Watch your mailboxes!

There is art in the mail on its way to you, lovelies. Roscoe says to be patient--it will arrive on your doorstep shortly.








A cozy nap while you wait?

...sounds like a splendid idea.

Call for November submissions.

Hello Dovetailers!

Fall seems to have taken over these days. If I'm not in the midst of grading papers or leading parent/teacher conferences, instinct has me running out the door to harvest kale or prune back my perennials. Hence this late call for submissions, which I apologize profusely for.

But, never fear! The call for submissions is now in your inbox.

During these Indian Summer days, yes--we're often anxious to enjoy the last nice days of the year. But soon after, the rainy days start, furnaces kick on, fireplace flues open, and socks become a necessary evil. I'm sure this doesn't happen to everyone, but I begin to bake, to knit, to putter around doing all the little things that to me equal "home." It's an art, almost--crafting one's space into a welcoming retreat that will allow us to survive the next six months of cold.

...Is it an art?

What constitutes art?

Painting, of course. Jackson Pollack...love him.
But what about sculpture? Well, yes.
Okay. What about...knitted sculpture.
Knitting?
Okay, then crocheting too.
Doilies? Ugh.
If that's the case, then does all crafting count?
Popsicle stick houses. Borderline...
Jewelry?
Blowing glass beads... mine were godawful. But they were still art!
What about writing? Of course it's art. Isn't it?
"The art of war." "The art of deception." "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance."
Is the Dovetail art?
Back to houses--the art of raising a family? The art of having children?
Wow...just by having a uterus, am I able to create art?

Let's see where we can go with this. What constitutes art? Do you make art? Do others see it as art?

Submissions due no later than November 10th. I will send out a reminder email a little before then. You can email submissions to me, or snail mail them to:

Abbi Gee
11520 Warrior Trail
Grass Lake, MI 49240

Can't wait!

Pesky spam, begone!

Dear Friends,

I have been derelict. There were certain snake oil salesmen sending unsightly pictures to our flickr account. I managed to retrieve the password and undo their wrongs. I'm passing the new password along to a few of you. A few gentle hands can make light of this work. I apologize for the inconvenience.

best,

Margaret

p.s. If someone could please alter the flickr address (located in the right-hand portion of the blog) so it reads in a manner that snake oil salesbots can't recognize (e.g. person at flickr dot com), that would be a big help. Thanks.

Map Issue!! Call for Submissions!

Dovetail Map Issue—Call for Submissions. Due no later than April 15 to Emily

My favorite dictionary definition of "map"(and the one that I think best-suits map issue purposes) reads, "a maplike delineation, representation, or reflection of anything." As you consider your submission, think both about the many ways in which information can be conveyed through maps and charts, and about what sort of information you might like to convey.

Some ideas to trigger your creativity:
Your map/submission could fall along more traditional geographic lines—a map of your neighborhood, a floor plan of your childhood home or bedroom, the route you take to work and landmarks, sights, smells, sounds you experience along the way. Make a sound or smell map from a walk in the woods, or a map of your city's best thrift stores, places to get cookies, or bike route with the least amount of hills.

Or you could explore maps of your imagination—a depiction of an imaginary place, a home you might like to live in, an imaginary garden you'd like to grow(perhaps with fantastical plants!), or a park you might one day like to construct. You could create a time line of your life using haircuts, sneakers, or journals as markers, a map of your scars (physical or emotional!) with stories of how you got them, a representative map of your heart or brain, your facial expressions, or your backyard as it seemed to you as a child, complete with the multiple imaginative interpretations of your treehouse or swingset. Push the boundaries of what a map can be.

Aside from making your own map, you could also use maps for an art piece or inspiration for a written submission. Your map could be through words, or you could merely touch on the theme in a poem or essay.

Maps and charts tell us stories—stories of the land, of politics, of people. They help us visualize spacial relationships, how we interact with our surroundings, and our place in our world, country, wilderness, neighborhood. They show us where to go, where we've been and where we are now.

