Collaboration with resident poet, Alexis Aceves Garcia

Stephanie Trotto and Conall Mannion 

Melanie Mowinski 

Riso Letterpress Interns 

From left to right: Melanie Mowinski, Alexis Aceves Garcia, Stephanie Trotto, Conall Mannion, and the Vandercook Press

Our first project of this internship was working alongside New York based poet, Alexis Aceves Garcia, and helping them create letterpress poems on the Vandercook machine in Bowman 303. Garcia was selected to be a resident artist at Outposts Fellows Residency in Shaftsbury VT, which is operated by Williams College professor, Ricardo Wilson. Throughout this 3-week residency, Garcia visited MCLA on Mondays and Wednesdays and worked on the Vandercook to set and print their poem, “Sitting on Robert Frost’s Couch”. Conall and Stephanie’s job throughout this residency was to assist Garcia throughout their experience with the printing press, offering extra hands when necessary.  

The first project we worked on was setting and printing a wood type poster entitled, Time is a Silly Boy. Garcia had prior printing experience, but creating this poster helped to solidify some of the techniques that could have been forgotten, and allowed for them to familiarize themselves with the way the PRESS room at MCLA operates.  

Alexis inking the Vandercook rollers, getting ready to print their poster for Time is a Silly Boy.

Further diving into the printing process, Garcia then began setting their type for the poem they wrote at the Robert Frost Museum, entitled “Sitting on Robert Frost’s Couch”. This was a continuous process, as the poem involved several lines of type that needed to be set. Conall assisted Garcia when necessary, and after much modification and careful planning, Garcia was able to print their completed poem. To enhance their poem, Garcia also carved a depiction of Robert Frost’s couch on a linoleum block and printed that with the poem. 

Completed letterpress poem, “Sitting on Robert Frost’s Couch”, Linocut block print