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DateWednesday, 21 October & Thursday, 22 October 2026
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Time2-hr sessions, offered at 10 a.m., 2:00 p.m., or 5:30 p.m. each day.
Participants are asked to participate on both days, but do not have to sign up for the same time slot each day. -
LocationRare Book School, Shannon Library suite 230, University of Virginia
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Free & open to the public. Advance registration required.
Join Rare Book School and renowned printer and book artist Barbara Henry for a two-day workshop, free and open to UVA students, faculty, and members of the local community.
Inspired by Henry’s “choice and chance” process of creating wordlists from The New York Times, day one of the workshop will focus on assembling wordlists from newspapers made available to participants in class. Working from original sources, participants will collaborate on creating a group word list and their own poetry from it. On day two of the workshop, participants will each set a line of their poetry in letterpress type as part of an “exquisite corpse” poem reassembling their creations.
Light refreshments will be offered, and participants will come away on Friday with a copy of an “exquisite corpse” poem.
How to sign up:
Participants will sign up for one of three available sessions on Wednesday, plus one of three available slots on Thursday. (Participants are asked to participate on both days, but do not have to sign up for the same time slot each day.)
Sessions are offered in the morning, afternoon, and early evening to accommodate participants’ schedules, but please be sure to sign up in advance for sessions on both days, as each session will be capped at 12 participants.
Barbara Henry
Barbara Henry holds an MFA in painting from American University and studied typography at the University of Iowa with Kay Amert. From 1985 to 2004 she was the Curator of Bowne & Co., Stationers at The South Street Seaport Museum in New York City.
In 1980s, she began producing her own books under the imprint Harsimus Press. Henry named Harsimus Press for Harsimus Cove, a New Jersey neighborhood located across the Hudson River from the southernmost tip of Manhattan. “Harsimus” is derived from an Indigenous Leni Lenape name meaning “Crow’s Marsh.” Henry dedicated Harsimus Press to the exploration and interpretation of texts in metal and wood type and the relationships between text and illustration. Books she produced have ranged from stories told in linoleum cuts to specimen books of metal and wood type to chapbooks of poetry and literary criticism. Harsimus Press is now located in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, by the Manatawny Creek—which is also an Indigenous Lenape name.
In addition to her work at Harismus Press, Henry teaches workshops at Center for Book Arts in New York.
How to Find Us
Rare Book School is located in Suite 230/231 near Saxby’s on the second floor of UVA’s Edgar Shannon Library (160 McCormick Rd.).
Parking
Information about visitor parking on Grounds can be found on the UVA Parking and Transportation website. The closest parking garage to Rare Book School is the Central Grounds Garage. Two-hour streetside parking is also available on a first-come basis on University Avenue (U.S. 250 Business Rte.) near Shannon Library.
Questions?
Email contactRBS@virginia.edu or phone us at 434-924-8851.