Blog
OIL + WATER - MIXING IT UP! December 15 2010
As 2010 draws to a close the crew at The Firecracker Press ain't slackin'! We've finally finished the long awaited book, Oil + Water, containing poetry and essay in response to the Gulf oil crisis of this past Summer. What's that? A "downer" you say! Uh uh folks. We're not here to beat up on big oil and we've got no interest in making you feel bad about yourself. This book calls on some of this country's best writers to teach us something new about an event the media covered 24/7 but probably failed to give the full picture. What's more, it comes packaged in a beautiful slipcase with 10 postcards containing facts about our precious resources. Want to do something about the world but feel like the issues are too big to really make a difference? Slap a stamp on one of these postcards and mail it to your Congressional leader! If you still don't feel warm and fuzzy, know that proceeds from book sales go to help restore the Gulf and help ensure its longevity. Merry Christmas!
Contributors include: Robert Pinsky, Matthea Harvey, NOLA resident Joshua Clark, Nicole Cooley, Elizabeth Bradfield, Thomas Sayers Ellis, Tony Hoagland, Sally Keith, Matthew Lippman, Ken Walker and a classic from William Wadsworth Longfellow.
Buy here...
LAST POETRY READING OF THE YEAR! December 09 2010
Don't miss our last poetry reading of the year!
Join us this Saturday as Buzz Spector, Dean of the School of Art at Washington University, and Brett Underwood, Bartender/Minister of Culture at Schlafly Beer tickle your eardrums with their words. We'll be on hand to delight your eyeballs with freshly letterpressed broadsides featuring a poem read by each poet. What's more, you get one of these hand-printed works of art for the price of admission!
ONLY $5 per person. Space is limited, so reserve your seat today.
Come join us, this promises to be a fantastic hybrid of printing and poetry. The fun starts at 2 PM, Saturday, December 11th.
HOLIDAY GOODIES FROM THE FIRECRACKER PRESS! December 02 2010
Need an eye-catching card to send far and wide? Looking for a way to spruce up that tie you bought Dad? Look no further! Bows, tags, and cards - our freshly printed paper goods have all your wrapping and writing needs taken care of this season.
Not sure what to get someone on your list? Check out our gift guides:
For the reader: Get a copy of Monkey Bars, hard-hitting poetry by Matthew Lippman.
For the carnivore: Postcards. Bacon, ground beef, rib roast, chuck, round steak, and rump roast.
For the creative: Inspiring sketchbooks covered with some of our funky upcycled printstock.
For the urbanite: Celebrate the beauty of Forest Park and icy fun with this lovely poster.
BOWS! November 30 2010
If you're giving gifts this Holiday Season you'll need something to make them extra special. How about topping your wrapping with a handmade bow from The Firecracker Press. Each bow is made from our collection of recycled printstock and no two are alike. Stop by the studio and pick your favorites.
THE FIRECRACKER PRESS - LOVED! November 29 2010
Mentioned among things like the Gateway Arch, The Saint Louis Zoo, and Anheuser-Busch, the staff at The Firecracker Press is blushing to have been picked among Where Magazine's, "30 Things We Love About St. Louis" list. You can see the entire list in the latest issue of Where Magazine. Other Cherokee Street picks... StL Style and the annual Cherokee Cookie Spree!
CUSTOM STATIONERY WHILE YOU WAIT November 24 2010
Next Saturday, The Firecracker Press is hosting the 3rd Annual Cherokee Print League Holiday Sale. During that time you can breeze through our doors and get any number of supercool, handprinted holiday gifts... and now you can have your stationery made too. We'll have plenty of holiday themes from which to choose and a number of designs that are suited for everyday use as well. If you like fine paper (we eat it for breakfast) and the sweet impression of letterpress printing you're going to need some of this stationery. What's more, you can watch it being made!
Dec. 4th from 11-7pm
at The Firecracker Press
2838 Cherokee St.
(314)776-7271
UNDERCOVER SANTA SPOTTED AT HOLIDAY SALE November 20 2010
Come one, come all to the annual Cherokee Print League Holiday Sale! It will be our BEST, BIGGEST sale yet!
On December 4th from 10 am to 7 pm over 40 artists will be setting up at over a dozen locations, ready to fill your holiday shopping needs with their lovely printed wares. Enjoy the local color of Cherokee Street as you mosey from Louisiana to Indiana and all state streets in between. Firecracker Press will be open all day, and we have some new items just in time for the holidays! Make sure to drop in, and visit the Cherokee Print League website to check out all the artists and venues. You can pick up a map the day of the sale at any of the venues. See you then!
