This week, we’re putting the finishing touches on a forthcoming book about Navajo weavers–one of two new books we’ll be bringing out this fall. One of many memorable stories in the book is about a man who, suffering a terrible illness, commissioned for himself, a rug woven with the Tree of Life design. I’m not […]
26
Jan
Jan
“The relationship between weaving and storytelling is as old as time.” Carol Karasik wrote that, describing her book of folk tales, Maya Gods & Monsters. She also describes a mysterious thread that binds spoken and visual languages together. I like thinking of textiles as visual language. As Linda and I have been working on our […]
12
Jan
Jan
A friend recently told me the story behind a pair of stellar mittens she wears this time of year. A few winters ago, she hiked down a road blocked by snow, climbed over a six foot fence, and threw hay to her friend’s horses. In gratitude, her friend, a Sami woman from Norway, knit her […]
15
Sep
Sep
Our good friend, and Thrums Books author, Deborah Chandler has been visiting us for the last few days. Last night she wrote down a few words about her life in the world of Thrums. Thanks, Deborah! Tonight, I am especially conscious of how lucky/blessed I am, aware of being part of the extended family of […]
08
Sep
Sep
The 19th International Latino Book Awards ceremony is happening tonight at the California State University campus at Dominguez Hills. Edward James Olmos will be the emcee honoring more than 200 award-winning authors in what’s been dubbed “The Academy Awards of Latino Literature & Culture.” So we’re thrilled that Thrums Books’ authors Deborah Chandler and Teresa […]
07
Jul
Jul
for Linda and Deborah Old friends corresponding in two languages amusingly mistake the word morals (those particular values of right and wrong) with morrales (those lovely bags of Mesoamerica). One writes: “Would that we could create morals from strong thread and skilled hands.” But what could be more moral than thread spun in memory of ancestors, […]
23
Jun
Jun
It takes a book about nine months from when the manuscript is finished until the designed pages go to press. (It’s also about the amount of time it takes to create some babies, be they calf or bear cub or human.) The author may have been working on mastering the content for many years, but […]
21
Apr
Apr
“There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature–the assurance that dawn comes after night and spring after winter. ” Rachel Carson In celebration of Earth Day, we wanted to share some of our favorite places on earth—and some of our favorite people in those places. People who know the infinitely healing refrains of […]
14
Apr
Apr
Exactly one year ago, after learning that two Thrums Books publications had won Benjamin Franklin Book Awards given by the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), I wrote, “It’s an honor, and fun, to have the fancy gold and silver stickers and the nifty crystal trophies. But it is the richness of our connection to the artisans whose stories we […]
17
Feb
Feb
Craft Chores I call my mom, affectionately, “The Closer.” Over the last several years she’s been the recipient of this friend’s or that’s unfinished craft project. Sometimes the assignment is from a friend who has passed away (not to be morbid, but at 86, these things happen), whose children want their mom’s handiwork finished but […]
