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Half Letter Press

@halfletterpress

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Half Letter Press is the publishing imprint of Temporary Services (Brett Bloom and Marc Fischer).

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New Public Collectors booklet!

People on Your Block is a self-assessment guide featuring over 100 questions to help you gauge your awareness of your neighbors and how deeply connected you are to the people that live on your block. It’s intended for private personal use. Fun fact: the little white dot on the cover between the 'P' and the 'L' in People is the moon.

What would it mean to know every neighbor’s name? I talk to neighbors, but I don’t know everyone. Many people do not know their neighbors but would like to. This publication contemplates what a more detailed ‘knowing’ might be. I want to consider more ways our neighbors could be an immediate resource—particularly should a crisis occur, and as an alternative to depending on police or government agencies to solve problems that we may be able to solve with others through shared labor, mutual aid, understanding and kindness. I’ve seen unlikely friendships develop on my block, and have experienced them myself. I’ve never felt as deeply connected to a place as I do now. I have answers for most of the questions in this booklet.

Pick up a copy from www.halfletterpress.com for $6.00 and determine your own understanding of where you live and who lives on your block. Read it with your neighbors. There’s also a PDF version available for $2.00. by @halfletterpress

We'll be back at Chicago Zine Fest in the beautiful Harold Washington Library Winter Garden this Saturday, October 10th, 11 am – 4 pm at 400 S. State Street. Last year this event was phenomenal at this space and surely this year will be no different. Plus our table, number 23, is right next to the mighty Sojourners for Justice Press. We'll have all the latest from Half Letter Press, Temporary Services, Public Collectors, and Breakdown Break Down Press. It's an 8' table so we can display lots. Hope to see you! #chicagozinefest by @halfletterpress

A fun surprise person we got to meet at the NY Art Book Fair was Giorgia Frigerio who co-designed Matteo Guidi's book "Cooking in Maximum Security" that we published late last year. She worked with Alessandro Lanfrancotti (who we still have yet to meet). We worked together with Alessandro and Giorgia over email and Zoom but had never met before she found us at the fair. She's currently studying in the Netherlands with @werkplaatstypografie and her program was part of the NYABF. There are always so many ways to collaborate with others—you just have to like and trust each other and the process! by @halfletterpress

Thank you to everyone that supported us for an incredible NY Art Book Fair. We had a blast! Here’s Marc holding down the table near the end when we had very few books left. Photo by @kimi.malka.hanauer. by @halfletterpress

Check out Brett Bloom, still looking extremely enthusiastic and filled with energy almost 9 hours into the NY Art Book Fair today. You have one more opportunity to see us tomorrow from 12 to 6. by @halfletterpress

Early contender for the most precious little dog of the New York Art Book Fair. So small. So calm. by @halfletterpress

Come and get it NYC! We are at the New York art book fair on the second floor at Table O1. Here all weekend and we’d love to see you. by @halfletterpress

New booklet from Temporary Services!

Public Librarians Discuss ZIne Collections

Earlier in the summer, after lots of conversations with our self-publishing public librarian friend, Tim Devin, we started work together on a new Temporary Services booklet and it is now complete: Public Librarians Discuss Zine Collections.

In addition to Tim (who is a librarian at the Somerville Public Library in Massachusetts), we interviewed Angi Brzycki & Ziba Pérez (Los Angeles Public Library), Alicia Tate (Multnomah Public Library) and Alina Josan (Free Library of Philadelphia).

Temporary Services has a history of being included in college and university artist book collections and museum libraries, public libraries, as well as more informal libraries created by other kinds of art spaces with zine collections and artist book archives. All libraries are vulnerable under fascism, but scrutiny of public libraries that receive state and federal funding is particularly high. Given the hurdles for access posed by some of these collections, that we like but that are less public, and to support institutions that are particularly under threat during the political climate we’re making this in, we decided to spotlight public libraries. We hope you’ll check out this publication and get one for, or give one to, the zine-collecting public library in your city!

This is available for $10.00 for the print version or $3.00 for the PDF, from www.halfletterpress.com. Stores, let us know if you’d like to stock this and we’ll hook you up! by @halfletterpress

We are returning to New York for Printed Matter’s NY Art Book Fair. After missing 2025, we decided it was time to fly on back to Long Island City again to see what kind of damage we can do to our bodies for another exciting and epic four days of book standing, talking, selling and community building. We love our international artist publishing community and all of the people that support it. There is nowhere else where we can connect with so many people from that world in such a short amount of time as at the NYABF. Come find us on the 2nd floor at booth/table O1. From the looks of things, we’ll be table neighbors with our beloved publishing friends Gato Negro Ediciones from Mexico City. How ideal! In addition to Half Letter Press and Temporary Services titles, we'll also have the latest from Public Collectors and Breakdown Break Down Press. Come say hi - we'll both be present.

The dates and hours of the fair are Thursday, September 24, 7–10 PM (Opening night), Friday, September 25, 12–7 PM, Saturday, September 26, 10 AM – 7 PM and Sunday, September 27, 12–6 PM. The fair is ticketed. You can purchase tickets from https://nyabf2026.printedmatterartbookfairs.org/. It is located at MoMA PS1 , 22-25 Jackson Ave, Queens, New York 11101 by @halfletterpress

Quimby's in Chicago has been making lots of adjustments to different areas of the store which keeps things dynamic, interesting and engaging. In addition to scattering titles by Half Letter Press, Temporary Services, Public Collectors, and Breakdown Break Down Press around various subject areas, we now have a chunk of wall space in the back of the store so if you are looking for our work, look over there! Everything at Quimby's has been selling fast so we restock them at least once a month lately (including earlier today). And if there's something you are looking for that you don't see, just ask one of the fine people behind the counter. They also have some out of print stuff that we don't even have online. by @halfletterpress

Basement find! We have five different issues of the great early 2000s Chicago newspaper/journal AREA, including a stack of copies of the Childhoods issue which was thought to be out of stock for a while. These are now just $3.00 each. Help us clear space for new publications and stock up for cheap! These are looooong out of print. https://halfletterpress.com/brands/AREA-Chicago.html by @halfletterpress

It has been a while since we have had these handbills that we give out at book fairs and add to mail orders so why not take some time today to print another 500 or so? The many different papers come from the estate of Marc‘s wife Jen‘s late uncle. Never ever miss an opportunity to put unused paper to work! by @halfletterpress