THE SIXTH'S TIME A SUPERCHARM November 04 2010
This Saturday we have a treat for those of you interested in our poetry reading series. All this year we've been inviting poets to come and read as we print. This time we are hosting Matt Hart and Nate Pritts from Cincinnati and Syracuse, respectively.
Matt Hart has just released a new book, Wolf Face (which you can see here and teaches at the Art Academy of Cincinatti. He is also a co-founder and the editor-in-chief of Forklift, Ohio: A Journal of Poetry, Cooking & Light Industrial Safety.
Nate Pritts' latest book is Big Bright Sun. His other works include The Wonderfull Yeare, Honorary Astronaut, and Sensational Spectacular. Nate is also the founder & principal editor of H_NGM_N & H_NGM_N BKS.
Come join us, this promises to be a fantastic hybrid of printing and poetry. The fun starts at 2 PM, Saturday, November 6th.
CREEPY MASKED GIRLS AND A CASE FULL OF STARS October 28 2010
Drop by this Saturday for the St. Louis Secret Sounds Music Festival and get a FREE poster with admission!
Get your ticket down at Foam before heading up the street to open the festival right here at Firecracker Press. The first band kicks off at noon and the presses will be inked and running. Get your copy of our hipster gal sporting her Halloween mask while it's still wet!
SECRET SOUND SOCIETY AT FIRECRACKER PRESS October 23 2010
Join us next Saturday as the St. Louis Secret Sound Society invades Cherokee Street! The Firecracker Press is your first stop with the following bands:
12:00 pm Union Tree Review
12:45 pm Cowboy Indian Bear
1:45 pm Sleepy Kitty
The presses will be running a brand new poster while the bands are playing. Stop on by and start your Saturday right! See you then!
CHEROKEE PRINT LEAGUE HOLIDAY SALE - CALLING ALL ARTISTS! October 22 2010
It's time to sign up for this year's Cherokee Print League Holiday Sale! The deadline is November 13th, so get on over there and sign up!
THIRD ANNUAL CHEROKEE PRINT LEAGUE HOLIDAY SALE
Once again, galleries & businesses on Cherokee street are teaming up to showcase artists working with printed media for the Cherokee Print League Holiday Sale. The event will take place Saturday, December 4th from 10am-7pm. This indoor print-themed arts & craft sale will take place all along the street, with businesses hosting artists from all over the St. Louis area (as well as the greater Midwest) whose work is print-related (printmaking, letterpress, screen printing, printed fabrics, anything printed goes!)
POETRY READING THIS SATURDAY October 14 2010
We've been having a great time with our poetry series this year, so we decided to extend it past the summer. In case you haven't been able to make it, two local poets read an assortment of their poetry above and to the squeaks, groans and clicks of our presses as we print a souvenir broadside of their poem. It is a great deal of fun, and another entertaining thing to do while you're out and about on Cherokee Street on a lovely Saturday afternoon. It is a fantastic chance to hear from some of our local talent, and you get one of the broadsides with admission. So come down this Saturday and listen to Kristina Darling and Benjamin Moeller-Gaa read, watch us print and have a grand ol' time!
ONLY $5 per person. Space is limited, so reserve your seat today.
Saturday, October 16th at 2 PM at The Firecracker Press.
RELEASE PARTY FOR MONKEY BARS October 12 2010
If you're in the Big Apple... bobbing for apples on Halloween weekend join us as we celebrate the launch of Matthew Lippman's book, Monkey Bars. It's our first, hardcover venture into publishing, under the guidance of Typecast Publishing and it's bound to be a hoot. The night will feature Kentucky-style cocktails, chances to win copies of The Lumberyard Magazine, and most important, a reading from Matthew Lippman from his new book. Fellow poet Michael Morse will start off the evening's reading at 7:30pm. The event is FREE!
Find our more about the book here.
Saturday, October 30th 7:00pm - 9:00pm
OBSERVATORY
543 Union St
Brooklyn, NY
Sponsored by The Lumberyard Magazine, Typecast Publishing, and the Letter Home Reading Series.
SPOOKY NEW PAPER GOODS October 08 2010
We've conjured up some spooky new cards for the fall season - one to celebrate the beauty of the changing weather and one to send a chill down the recipient's spine. You can buy them here at The Firecracker Press, and don't forget to check out our new masks as well.
