Morning Star Folios

The Morning Star Folios were a series of poet / artist collaborations that I published in the 1990s. I was interested in the small press tradition and the project was an apprenticeship in terms of possibilities and approaches. Most were produced by letterpress, by an independent printer in Guildford, Peter Knee; some were litho.

For each of the quarterly publications I would invite an artist and poet: usually they didn’t meet, and the work evolved through correspondence – this was in the days before email, and I was working with people in Japan, USA, as well as Europe. Each folio was a limited edition of around 250, with 26 copies of signed and lettered by a contributor.

They seem very far from what I do now, but I can see the beginning of my interest in shared consciousness, and with combining different art forms. I thought it would be good to make them available again. Some are out of print, however the available editions from Series Two (1991) to Series Six (1995) are listed below.

Morning Star Folios can be purchased from Studio Alec Finlay, by sending an email to info@alecfinlay.com with the publication title, quantity, and your name and billing/delivery address in the email. We will then send you an invoice (including postage) with payment details; once payment has been received, we will dispatch your order. Please note, a limited number of each remains, and only available while stock lasts. All prices include VAT.

2/1: Travel Song
Peter Dent, poem sequence.
Susan Paterson, paper cuts.
With ‘Handling the flower: Some Working Thoughts on Poetry’, by Peter Dent
Printed Letterpress. Edition of 300 copies, including 26 signed and lettered by the poet and artist.
£5 (+ p&p)

3/4: Occupancy

Barry Lopez, essay, species list and hand drawn map with notations.
Photographs by Kate Joost.
Printed Litho. Edition of 300 copies, including 26 signed and lettered by the author.

£5 (+ p&p)

 4/1: Le Voyage Sentimental

Suzanne Clausten and Christian Hilt.
Hand drawn map, with a postcard.
Printed Litho. Edition of 300 copies, including 26 signed and lettered by the artists.

£5 (+ p&p)

4/2: Bird from the Woods

Rocco Scotellaro, seven poems translated by Christopher Whyte.
Photograph of Basilicata by Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Printed Litho. Edition of 300 Copies, including 26 signed and lettered by the translator.

£5 (+ p&p)

4/4: Buoyage

Five poems by Ian Stephen.
Illustrated by Will MacLean.
Printed Litho. Edition of 300 copies, including 26 signed by the poet and artist.

£5 (+ p&p)

5/3: A Language I do not Know
Four poems by Jaan Kaplinski, translated from Estonian by the author.
Drawing by Edda Renouf.
Printed Litho. Edition of 300 copies, including 26 signed and lettered by the artist and poet.

£6 (+ p&p)