We’re coming up on the deadline to order a copy of our special Tenth Anniversary Issue, and until today, we’ve only released the list of authors. But starting now, we’re announcing each of the articles. Over the next couple weeks, we’ll announce the whole lot, but here are descriptions of the first four articles:
“Contagious Curiosity: Handcraft for Building Relationships” Anne Briggs
You probably know her as the indefatigably smiling internet inspiration “Anne of All Trades,” but you probably don’t know what makes her tick. Anne has taught woodworking classes around the world, has written for many publications, and she seemingly never runs out of new projects to build. But, what is it about woodworking that she finds so compelling? Of all her hobbies and interests, what does this particular trade offer that is of immense value in the modern world? Anne’s surprising answer: relationship building. Through all the contagious enthusiasm and tireless productivity, you will rarely find Anne solo. She farms, writes, and builds furniture in order to deepen relationships with others. In this article, Anne diagnoses the dis-ease of our modern lives of isolation and shows a proven way forward – the way of handcraft. Part memoir, part call to action, Anne’s “contagious curiosity” is always aimed at spreading the joy of craft as a way to cultivate genuine personal connections.
“Precision & its Discontents: The Manifesto Revisited” Joshua A. Klein
In the inaugural issue of Mortise & Tenon Magazine, editor Joshua A. Klein decided to lay it all out there right out of the gate. M&T was to be nothing like any other publication. He had no interest in recycling the same tutorial content over and over or incessantly publishing variations on “Five Easy Shop Tips for the Woodworker Who Wants to Buy More Tools.” Instead, M&T was born out of a focused and distinctive vision to highlight the creative work of artisans unencumbered by the industrial mentality. So, 10 years ago, Joshua published Mortise & Tenon’s Manifesto.
How have those words fared over the course of a decade? How have the initial aims blossomed or how has M&T veered into unanticipated realms? These are the questions Joshua takes up in this essay. Spoiler alert: In some regards, he has only doubled down, and in others, he thinks clarification is needed. Consider this essay as Joshua charting the course for the next 10 years of M&T publishing. Where are they headed? This essay, as the first one did, sets the trajectory for what is to come.
“Good Sense” A Year’s Correspondence with Wendell Berry
If you had the opportunity to exchange letters with legendary author and social critic Wendell Berry, what would ask him? If you sought to apply his prophetic insights about the industrialization of culture and agriculture to the realm of craftsmanship, what would that look like? In M&T’s Tenth Anniversary Issue, Joshua and Mike are publishing just such an exchange. Reading Berry is so refreshing because he always directs his readers’ attention beneath the surface – to the truly human concerns that underlie any question under discussion. As Berry wrote to Joshua in one of his letters, “I don’t want to talk about good work without talking about good sense….good sense has begun speaking to me of my own, and everybody’s, need for good community.” In his characteristic condensed eloquence, Berry reflects on the value of working with care, building a home, the dangers of heedless consumerism, and how to live well in light of an unpredictable future. There are few writers who can address such weighty subjects more compellingly than Wendell Berry.
“Some Assembly Required” Glenn Adamson
Craft is not a static thing. Each generation provides its response to it own unique cultural moment. And any artisan may build with heritage in mind, but its pretty clear that not all have benefitted from substantive craft training. In this essay, craft scholar Glenn Adamson illustrates how, instead of employing tried-and-true joinery techniques, many modern makers default to novel (and inevitably inferior) construction methods that were never designed to last. But any serious woodworker knows that solid joinery is essential to quality craftsmanship. Envisioning an apartment furnished exclusively with “banal and dispiriting” flat-pack furniture, Adamson writes, “Life can certainly go on unimpeded in such a space, but it will inevitably be impoverished.” Throughout his perceptive essay, Adamson shows how the way a thing has been built sheds light on the worldview and mentality of its maker. Adamson engages a body of craft work that spans eras and cultures to show that there have always been skilled artisans who have built furniture that exemplifies the strength and stability our generation so desperately needs.
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The last day that the Tenth Anniversary Issue will be available to purchase is April 27. After that, we will close orders, and the printer will make enough to fulfill our pre-orders. Because this is an unusual way to release a book, we’ve been fielding lots of questions, so here are the key things you need to know:
- This is available only by pre-order, and the ordering window will close after April 27.
- The book is scheduled to ship in June.
- We will not do another print run.
So, if you’re a fan of M&T, you will not want to miss out on this one-time-opportunity edition. As you can already see from the article descriptions, the Tenth Anniversary Issue is an extra-special volume that will be referenced for years to come. Pre-order your copy now, before it’s too late.
-Joshua