You Are Here

A friend of mine, recently married, was moving across the country, two cats and a new husband in tow. She had never lived outside of Oregon before, and the prospect of moving was uncomfortable for her. As a part of my inquiry into the relationship between people and place, with a healthy injection of inspiration from Rebecca Solnit’s writing, I wanted to create a book to help her, her husband, and their two cats find their way during the journey. The pages of this book are made from National Geographic maps, which were used as table decor at their wedding, so that this book commemorated both their union and their departure. It also featured a story from the utterly remarkable Oregon Burial Site Guide.

Astragalus: a monograph

As a part of my study of herbal medicine, I was tasked with focusing selectively on a single herb and interpreting it. Astragalus, the sweet protector, felt bright and clear as I sipped it for tea. As I was making this book, I was drawn to the color yellow – yellow for the color of its flowers, yellow for the soft gold of the root, yellow for the warm infusion I drank. The yellow silk I used for the cover was once a shirt, though one too small and too damaged to wear, that had belonged to my grandmother, a protector of my own.