SELECTED SONGS

Two Plum Press has started a collaborative cassette tape series inspired by Selected works in literature, called SELECTED SONGS, with Antiquated Future Records (the tape label offshoot of Antiquated Future Distro, our favorite online stockist! This operation is run by Two Plum author Joshua James Amberson– a completely cohesive meeting of our two operations.

I created a uniform design, much in the spirit of Two Plum’s dust jackets, for each tape in the series– using the brilliant “Brad Pack” box from Stumptown Printers. Miraculously, we are also blessed to have the folks at Stumptown Printers, my personal print heroes, offset / letterpress printing and die cutting these boxes for us. There are also 32 page risograph-printed zine booklets included in each box.

The first three volumes are out now! Two are nearly sold out. More volumes planned for years into the future at the rate of approximately 4 per year. A subscription to the 2021 volumes is listed under “Buy Tapes & Records.” Purchase these through the Antiquated Future Records Bandcamp page, where you can also find “LIKE LIKE,” the 2017 album from my band, Advrb.

View fullsize

the official blurb:

SELECTED SONGS SERIES

The Selected Songs series seeks to shine a light on under-appreciated and overlooked artists from the present and past. Each volume serves as a curated primer to an artist’s catalog, or a hand-picked selection of an artist’s lost or forgotten songs.

The series is released by Antiquated Future Records and designed by Two Plum Press. Printed in editions of 200 gold-ticket cassettes, each volume is packaged in letterpress and offset-print boxes by Stumptown Printers Worker Cooperative, accompanied by Whatnow Press risograph-printed booklets with personal essays by curators Andrew Barton and Joshua James Amberson to give context to the artist’s work.

THREE DOTS ON THE GLOBE

Eventbrite link!

Follow to register!

Though quite different in form, the 3 books by these authors form an imaginary triangle for us, as each does its part to offset the struggles of the year with beauty and immediacy. These are books to escape into, and I was almost going to write “during quiet moments at home.” We all certainly have an abundance of moments at home; but are they quiet, and is there space to take a moment and just read? The work presented here creates a hum to find the quiet in- the flashlight under the blanket, the coolness of the pillow.

Join us to hear each reader from 3 points on the globe- Portland, Oregon / the Eastern United States / and the United Kingdom. Hosted by publisher Andrew Barton and collaborator/Two Plum author Joshua James Amberson.

3 titles added to the bookshop!

In advance of the holidays, Two Plum Press is pleased to announce that three new titles have been added to the bookshop:

BODY OF WATER by Alexis Wolf

GLITTER by Alex Baker in two colors of dust jacket; twilight and pearl!

THE ADVENTURES OF WEE ENNUI by Andrew Barton

BODY OF WATER virtual release reading

Join us Saturday, December 5th for a discussion led by Joshua James Amberson and Andrew Barton, a reading by Alexis Wolf, & general celebration.

The event will last for about an hour beginning at 12:30pm West Coast time / 8:30pm in the UK.

Register here!

Follow the Zoom link to enter the waiting room. Your microphone and camera should automatically be switched off when you enter.

About the book:

Body of Water is forthcoming with Two Plum Press. Centered on swimming and watery themes, the essays in this collection meander through chronic illness, climate breakdown, national identity, feminism, the pandemic and general resilience.

Each copy of Body of Water is handmade with beautiful letterpressed dust jackets.

Excerpt:

It startles me to see so much life in the shallow water. I remind myself that just because I don’t know it – don’t understand it – doesn’t mean it isn’t good. Wading deeper within the boundary between two worlds, where ecosystems touch, the meeting place feels holy.

My bold friends are far ahead, already out in the deep water. Calling to me, unafraid. Seeing them out there gives me even more courage: I dive within that other world, my nerves electrifying as I swim out. Coming up for air, salt sticks to my lips, it touches my tongue and mixes with the raindrops hitting my face.

It is quiet and still as we float, far from both the shore and the shipping lane. I relax into the moment, forgetting about the creatures in the water, and the antique explosive further out. Nothing feels cold against me anymore, not the air, not the water. Our bodies hover at the surface, suspended by the slowly gathering darkness.

100% of sales directed to Black Resilience Fund and NAACP PDX

We will be donating 100% of sales on this site for the time being to both The Black Resilience Fund and NAACP Chapter 1102. This is not a donation of ‘proceeds’ (our proceeds are too slim to make an impact!), but rather of all sales.

The Black Resilience Fund was created by local activists Cameron Whitten and Salome Chimuku to immediately support black Portlanders. Portland’s NAACP Chapter 1102 is the oldest West of the Mississippi. We also offer a separate button in the bookshop as a chance to donate to these organizations through Two Plum Press, in addition to any book orders. You are also encouraged to donate directly to any of the organizations highlighted in this document, courtesy of People’s Food Co Op.

OF NOTE:

If there is a book in our catalog currently showing up as “Sold Out” that you would like to order, please write to us directly at twoplumpress@gmail.com. We have stray copies here and there. Some titles we have many dust jackets of, but no physical books on hand. Our printer works very quickly, and in most cases a book can be ready in 3 days. If there is substantial interest, we can bring almost any of these titles back into print. If you would like to order an out of print book but want your donation directed immediately, we can work that out too!