Vernal Visions (No. 4)

Please Take a Look!—current events from Current Editions

May 07, 2025

Guess what? It’s newsletter time!! We’ve been busy in the studio and are contractually obligated to share what’s blossomed over the past three months. Plus we have some time-sensitive announcements! Are you ready to rock?

Thanks for being part of what we do!

–Paul and Jessalyn

Press News

A man wearing a beanie and glasses standing at the Current Editions booth at a book fair, with a colorful backdrop filled with multicolored smiley faces and bold white text reading "CURRENT EDITIONS." The booth, located at space D12, showcases a vibrant display of artist books, zines, and printed publications including titles like "Static Magic," "Hold That Line," and "A Brief and Incomprehensive History of Protests in San Francisco." — Paul taking it all in at Rare Books SF

The past 15 months of Current Editions was a whirlwind of book fairs—14 to be exact! We traveled many miles and learned many lessons…the most salient being ART PUBLISHERS ACROSS THE GLOBE ARE DOING AMAZING WORK. Every table presents an opportunity to see the world through new eyes. You know, sometimes you just “need a different perspective”!!

It’s an experience we cherish because other people are fascinating.

All that being said, we’ve recently mixed things up. Studio work took priority thanks to a surge in reprint requests. It’s a simple but rewarding trajectory—from “this topic is interesting” to “this has to be a publication” to “people are really connecting with it.” You, our audience, continue to amaze us with your curiosity and support. We couldn’t do it without you!

Cover of a booklet titled “Hold That Line! Drawing Blood on the Waterfront” by Jessalyn Aaland. The design features bold black text over a blue halftone image of a historical protest scene, with a police officer hitting a striking worker with a nightstick. The booklet is held in a hand and framed by blooming pink and white roses. — *Hold That Line!: Drawing Blood on the Waterfront* by Jessalyn Aaland

The second edition of Hold That Line!: Drawing Blood on the Waterfront has docked in port!

Featuring 200+ illustrations originally published in The Waterfront Worker—a 1930s mimeographed newspaper produced by San Francisco longshore workers. The drawings take aim at shipowners, bosses, and cops. Experience one of the most militant moments in West Coast labor history through the pens of ordinary workers.

This updated second edition features even more illustrations, a larger format, a new cover, and even a new subtitle—making space to fully appreciate the visual storytelling these workers left behind.

Purchase Hold That Line!: Drawing Blood on the Waterfront here

Cover of a booklet titled "Static Magic: Design Aesthetics of the American Security State" by Paul Morgan. The design features bold red text over a black and white Risograph-printed photo of an office interior in the 1970s, featuring a man using a computer. The booklet is held in a hand and surrounded by blooming purple flowers. — *Static Magic: Design Aesthetics of the American Security State* by Paul Morgan

Surreal. Classified. Back in print.

Static Magic returns. Gaze upon the aesthetics of Cold War intelligence work—and the design culture that thrived behind closed doors. It’s a portal into how a government obsessed with silence visually spoke to itself.

Purchase Static Magic: Design Aesthetics of the American Security State here

Cover of a booklet titled “Organizing Power: Unionizing Your Workplace for the Arts/Nonprofit Worker, Volume 1”. The design features white text set against a swirling, blue-toned satellite image of Earth, giving the cover a cosmic, atmospheric feel. The booklet, with rounded top corners, is held in a hand and surrounded by lush green leaves and blooming pink flowers. — *Organizing Power Volume 1: Unionizing Your Workplace for the Arts/Nonprofit Worker* by Jessalyn Aaland, Ana Fox-Hodess, and Nat Naylor

Another 1,000 Organizing Power booklets are ready to ruin your boss’ day! Now in its fourth printing, this booklet remains relevant as ever. Since 2019, over 2,000 copies have made their way to organizing workers around the world.

Big thanks to Mariame Kaba for highlighting Organizing Power in her Prisons, Prose & Protest newsletter (#25)!

PS you can learn more about the project and find additional resources at OrganizingPower.org

Purchase Organizing Power Volume 1 here

Friends in Focus

A man is standing behind a display table at an art book fair, wearing a green and black plaid button-up shirt and a Pittsburgh Art Book Fair badge around his neck. He is bald, has glasses, and is smiling at the camera. In front of him on the table are several independent publications and zines, including titles like "PUBLIC COLLECTORS PATENT OBSERVATIONS," "11X17 Issues 1-15," "RECLAIM YOUR SHIT!" and "JAIL ON WHEELS." The table is covered in a pink cloth, and the background features a marble wall and a folding chair with additional booklets. — Artist-publisher-archives-head Marc at the 2024 Pittsburgh Art Book Fair

We’ve been fans of Chicago-based artist Marc Fischer’s work for years. He publishes and makes work under a variety of imprints—namely Half Letter Press, Temporary Services, and Public Collectors. Marc is one of the ultimate information-heads and luckily, our niche interests align.

A few of our favorite Marc productions:

Hardcore Architecture—documents the homes of 1980s American hardcore bands using Google Street View
73s from the Evergreen State—CB radio QSL cards from the personal collection of Jordan Smith
Public Phenomena—showcases informal modifications of public space
The early COVID publication Quaranzine
The Meal-Based Artist Residency Program—who doesn’t love an alternative artist residency/exhibition project?!

If you’re in Los Angeles this week, visit the Temporary Services project Prisoners Inventions on view at the Los Angeles Public Library Central Branch. It’s part of the exhibition No Prior Art: Illustrations of Invention (curated by Todd Lewrew, whose library card collection is expertly presented in Angi Brzycki’s publication!).

