What she wanted...
To actually hold her book in her hands
A chessboard of veins and crevices . . .
Allison’s collection exists at the playful yet thought-provoking intersection of science and art. This unique mix is what drew us to her work, and we were thrilled to name Allison’s collection our first Lil Book Award winner. We couldn’t wait to get started by giving her book the full spa treatment!
Animated video
We couldn’t have been happier to make Allison’s dream become a reality. Before we got started, we wanted to hear more about Alli’s process while writing the collection, her relationship with writing in general and some poems from the collection in her voice! Check out the animated Q&A interview below!
A sifting of moss and debris . . .
We began by playing around with various arrangements and section titles. Allison’s keen eye meant we didn’t have to do too much editing, and this opened up more dialogue for small details on the overall composition. The result is a collection that appears elegant on the page and sticks with the reader long after they put it down.
Squeezing the color and matter from my bones . . .
After we decided how we wanted the poems themselves to appear, it was time to think of presentation. Allison expressed an interest in subdued colors and classy text, so we used this as a base when brainstorming. Since we wanted to keep the scientific theme while also pointing to the artistic nature of the collection, we drew inspiration from various artists with varying degrees of scientific or natural backgrounds. We ended up trying out several different cover images, colors, and layouts before finding the perfect match!
Interior images
In addition to the cover, we also created a complementary image for the interior to appear on pages like section headings or title pages.
Stitched with ecstasy . . .
Once this last step was complete, it was time to celebrate!
Author Q&A
To hear more about Allison’s experience with Tell Tell, check out the interview below!