soft places was a collaborative book made in May 2023, featuring four poems written by my wife, poet, artist, and maker Devyn Mañibo. The cover features hand-painted peaches on orange construction paper, nested into a larger piece of brown butcher paper that wraps the book.

Each poem was produced individually and stitched into the collective. As you read the book, it feels as if the reader is opening a picnic, feasting on each poem, carefully opening and closing each in sequence. The book contains block printed, stitched, xeroxed, marbled, and hand-written elements. It was produced in an edition of 23 for a reading in Brooklyn, where all of the poems were read. The book sold out that evening.

Credits:
Book Designer/Artist: Tara Jayakar
Collaborators: Lavanya Jayakar, Xan Forrest Phillips, Itzel Basualdo, and Dana Isokawa
Author: Devyn Mañibo

Book Design & Art copyright for soft places © 2023 Tara Jayakar | Raptor Editing, all rights reserved.
“in the open mouth,” “grief poem,” “Self portrait as early season peach,” and “At 7am, the bluejays beg” copyright © 2023 Devyn Mañibo, all rights reserved.