For more inspiration, check out the amazing book, You Are Here, Personal Geographies and Other Maps of the Imagination by Katharine Harmon.

I'd like to be able to accommodate for larger maps(having fold out pages, etc) in this issue, so in your entry let me know how big you would like the map to be printed.

As usual, don't forget to submit what are you reading/watching/listening, as well as a one-line bio that includes where you are now.

I cannot WAIT to see what you come up with!
E-mail if you have questions.

happy mappy,

Emily

March Issue: Science Fiction!

Dear all Dovetail Collective peoples,

I have taken the task of being editor for the March edition of our lovely journal. The theme for the next issue shall therefore be at my whim. At the risk of revealing myself as a complete nerd, I thought a Sci-Fi theme would be fun for a little change of pace. Submissions may include a science fiction short story, poem, drawing or other art that depicts the fantastic, extraterrestrial, robotic, cyber world, genetic engineering, or any other sort of subject that you deem fit. Have fun with it!

Also, Emily suggested that maybe instead of a what we are reading/watching, everyone should recommend a favorite science fiction movie and/or book. I can't think of very many bands you could be listening to that might be classified as sci-fi, but if you can, go ahead and fit that in too. Of course all of this is only to give you a theme to work around and everyone is welcome to submit other types of works.

Oh, and the deadline laid out for submissions to be sent to me is February 15.

I look forward to reading them all,

Gina

Subscription Fee/Reimbursement update

Hi lovely Dovetailers,

I have opened a bank account for the Dovetail Collective and now need your subscription fees! $24/year, which includes six issues. If you only want to receive a portion of the issues for some reason, just let me know which ones you want to receive and I can work that out. Just pay me $4 per issue.

I've applied for a Doing Business As permit, so checks can be made out to me (Abigail Hoiles) OR the Dovetail Collective. Either way, they should be mailed to:
Abigail Hoiles
11520 Warrior Trail
Grass Lake, MI 49240

If you have a PayPal account and would rather pay that way, that's fine. Just drop me an email and we'll set it up.

Important: When you editors, distributor, and/or PR person need reimbursement, just send me the receipt with your expenses circled and I'll put a check in the mail right away.

Thanks so much! Any questions, just ask.

All best,
Abbi

The Latest in Dovetail News:

-ROLES:We've determined roles for next year. They are:
-Bookkeeper: Abbi Hoiles
-Distributor: Ben Wang(please send him your updated addresses)
-PR person: Emily Hilliard
-Editors:
-January 2007: Oren Goldenberg
-March 2007: Gina Pellouchoud
-May 2007: Emily Hilliard
-July 2007: Heather Radke
-September 2007: Hanna Clark
-November 2007: Mitch Sickon

-JANUARY ISSUE:You all should have received the calendar with submission due dates for the upcoming year(if not, it's on the blog).The next due date for submissions is December 15. They are due to Oren. The theme for this issue is: UNCOVERING LAYERS, THE SENSATIONS OF DEPARTURE.

-MAY(MAP) ISSUE:other themes for the upcoming year are to be determined, aside from mine, which will be a map issue. I can start taking submissions for it now if you're so inclined. I will send out more background about the theme later, but in the meantime if you would like ideas, check out the book: "You Are Here: Personal Geographies and Other Maps of the Imagination" by Katharine Harmon. that, or anything
by Tufte.

-MONEY:In order to receive issues via USPS, the subscription fee is $4 per issue($24 per year.) Abbi will be sending out information shortly about where to send your subscription fee for the upcoming year.

-LOGO:I would like to make a new Dovetail Collective logo. It will probably be similar to the current one--a lino block print, but the dove will be a little more dove-like and I'll probably re-vamp the lettering. If you have any ideas or would like to submit a logo of your own, please let me know by October 15.

-AUDIO EDITION:Heather has completed the audio part of the audio edition. Now we move on to the printing and packaging stages. We hope to have the audio edition completed and in the mail by early November. It sounds good and I think it will look good too.

that's all folks. let me know if you have any questions/comments/complaints.
Emily