, after reconvening since the holiday break, Mike and I began sorting out the new articles and working through them. Even though the back-and-forth editorial work happens through shared digital docs, it always starts as a printed text for us. The experience of reading in print is so radically different than that on screen, and especially because these words will end up on paper, we want to begin our first interaction with these authors in the most focused and uncluttered presentation: print. Every six months, we divvy up the printed articles and settle in with red pens to engage the text.
Issue Twelve takes us all over the world, and we find ourselves constantly going back to look up background information just to get our bearings. That’s the glorious thing about each issue – we’ve never once churned out the same old stuff we already know. Every one is an exploration, a pursuit of new craft horizons.
There’s one article in particular that has my mind reeling about new ways to work in my own shop. I’ve purchased an antique tool through eBay that will need only slight modification in order to experiment with. (Tracking says that it’s “out for delivery” today. I’m hopeful it’ll be there when I walk back down to the house tonight.) This is what these articles always do to me. As if I don’t have enough interests already, every six months we get another wave of inspiration that sends us on new rabbit trails. It could feel overwhelming, but I take it to be the fun of the pursuit.
Anyway, the red pen is at work now, and my mind is reeling.
We’ll undoubtedly be talking about these articles here and there on the Dispatch, and perhaps occasionally here on the blog, but the complete table of contents will be released next month. Keep an eye out for it.
-Joshua