Posted by Emily Withers, Managing Editor 2.1
Just a few weeks ago, the Gandy Dancer team joined Rochester professional and recreational publishers, writers, printers, and paper-makers in a publishing fair downtown. The Visual Studies Workshop, which hosted a similar event in Buffalo last semester, organized this marketplace-style buying and selling, informational booths, and food trucks to keep everyone happy and occupied. Additionally, there was a reading series by local published authors for the majority of the afternoon.
The publishing fair attracted a crew of creative minds. Artists and writers of all aesthetics mused and perused– we saw everything from white collar to blue collar and from Geneseo alumnus & poet to a man in authentic 19th century garb (his hat was made from a beaver) who’d just come from a fashion show. Because of its location, attendees were also able to discover a bit of downtown Rochester, and we walked to a Van Gogh themed coffee shop and the nearby Memorial Gallery art park.
As we walked around at the fair, however, we found a handful of literary magazines, vibrant and interesting hand-printed posters, & individualized, usually humorous, cards and prints. Rochester Writers and Books encouraged us to get involved in their bi-seasonal book club, and a representative from Visual Studies Workshop rolled ink over posters with designs for us as we explored the fair.
The pub fair seemed to focus quite a bit on visual work, such as photography, and less on literature than we’d expected and hoped. But it was an eventful day (and a good bonding experience for our editorial team!)
One of the things from that day we were most excited and impressed by was our three Geneseo professors’ readings (not to toot our own horn). Kristen Gentry, Rachel Hall, and Cori Winrock all shared with us their incredible work, which is an experience to which we’re not often exposed. As Gandy Dancer aims to have a more collaborative element, we hope to hear from other SUNY professors in the near future.