Out of Print

In the short but exciting lifetime of Penrose Press, a couple of our books have become unavailable when they sold out or the author went in a different direction. Explore these beautiful publications here.

Conversations with the Ocean by Evelyn Elgie

Conversations with the Ocean was published as a series of booklets in a cloth bag. The booklets had all been washed in specific bodies of water (Pacific, Great Lakes, Atlantic) in order to reveal their hidden text and images. Elgie's poetry is haunting and heavy-gaining-lightness. This was a wonderful project involving many extra collaborators in our editor and book washers across the country. It was the first summer of covid and none of us got to see each other in person but the books all travelled from Edmonton to Vancouver, Halifax, and Oakville, AND back. A paperback version is still available to purchase here.

Conversations with the Ocean is part of the Bruce Peel Special Collections Library University of Alberta. It can be viewed by anyone by appointment.

If a Carp Dreams of the Milky Way by Jasmine Gui

If a Carp Dreams of the Milky Way was published as a scroll in 2019. On it, a river-turned-fish flows between two columns of poetry that are visceral and analytical. This is one of the most satisfying projects I have ever worked on and it once showed up in an HGTV apartment tour, which was very cool. 

If a Carp Dreams of the Milky Way is part of the Fisher Rare Book Library University of Toronto. It can be viewed by anyone by appointment (they also have 7 other Penrose Press titles). When I was researching this project I had never made a scroll before so I went to the Fisher to handle a few from their collection. Six months later this project was part of it.

The Pink of the Seams by Sanna Wani

The Pink of the Seams was published in the Spring of 2019 as an unbound poetry collection contained in an envelope. Wani's observational poetry evokes feelings of flight and flightlessness, and leave a bittersweet taste in your mouth. In the fine press edition all 15 poems (12 + 3 epilogue)  are letterpress printed and accompanied by polymer plate prints designed by Brianna Tosswill. These illustrations combine lush florals with traditional islamic pattern motifs. You can read more about Sanna's creative practice here.

The Pink of the Seams is part of the Fisher Rare Book Library University of Toronto. It can be viewed by anyone by appointment (they also have 7 other Penrose Press titles)

The Size of Texas by Kate Finegan

The Size of Texas was created in the Fall of 2018 in collaboration with author Kate Finegan and illustrator Sydney Morrison. It is an illustrated short fiction folded inside linocut printed cover art. It is an expression of mundane/unbelievable solidarity. You can keep up with Kate's recent work on her website.

Caterpillar Portraits by Joyce Jodie Kim

Caterpillar Portraits is the inagural publication of Penrose Press, dating way back to 2017. It was published in an edition of 100 with linocut ilustrations by Brianna Tosswill to accompany the whimsical text by Joyce Jodie Kim. You can still purchase a paperback of this lovely storybook through Joyce! Find her on instagram at @joyceyjodie. If you've read the book, you may understand why every single cover of the fine press edition was torn and repaired (see the third image with the light shining through the cover).