Where Art Meets Craft

Austin Makes a Book, and so can you.

By Kimberley Jones, 3:03PM, Fri. Oct. 30, 2009

"Let's make a book, y'all," urges the Austin Makes a Book project. With that potent mix of can-do and down-home, how could you say no?

Inspired by a similar project, New York Makes a Book, Austin literary publicist firm Phenix & Phenix is spearheading a crowd-sourced book: 100 contributors, 100 pages = 1 motley assembly of Austinites making art. Contributors are accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis; a $30 contribution is required to cover printing costs. When all the slots fill, then Phenix + Phenix will publish the book and have it for sale at blurb.com and local vendors. Profits beyond the cost of the book will go to benefit the Austin chapter of Room to Read, a literacy advocacy group.

So far, says Phenix & Phenix publicist Shelby Sledge, "the submissions have varied in demographics and scope, from the very young – age four is our youngest entrant – to the quirky and serious. ... We have very visual submissions, photographs and drawings, to text-based submissions, haikus, song lyrics and a first chapter of a book."

And honestly, how often do you get to say you've been published alongside a toddler's crayon reinterpretation of Star Wars (see image gallery)?

For more info about the Austin Makes a Book project, go here.

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