Dear friends,

We are enjoying a spectacular late summer here in Maine with day after day of blue skies, mild temperatures, and deepening golden light hinting at the more earnest season hiding around the corner. I see you November/December but for now you can keep your turkey, mufflers, and tinsel packed away. We’re still reveling in summer’s many charms which frequently includes the directive to just add water. We are equal opportunists for the fresh and salty versions. We spend days and nights at our Little Island (that is indeed the name on charts) on Lake Megunticook to the soundtrack of kids dramatically entering the water, something being thrown on the grill and the haunting call of the loons. When time and weather allow you will find us out on Penobscot Bay on our 32’ lobster boat cruiser, Calypso, exploring the storied islands of coastal Maine and spending time at our long-time family home on Vinalhaven. Ken is a talented vegetable gardener and our love of good food and convivial gatherings is the backdrop to so much delicious fun. But there is no denying that we are getting that back to school feeling that nudges with the need to reflect a bit (book report - what we did on our summer vacation) and what lies ahead for Two Ponds Press. We have news! We have this newsletter! We had a CAKE PARTY! We have GOLD TREES coming this Fall!

In celebration of the release of our publication, CAKE, by Cig Harvey, we had a soiree worthy of Marie Antoinette at our Two Ponds library. The CAKE edition of 40 copies was bound by four different binders, each with their own design on 10 of the books; Gray Parrot, Claudia Cohen, Amy Borezo & Gabby Cooksey. Only a few copies remain in the edition.

Above from left to right: Gray Parrot and Skip Klein, Cig Harvey, Alyson Flemming and Julia Duke.

Above from left to right: Master bakers Alyson Flemming and Julia Duke created cakes for the party which were inspired by the bindings: Grey Parrot, Claudia Cohen, Gabby Cooksey, and Amy Borezo. They were a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.

Above from left to right: To celebrate the completion of the edition, Two Ponds Press had a cake sent to each binder, especially chosen to honor their individual personalities. Pictured are Gray Parrot and wife Christine in Maine, Amy Borezo and her daughter in Massachusetts, and Gabby Cooksey in Washington (Claudia Cohen and her cake not pictured).

CAKE is held in the following institutional collections: The Library of Congress, Bowdoin College, University of San Francisco, Boston Athenaeum, Columbia University, Wellesley College, Bainbridge Island Art Museum, University of Miami, Farnsworth Art Museum, and Portland Museum of Art. Contact us for the details.

Stay tuned for our next newsletter featuring Gold Trees by Joyce Tenneson.

OTHER BOOKS IN THE WORKS:

Mount Katahdin by artist Stephen Hannock

Paul Caponigro and John Paul Caponigro. Father son first collaboration.

Margaret Wise Brown. Three stories with etchings by Sarah Horowitz.