Forgive the tardy announcement (getting better, though - last year it took till March) but we are delighted to announce this year's Hot Bed Press book arts residencies, resulting from the 2015 fair. 

Once again two have been chosen - they are Martin Wilson (of Henry Press) and Mike Ainsworth.  Both receive six months of access to the Hot Bed Press printmaking studio and all its facilities, along with technical support and a materials budget. 

They are planning to work both singly and collaboratively, which sounds exciting.  Both of them edit, photograph and publish photographic topographical of social factors so they will start from there, perhaps setting each other a topography or subject to follow.  They also want to develop their skills as printers in the Hot Bed Press workshop and to investigate combining their photographic ventures with traditional print.  Can't wait to see the outcomes!

As 2015 tumbles across to the finishing line, 2016 waits, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, to spring out of the starting blocks.  So we thought we'd take the opportunity to wish all the best for the New Year to everyone involved with the world of book arts.  Let's hope it's a good one.

A couple of opportunities for book artists, as tweeted by Sarah Bodman of UWE.

Call for interest - Artists’ Books Exhibition at Galway International Arts Festival 2016. Info and link to email: http://www.impressionsbiennial.com 


Applications open for the Artists' BookMarket @fruitmarket in Edinburgh 27/28 Feb 2016. Deadline: 12th January 2016. http://www.curatorspace.com/opportunities/detail/artists-bookmarket/444 …

The tenth Manchester Artists' Book Fair is now history.  We held workshops, had a beautiful Western Wilds exhibition, and set up a Reading Room.  There were definitions from a Lost Dictionary and, across in MMU Special Collections, talks to introduce their collection of artists' books.  And, of course,  lots of lovely and incredibly varied work from all over Britain - book arts cover so much ground. 

The 'previous fairs' page has been updated to direct you to this year's fair as well as earlier ones, and there are plenty of photos - either to remind you of what you saw or to let you know what you missed. 

What on earth shall we do to make next year's fair as full?  Watch this space - but not just yet :)

As this is our tenth year, we've organised lots of lovely workshops for people, all for FREE.

You can make your own book, for instance - every one of those book artists who have been part of this year's Hot Bed Press book arts residencies is running a workshop, giving you the opportunity to make a concertina book, a turkish map fold, a flowerfold and/or a beak book.  With the beak book you can also create your own piece of deathless prose by having a go at blackout storytelling (intrigued?  Book a place).

Or you can join Book Transformations and (guess what) transform an old book into something exciting and sculptural, just by folding and a little bit of sticking.

There are limited places on the workshops, so we're taking bookings before the event.  Just look at the timetable on the 'what to do' page, choose the workshops you fancy, then use the contact form to let us know which ones you'd like to do. You'll take away something you've created yourself - it could be the beginning of something beautiful!

Pages Leeds International Contemporary Artists' Book Fair are taking submissions for next year - they take submissions through Curator Space.

That's it folks, we've now filled all our tables and have no more room this year.  However, everybody knows that sometimes plans have to change at very short notice, so we are happy to keep a waiting list of those who might like to take up the late offer of a table, should one suddenly be available.  Just get in touch using the contact form.

We're going for added value at this year's fair, and have organised all sorts of extras, from an exhibition of a collaborative project between college art departments in the Wirral and the USA, to various workshops to do with (well what a surprise) books, and taking in our Reading Room and the chance to discover curious words on the way.  Most events won't need to be booked, but if you want to learn about a flower fold, or try blackout story-writing in a beak book, then you should save yourself a place.  For more details have a look at what to see and do at the fair. and if you want to take part in a workshop, let us know using the contact form.

So we've started on this year's flyers and already they're causing a bit of a stir - all that colour!  We couldn't resist a picture to show just some of the shades of colourplan paper generously provided by G F Smith - we haven't even worked our way through the whole range yet.