A Blue Bookshop Window

I was honoured and excited last week to have been invited by Sam Read Booksellers in Grasmere to collaborate on a last minute window display promoting Maggie Nelson's "Bluets" published by Jonathan Cape. I made quick cyanotype prints on Arches paper including quotes from the book, layered transparencies, a bit of blue stitching and doodles and gave them to Will and his partner (poet Polly Atkin) to use as they wished. The potential deign problems were  the limited display space and the importance, in such a small independent shop, of not obscuring all the other wonderful books on offer. I think they did a great job and although it would be nice to win the Gin being offered by the publishers, I already feel as though I've won by having my work displayed in my all time favourite bookshop; as well as being lucky enough to help out behind the till occasionally (oh and meeting #WordsworthCat and eating some rather delicious blueberry muffins Will had made).

Sam Read is a tiny, eclectic, wonderful little shop, owned by Elaine Nelson ( no relation to Maggie) and is very dangerous for people like me with limited pocket money- especially as next door Elaine's daughter runs Lucia's which sells the best coffee and ginger crunch ever. I'm really grateful to Elaine for trusting me to help out in the bookshop and to Will for suggesting me (even though we had only really met when I was handing over my bank card over or on Twitter, where we all know there are some very odd people). It's not always been easy moving to a new area and they have definitely made me feel a lot better about it.  

Now, I just need to sell a few more cards because I can see some books in that window that are on my reading list...