N*E*W L*E*A*V*E*S P*R*E*S*S

New Leaves Press at the University of Rhode Island Library was established in 1976 following the acquisition of an 1841 Albion Press. From the late 1970s into the 1980s the New Leaves Press printed memorabilia, keepsakes, and graphics for library functions and other special events. In addition to the Albion, New Leaves has two mid 19th century presses: an Adams Acorn Press and a Washington Press.  New Leaves also uses two Kelsey 5 x 8 table-top presses and a Pilot press.

Run by the Special Collections Unit and headed by David Maslyn, New Leaves Press also offered courses in fine letterpress printing which were quite popular.  By the 1980s financial interest waned and the volunteer printers went on to other projects.  The presses were idle until 2002, except for the occasional “pulling of the bar”  for special tours and guests.

After renewed interest, The New Leaves Press announced its formal reactivation in 2002. Print Artist, Dore Page  was appointed Printer in Residence for New Leaves that year. Page taught a class in fine letterpress printing for the beginner in the Spring of 2004.  The course was offered through University of Rhode Island’sFeinstein College of Continuing Education.

New Leaves debuted a poster series at the Small Press & Fine Printing Book Fair held October 6, 2002 at  Brown University in Providence,  Rhode Island .  The event, sponsored by the  John Russell Bartlett Society, was partially funded by the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

A series of lectures on letterpress topics entitled NEW LEAVES Presents were held in the Spring of 2003 and 2004.  In April 2006, New Leaves brought Ed Folsom, the Carver Scholar from the University of Iowa to speak to us about Walt Whitman the printer. This was a collaborative effort of  the Rhode Island bibliophilic community including the John Russell Bartlett Society, Rhode Island Center for the Book,  the American Printing History Association , New England Chapter, and the Providence Athenaeum.  Funding from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities generously supported this event. New Leaves Press again collaborated with the bibliophilic community to bring Dr. Cathleen A. Baker, Senior Paper Conservator at University of Michigan and proprietor of Legacy Press to Rhode Island on May 19th, 2007. The topic of her talk was “The Legacy of Dard Hunter” This event Was part of the Rhode Island Center for the Book Partnering Event, The Passion of Paper.   The 2008 event is Small Books, Small State; our exhibit in support of the event is entitled Little Volumes.

In 2005, New Leaves began sponsoring a poetry contest to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the first publication of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass in April 1855.  The contest, now in its third year,  is open to all University of Rhode Island students, faculty and staff.  The winning poem for 2005 was submitted by graduating senior, Bonnie Taylor.  Her poem, “The Loud Ocean” was printed as a broadside and a copy was presented to her at a reception held in June. The winning poem for 2006, entitled “Traffic”, was submitted by  Evan P. Schneider, Graduate Student in English, and was announced in April  2006 to coincide with Prof. Folsom’s talk.  The winner for 2007 was Karen Deutsch with “Morning Routine” was announced at our  NEW LEAVES Presents Lecture held on April 26, 2007.  Marjorie Johnson won this year’s contest with “As the Stars” and her broadside will be presented to her on 23rd of April 2008 during Brett Rutherford’s (of the Poet’s Press) talk on John DePol, NLP’s 6th annual lecture. The 7th annual lecture brought Washington DC poet, Kim Roberts Editor of Beltway Poetry Quarterly to speak on Poetry and Politics.  The winner of our 5th annual poetry contest was Prof. Yvette Harps Logan for her poem “Pain” was announced that evening. Coincidentally the speaker resides in the same same nationhood in DC that grew up in.

On August 15-16, 2009 a letterpress workshop was held.  Four students were introduced to letterpress by printer Dore Page and assisted by Sarina R. Wyant.  The class of four was kept quite busy the entire weekend and treated to an untraditional wayzgoose of ice cream at the conclusion of the workshop.

Limited edition broadsides of our poetry contest winners and other posters are available for sale to help support the Press.  For more information on New Leaves Press or any of our events,  email us at srw@uri.edu.

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