Red Mare was the result of my passion for both literature—particularly poetry—and art; having made small books for a very long time, it seemed necessary to present poetry in the form of a book that was a work of art. It’s too easy now to create perfect bound books through readily available technology, and our culture seems to have lost an appreciation for that which is hand crafted, as Red Mare is. Specifically, each cover of Red Mare is an individually printed block print; each copy is individually sewn for binding, each copy is numbered, and each edition has less then fifty copies—once they are sold out, they are not reprinted. Thus, Red Mare is a work of art that is also a book, that also contains a poem.
At
first, the vision was to publish long poems, because these are difficult to
publish within the constraints of ordinary literary magazines. Most long poems do not exist as poetic entities in themselves,
but eventually become included within the frame of a collection of works by
that author. Long poems are difficult to create, and the desire was to give
them a home as works alone and of themselves.
Red Mare managed to publish
the single long poem with publication of Marie C Jones, but subsequent authors
have written long poems that are more episodic, or are a connected series—such
as Red Mare 2, or Red Mare 3 by Lola Haskins and Lyn Lifshin, respectively. Also, at
first, the vision was to publish poems with an eco-feminist focus, because
there doesn’t seem to be a home for that work and Red Mare sought (and still seeks) to provide one. Since an
awareness of our earth is also within the capability of some men, Red Mare has also published male
writers, with long-time environmental advocate and poet Dennis Formento being the
most recent author in Red Mare 6.
Red Mare has been publishing in this fashion for some
five years. To enable online acquisition, available copies are posted on etsy (www.etsy.com/shop/suzi00) and recently, a Face Book page was made under
magazines that features only Red Mare.
It is a serial chapbook series, and is listed as a magazine. This is because it
has a thread for a budget. Poets and Writers has listed Red Mare, and since then a few of the authors now
published have come as transom-submissions. Every now and then, someone will hold a copy
of Red Mare in their hands and notice
the type of fiber used for binding, will notice the individual nature of each
copy and realize that they are holding a work of art.
As
an artist and writer (having published poetry, fiction, essays for years and
years), Red Mare is the creation of
these two hands, really. From the cover design, to the cutting of the block,
the printing, the text lay out, the decision regarding materials for each
edition, the funding, the binding (with some occasional and gratefully received
aide for part of a step from time to time), Red
Mare as a book is the product of a single artist, yours truly; and seeks to
present the poetry of others, always. It is a commitment. One must have loyalty to one’s
practice—it has been the work of a lifetime, that commitment, and there’s not
much recognition available in our culture for the arts, for poetry, for the
handmade, for commitment in general. Nonetheless, Red Mare will continue for as long as there are authors willing to
see their work within its covers.
Su Zi
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