Curtis is “considering a seismic upgrade.”
This rep from Pinball “has a leafy green view.”
It’s a strange world we live in when interviews are approached cybernetically via social-networking sites. Regardless of media, my interview with Pinball frequenter, Curtis Knapp, contained anything but zeros and ones. Amidst cybertricity - sincerity pulled through! We here at Pinball are big fans of Curtis’ recent co-creation with Tom Blood (winner of the 2007 Oregon Book Award). Their collection of poetry entitled If Ever Then Always is hot of the press and here in his own words, I share with you a brief chat with co-founder of Marriage Records, Curtis Knapp.
PB: How did you and Tom know when it was time to complete such a seemingly endless project?
CK: Tom and I finished writing that book ten years ago. We worked on it for a few years - in Portland then in Pennsylvania. To “finish” it Tom, my brother Michael (who wrote the foreword) and I went to Ireland, to a friend’s professor’s cabin in the hills. We edited it, and closed the book, asking also our friend Terrence Chiusano to write an afterword. Ten years go by. Then there is Marriage Record’s publishing Tom’s first official book, then the Oregon Book Award he wins for it (also printed by Pinball), then the “Hmmm… maybe we should fill this gap” idea, put this out, for our own library as much as anyone’s.
PB: What are some major themes embedded in If Ever Then Always?
CK: I get a romantic feeling. There’s (for me) a kind of embarrassingly strong ego in it and heartache (likely issuing therefrom). Also at the time we were stoked about language itself - it’s modes/mechanisms/assumptions and we wanted to mess with that.
PB: Who designed the book?
CK: I designed the book. I wanted it to come off kind of manuscript style, somewhat bare and humble (at last!) The graphic on the back is something I thought of before sleep one night. It is the illusion of a curve made by many lines, something I used to draw as a kid (did we all?) and of poetic significance for me.
PB: Design Influences for If Ever then Always?
CK: I’ve been doing layout since forever now it seems. Making zines back in college, my friend Sharon Helms helped me get a sense about it. We took it very seriously before going to Kinkos. I remember reading a book by Jan Tschichold on fonts and signs. Later my friends Toby Kreidler, Terry (of the afterword) and I published a journal - with Toby getting a job as a printer to do it.
PB: Any favorite design eras or influences? Like, 50’s signage or library card catalogues etc?
I love both of those. Well maybe more of 10’s or 30’s signage actually - no wait, 20’s!? My friend Adam Forkner has an imaginary blog called “Good Sign/Bad Sign” that’s just pictures of judged signs from around town. We drive around and go “Good sign. Good sign! Oh, bad sign. Very bad. Great sign!” The way of looking AT the language is a way we liked to read poetry back then, sumptuously removed.
PB: How was it that you heard about Pinball Publishing?
CK: Maybe from Sharon, maybe driving by and the bright yellow paint caught my eye. But Laura and Austin have been amazing and Jess was so good to work with on this project too. I return because the quality is impeccable, the values responsible, and the people care.
PB: What’s next for Marriage Records?
CK: Tom has a manuscript called The Raccoon we are currently editing. Should be at press within a year. Very excited for this. Also we publish a quarterly called Veneer. Flint Jamison (editor-in-chief) has some truly breakthrough design ideas therein and is a printed-matter fetishist (huge influence!)
PB: Sounds fantastic! And it has been a pleasure chatting… Thank you and let us know if you schedule a reading for If Ever Then Always.
CK: WIll do! Thanks Mary! Thanks Pinball!