ROCKIN' THE SHREW October 08 2010
If you've never been to the Shakespeare Festival St. Louis outdoor productions of Shakespeare classics, you're missing a real treat. The shows are nestled into a beautiful hillside just down from the Art Museum in Forest Park and they're one of our favorite springtime events in St. Louis. This spring they'll be putting on a rockabilly version of The Taming of the Shrew and they hired us to help by designing and printing an enticing invitation for their Fall fundraiser. This ain't your great, great, great, great grandma's Shakespeare and we're happy to lend a hand!
Also, look for The Firecracker Press on Sunday, October 17th when we team up with Shakespeare Festival St. Louis once more for The Taming of the Clue!, a letterbox treasure hunt. Experts will teach rubber stamp making and lead the hunt while we give letterpress demonstrations from 2pm-4pm.
You can find more info about Shakespeare Festival St. Louis on their website.
NEW HALLOWEEN MASKS! October 07 2010
We've been hard at work on some new masks for Halloween, and do we have some ghoulish new products for you! The Mummy, Dracula and Frankenstein are fresh off the press and eagerly awaiting you. Dress up your dungeon or dorm room with these dire prints, or cut them out and creep out your friends at the next costume party. 2 sinister colors on heavy stock, each print measures 17" x 17". Get them in our store or online.
WINE CLASS POSTPONED DUE TO ZOMBIES September 24 2010
An epic battle between a bunch of rowdy zombies and Dr.Funk has unfortunately destroyed this year's grape harvest. Due to this strange and alarming occurrence, our wine class for tomorrow has been postponed. Stay tuned for other events coming up at Firecracker, and Dr. Funk sends his sincerest apologies.
GOOD OLD FASHIONED HOEDOWN September 23 2010
Get out Saturday, October 2nd and Sunday, October 3rd to support the Folk School of St. Louis! Schlafly Bottleworks is throwing this two day benefit featuring twelve bands. There's no cover, but donations for the school will be accepted. They asked us to put together this poster to promote the show, and when you buy it there, all of the money goes to the Folk School. You can learn more about the school's mission and this event on their website, and we hope to see you there.
ART OUTSIDE 2010 September 16 2010
2010 art fair held at Schlafly Bottleworks. This year we were honored to receive an award for "Most Evocative of St. Louis".
MOST EVOCATIVE.... September 16 2010
Last weekend at Schlafly's Art Outside was a blast! We've been going for 7 years now, and each time is better. Thanks to Schlafly for hosting, and for all the wonderful people who stopped by our booth. This year we were honored to receive an award for "Work Most Evocative of St. Louis", and neither rain, sun nor humidity could ruin the good time.
POETRY READING WITH TONY RENNER AND STEVE SCHROEDER September 16 2010
Help make our fourth poetry reading the biggest one yet! SATURDAY September 18th we'll host readings of two St. Louis poets, Tony Renner and Steve Schroeder. Whether you're a repeat listener or a first-time offender, this is your opportunity to hear some of today's most exciting poets in an unique setting. We will be printing while they read, and you'll take home a handset broadside of one of their poems.
ONLY $5 per person. Space is limited, so reserve your seat today.
Saturday, September 18th at 2 PM at The Firecracker Press.
Address:
2838 Cherokee Street
Saint Louis, MO 63118
Phone: (314) 776-7271
THE FIRECRACKER PRESS AT ART OUTSIDE September 07 2010
We'll be there with new posters, books, cards and more... rain or shine!
Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood
Friday, Sept. 10th - 5pm-10pm
Saturday, Sept. 11th - 10am-10pm
Sunday, Sept. 12th - 12noon-4pm
CHOCOLATE CLASS WITH KAKAO CHOCOLATE August 21 2010
Love chocolate? Love printing? Then you're our kind of people! Join us Saturday, August 28th as Brian Pelletier of Kakao Chocolate fills your head with confectionery knowledge and your mitts with yummy samples from his shop. After you've gotten your chocolate fix, we'll show you how our presses work and send you off with a unique, handmade box to store truffles in (or as a pretty keepsake after you've devoured the edibles). Reserve your spot today!
METRO BUS DESIGN August 20 2010
Everyone at The Firecracker Press is a supporter of public transit. We wish we had more of it in St. Louis but we're happy to have what we do. That's why we're so thrilled to have been chosen by Arts in Transit to design and paint one of their shining fleet. We worked with the group at Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club to develop a "paint by number" design that was traced onto the bus and cooperatively painted by over 40 people. You can see our original design in the illustration above and the finished product pulling out of the garage below.
This is how the folks over at Metro put it...
And if you see it on the streets give us a shout!
