IG: @is.claire.christensen

isclairechristensen.com

Bookshelf: How We Hold One Another

I grew up surrounded by overflowing bookshelves. My grandmother shoving books in my hands; my dad reading me fantastical novels or toe-curling poetry; my mom shushing, peering over a new autobiography.

I would always carry a book, bumping into my classmates while reading and walking up the stairs. Books were/are a one-on-one conversation between me and the author. Someone I both knew intimately and not at all.

I began writing. At first, small unconfident poems that became passing thoughts budding into blurbs morphing into stories. After years of solitary half-smiling and half-belonging, I found community with writers, readers, and book-lovers. I enveloped myself in this new comradery, realizing that I aspired to embolden those around me, amplify their voices rather than my own.

My exploration in the vessel of the book pairs with my exploration in collaboration. Books require many hands to be made and many perspectives to be conceived. From the printer to the author to the reader, expanding the definition of collaborator empowers the voices of each participant.

Bio

Making my own physical books is an act of love towards the people and communities around me. I seek out collaboration as a medium, reflecting the voice of my collaborators, learning from them, and discovering different points of view.