I've always been a lover of books. As child, I carried a book with me wherever I went and I am still contending with a teetering stack of books on my nightstand. My passion also extending to filling books with thoughts, dreams, poems, and letters...leaving piles of filled journals in my wake.
Naturally, books that I've toted around have suffered some wear and tear, and my first foray into bookbinding was with the intent to repair a well-loved book (A Coney Island of the Mind by Lawrence Ferlinghetti for all you nerds out there). I started simply, using binder's tape to sure up the cover. I was immediately both dissatisfied with and inspired by the result; I wanted to learn more. And so I took it a step further; endeavoring not just to repair books, but to know them so well as to make them from scratch.
My love of text, and the creation and preservation of it, has launched me on my bookbinding journey. Thus, looking my poorly behaved yet adorable chihuahua in the face, Bad Dog Books was born. Using a variety of materials ranging from cloth to decorative paper to leather, I craft unique handbound journals, sketchbooks, daily planners and other assorted customizable books.
I'd be remiss to not also mention that I am a book artist and contributing editor at Tilted House Press in New Orleans (https://www.tiltedhouse.org/) where we publish contemporary poetry with an emphasis on handbound and letterpressed books.