Marc will be at both the Seattle and Los Angeles Art Book Fairs. Go say “hi” and tell him we sent you. Or, browse his publications online at halfletterpress.com

Two people are in a brightly lit gallery-style bookshop corner, surrounded by zines and small press publications. The person on the left stands casually with one hand in a pocket, wearing a teal button-up shirt over a graphic T-shirt, beige pants, and yellow-and-white New Balance sneakers. The other, seated in a wooden director's chair on the right, has short blonde hair and is wearing a red short-sleeve turtleneck with black and white abstract-patterned pants, reading a book with a smile. Behind them are teal and white shelving units displaying colorful books and zines, and the wall features framed art prints in an illustration style. — John James & Cielle of Secret Room Press

When we were in town for the Portland Zine Symposium last September we were delighted to become acquainted with Ciellle and John James from Secret Room Press. We had first been introduced to them by our friends Little Otsu, whose shop space they took over when Little Otsu shifted to an online-only store.

Little Otsu’s space held much positive energy for us: Paul created an installation that was behind the register, and we are eternally grateful to Yvonne & Jeremy for hosting Class Set teacher pickups over the years. So, we were excited to see the good vibes continue in the form of Secret Room.

Not only do they stock a variety of small press publications, from YOURS TRULY to those we admire (like Birchwood Palace!), they also publish comics and art prints.

Visit the shop next time you’re in Portland (OREGON), or stop by their table at the Seattle Art Book Fair this weekend!

Field Report

A large Silverado-branded excavator is actively demolishing a corrugated metal building, using its claw attachment to tear through the structure’s walls and roof. Piles of debris, including wooden beams, metal panels, insulation, and shattered materials, cover the ground around the demolition site. The building’s red interior walls and white support beams are partially exposed as the structure collapses. In the background, rooftop HVAC units and neighboring commercial buildings are visible, indicating an urban or industrial setting. The scene captures active construction demolition, heavy machinery, and structural dismantling. — Learning by doing!

Have you ever lived twenty feet from an active warehouse demolition? Well for the past four months, Current Editions sure has!

A studio interior is shown in partial shadow, with a view through large industrial-style grid windows revealing a demolition site outside. The exterior is filled with rubble, splintered wood, and twisted metal debris from a recently collapsed building. Part of a Silverado-branded excavator is visible near the top left of the window frame. Inside the studio, there are tables, chairs, an air filter, a potted Monstera plant, hanging paper lanterns, and various scattered publications and artworks in-progress. Dark curtains are partially drawn to the sides. The scene captures a stark contrast between the active destruction outside and the quiet workspace within. — Views for days!

From DIY scouring pads to rebar squeegees, we’ve been watching it all unfold outside our windows while producing publications.

A large demolition site is filled with multiple piles of debris consisting of splintered wood, twisted metal, insulation, and other building materials from a recently demolished structure. In the background, two construction workers in orange safety vests are visible near the remaining foundation walls. Surrounding the site are industrial and commercial buildings, including a FedEx facility and a beige and red fire station, set against a backdrop of East Bay hills and clear blue sky. The foreground includes a concrete slab with visible tire tracks from heavy machinery. The scene captures urban demolition, construction waste, and site clearance in progress. — The Aftermath

With the destruction complete, it seems we have…a parking lot.

Current Picks

Read

Everyone’s favorite Queens-based sign-painting brothers finally got the catalog they deserve: Gracias A Dios: The Art of the Cevallos Brothers. We immediately became fans of the duo when they got online in 2020, and were lucky enough to commission a poster for our project Class Set a few years ago.
Hobo Signs. Are hobo signs real—or just a century-old media myth?! Published by The Historical Graffiti Society, this booklet features 19th–20th century newspaper clippings, graffiti photos, and personal analysis on the truth behind tramp symbols. Folklore, fear, and print culture collide!

View

Become a Microscope, Aaron Rose’s short documentary on Corita Kent, dives into her life, art, and teaching. A perfect watch especially with the Corita Art Center’s new location in Los Angeles now open.
Restoring The River is a short documentary capturing the leadership of the Yurok, Hupa, and Karuk peoples in restoring the Klamath and Trinity Rivers of northwest California.

Listen

Amantes del Futuro Sabor Sónico. He recently played in San Francisco, and it did not disappoint!
Possessed Death Metal demo. We were in South San Francisco this past weekend so we had to pay respects. Imagine laying the groundwork for an entire genre of music…while still in high school.

See You Soon

Now that the reprint frenzy is behind us…guess who’s back at fairs?

Seattle: Seattle Art Book Fair, May 10–11 at Washington Hall. We’ll be upstairs. Last year was super fun! We’ve already completed our pilgrimage to Jimi Hendrix’s grave in Renton, so we plan to spend our downtime partaking in Seattle's abundant record stores, vegan food, and verdure.
Los Angeles: Printed Matter’s LA Art Book Fair, May 15–18 at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. Come by our table (B8) on Saturday, May 17 at 1:30pm for a signing with Mark Allen of his new publication with Jonathan Lethem, The Archimboldo Apartments.
Iconic Pacific Coast City: Special Book Fair, Mid-summer at a cool venue. We can’t make this one official just yet, but we won’t be sending out a newsletter before it happens. So pay attention to our social media accounts where we talk about this type of thing!