Dancing Girl Press

at the hotel andromeda
text by Kristy Bowen / image by Lauren Levato
dancing girl press, 2007
$15.00 (includes S&H)
SOLD OUT

A stay at the hotel andromeda might include insect parts, palmistry, birds, ballerinas and Coney Island rides. Might include botanical prints, odd trinkets, library cards, matchbooks, maps and postcards. Poems that evoke girls in boxes, girls turning into sparrows. Lost passports, shipwrecks, paper boats and surgical pins. Is tucked with train tickets, tokens, all matter of interesting ephemera. Inspired by the work of Joseph Cornell, and in the spirit of Cornell's shadow boxes and collages, (most noteably his "Portrait of Ondine" what he himself termed an "exploration" of papers, cards and photos) this collection of material will delight both Cornell fans and novices alike.

Each room of the project is one-of-kind and absolutely beautiful, both materially and aesthetically. Each "exploration" is numbered and varies in content for a unique reading/visual/tactile experience. Think of it as a room to be explored, drawer by drawer, cabinet by cabinet. Think of it as love letter to Cornell himself, a gift, a collection of oddities to be experienced and adored.

Kristy Bowen lives in Chicago, where she edits the online lit zine wicked alice and runs dancing girl press, dedicated to publishing chapbooks by women authors. She is the author of the fever almanac (Ghost Road Press, 2006) and the recent chapbooks feign (New Michigan Press, 2007) and brief history of girl as match (Dusie E-Kollective, 2007). Her second full-length collection, in the bird museum is forthcoming from Dusie Press in December. She recently completed her MFA in Poetry at Columbia College. Visit: www.kristybowen.net .

Lauren Levato is a visual artist, poet, and feminist activist. She is the author of Marriage Bones (Fractal Edge Press) and co-author of at the hotel andromeda, a collaborative text/image book project inspired by the work of Joseph Cornell. She publishes, performs, and exhibits internationally. Levato holds degrees in professional writing and in women’s studies from Purdue University and in political journalism from Georgetown University. She currently works as the gallery director for the Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago. For more visit www.laurenlevato.com .