Publish It Yourself – Stilleven//Still Life

Foreword to the book P.I.Y. – Stilleven//Still Life.

It’s Easter Saturday, and Pauw and I are enjoying the sun on the patio behind Het Huis van Betekenis during Paratext’s first PIY. Boats are drifting by and lunch has just been served, but not all our authors were persuaded to take a break from writing by something as trivial as a bulgur salad. Two workshops are behind us, and the groundwork of Stillife//Stilleven has been soundly laid. Paratext’s Juul hosted the workshops in a playful and inspiring manner, loosening everybody’s pen in a matter of minutes. Inside, the writers are at the big table, writing as much as they are helping each other. The atmosphere is great, and the silence of creative concentration is interspersed with frequent laughter. The sun beams through the roof and the table is scattered with books, Easter eggs filled with plot twists, and the freshly produced words from our contributors. With one and a half hours to go before the editing begins, some have finished, while others are lingering on where their story is headed next. By now, we’ve joined them and seeing the hard work in progress makes us curious and eager to read the finished stories. Or, even better, to hear them recited at the final book presentation this afternoon. We’ve enjoyed today tremendously and are thoroughly impressed with the level of creativity displayed by the participants. Our thanks goes out to Het Huis van Betekenis, CB Printforce, but most of all to the seven talented and wonderful authors that have joined us today. We look forward to organizing many more of these events in the future with our platform Paratext.

With love,

Pauw Vos and Saskia Soelaksana
and the rest of the Paratext Team

A Small Impression

Where it all took place – Huis van Betekenis