North Bay Letterpress Arts

Thank you to everyone who came out and joined us this past weekend — we hosted a terrific poetry reading on Saturday afternoon with Robert Hass and Forrest Gander sharing their work to a full shop 🤍 Thank you to @paxwines and @retrograderoasters for keeping everyone’s glass and mug full 🍷☕️ We have Cole Swensen and Kit Robinson coming up in June - highly recommend...

There are just a couple of spots to fill in our last Spring workshop on Saturday, June 6 🗓️ Introduction to Letterpress classes will resume in the Fall, along with more printmaking and bookbinding opportunities 📐 Our donors are the first to know when classes go live, followed by our email list 📬 Head to our website to support and subscribe!

New Studio Printer, Pamela has been busy in the printshop… “I am interested in languages and magical systems like runes and sigils that open up new perceptions of reality. These systems allow multiple perceptions to emerge. While working with the letters of each rune, the diagonal structure worked on my own perceptions. We do not live in a world of diagonal marks in our language, these subtle shapes in our lettering systems have a strong unseen effect on us. It is fascinating working with letterpress typefaces to question and shift my experience with letter systems.”

We are thrilled to host an afternoon of poetry with Robert Hass and Forrest Gander on Saturday, May 9th at 4pm. Please reserve your space as our seating is limited! Robert Hass served as U.S. Poet Laureate from 1995–1997 and is the author of numerous celebrated collections, including Time and Materials, which received both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, as well as Sun Under Wood and Praise. His essays on poetry, notably A Little Book on Form, have been widely read, and his translations of Czesław Miłosz have been central to bringing that work into English. Over the course of his career, Hass has received major honors including the Bollingen Prize and the Wallace Stevens Award. Forrest Gander is the author of multiple books of poetry, fiction, and essays, including Mojave Ghost and Be With, which won the Pulitzer Prize, as well as Core Samples from the World, Eye Against Eye, and Twice Alive. He is also an acclaimed translator, with numerous award-winning translations of Spanish-language poets. Gander has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Library of Congress, and his work has been recognized for its range, depth, and international reach. ✨Light refreshments and fantastic poetry served in equal measure ✨Beautiful letterpress broadsides of poets’ work available with a donation to NBLA Together, Hass and Gander bring decades of writing, translation, friendship, and literary engagement to this special reading. Please join us!

Visit our booth at the 2026 SF Bay Area Printers’ Fair & Wayzgoose! Stop by and say hi to Printshop Manager, Tiana and new Studio Printer member, Nicolette! The Bay Area Printers’ Fair & Wayzgoose returns on April 25, 2026, at History Park.The annual event is sponsored by the @sjprintersguild and History San Jose. This is a FREE and public event celebrating letterpress printing, typography, book arts, ephemera, fine paper, printmaking, and allied arts. History Park 635 Phelan Ave San Jose, CA

Just two more spots remain in @colleendwire ’s Wood Engraving Intensive! If you received our last e-newsletter, you already know what an amazing opportunity this is. Sign up through the link in our bio 🔗

So many rich conversations take place at NBLA between Studio Printers, different guests, and other local people (and pups) of print! We welcome each and every one of you.

Talitha inking up the C&P before printing! People either instantly love or hate the treadle platen press. She was quick to get into the groove 🕺 When you train to become a member at NBLA, you receive a platen press session, learning how the table top and floor model machines work. Are you ready to hop on?

We are ready to print protest posters with you tomorrow! Sign up on our website to reserve your spot. Here is what to expect: 🚪doors open 10am ☕️ fresh coffee + tea from @retrograderoasters in French presses 3️⃣ pre-set designs on printing presses 👯‍♂️ camaraderie + craft 🕒 Santa Rosa march begins at 3pm See you tomorrow!

🪧Community Protest Poster Printing🪧 Saturday, March 28, 10am-1pm *#NoKings March in Santa Rosa takes place at 3pm* 3 hour printing event Cost: $20 per person (no one turned away) All materials included All ages welcome No experience necessary The poster has long been a critical tool for social movements—amplifying voices, building solidarity, and creating visual symbols that capture the public imagination. At NBLA, we’re opening our doors to the community for a lively morning of letterpress poster printing. Join us to be part of the tradition and make your voice heard. Experienced printers will guide you through the printing process and you’ll leave with your own letterpress posters to share with the world. ▪️Sign up ahead of time to reserve your spot. ▪️Walk-ins welcome if space is available. ▪️Please arrive by 12pm to ensure you have adequate time to print a poster. [it’s*]

We first met Emilie Lygren (@emlygren ) after she enrolled in an Introduction to Letterpress class, then we hosted her for an evening poetry reading at the printshop, and now we are lucky to have her on the path to Studio Printer membership! Be warned: step through NBLA’s doors once and you may find yourself never wanting to leave… Head in to the printshop to peruse & purchase Emilie’s published books and see her recent poetry broadside completed during training, and save the date for a March 25th poetry reading at Green Apple Books (9th Avenue, SF location - 7pm) with Deema Shahabi!

more wonderful work from members-in-training 💙 Sarah printed a vintage cut with transparent white ink first on our tabletop platen press, then became quickly acquainted with the Chandler and Price floor model last night for the hand-set text.