Laura Elliott (Goldsmiths, University of London) & Jessa Mockridge (Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London & Goldsmiths, University of London)

This presentation will serve as a case study introduction to two independent magazines engaged in poetry and the visual arts, para·text and PaperWork, from the perspective of the editors as library workers. The talk will cover the establishment and distribution of the magazines, as well as marketing and social engagement, with the aim of more broadly contextualising the role of independent publishing within art libraries in general, and publishing as artistic practice in and of itself.

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para·text is a print and online publishing experiment that aims to put space between poetic texts and their paratextual frameworks. It comprises a loose-leaf, limited edition, risograph-printed publication. Corresponding paratextual information  –  including visual art, video, and other accompanying material  –  can be found on the website in an index to each printed edition, moving the threshold, and in turn its influence prior to reading, away from the poem.

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PaperWork Magazine is a self-published art writing print publication. It also hosts exhibition events of performance, installation and audio-visual work. The event is framed as live publishing and is on a par with the printed material. PaperWork publishes poetry, fiction, visual art, scripts, performance and art writing. The magazine is loosely bound, designed by Stinsensqueeze, to be taken apart and put back together in any order.

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The presentation will place para·text and PaperWork within a broader library context by discussing the field of independent art and writing publications, from DIY zines to more luxuriously produced magazines. We will unpack the decisions made by independent publishers, including: funding, open calls, working with designers, printing, retail price and relationships with galleries and libraries. Most significantly, we will consider how design choices are impacted by our understanding of magazine circulation within libraries, and how the magazines are presented and used within the art library context. We will talk about the handling of discrete materials and the perils of processing within libraries, as well as their potential usage in object-based learning and outreach.

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Libraries play a large role in making niche publications accessible to people who cannot afford to buy them. We will therefore also discuss the kinds of knowledge that are printed independently and via DIY methods. Such knowledges may be unlicensed and radical. The presentation will thus contrast independent publishing projects with more traditional modes of scholarly publication, in order to demonstrate the relevance of independent publishing to championing diversity and interdisciplinarity within the art library.

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Laura Elliott is a poet and library worker based in London. She completed her Poetry Masters degree in 2012 and her Postgraduate Diploma in Library and Information Studies in 2017. She is the co-editor of para·text magazine with Angus Sinclair. Her first collection, lemon, egg, bread was published by Test Centre in 2017.

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Jessa Mockridge is an artist and writer based in London, and works as a Library Assistant. She co-organises and edits the art writing publication PaperWork Magazine. Jessa completed an MA in Art Writing at Goldsmiths and was awarded the Book Works Art Writing Prize, 2015. She has published in academic journals, including Feminist Review and Performance Research. Jessa has participated in group shows and performances in London, Cape Town, Glasgow and Bristol, including: Whitechapel Gallery, X Marks the Bokship, Live Art Development Agency and the Old Hairdresser’s.