riverrun, vol.1 no. 1
Date
1972
Credits
- Martin Fischhoff 2 Editor
- Alan Franklin 22 Editor
- Ralph Franklin 22 Editor
- John Grant 3 Editor
- Gustav Hellthaler Editor
- Samuel Levy 3 Editor
- Henrietta Epstein 3 Contributing Editor
- Richard Parker Cover Artist
Format
- Journal 43
Type of Work
- Finished work 5481
Printers
Techniques
- staple bound 76
- 1-color printing 75
Dimensions
5 × 8 in
Printed Pages
96
Locations Made
- Detroit 91
"riverrun was a literary and visual arts publication put together by a group of young artists and writers, many of whom were current or recent Wayne State University students. They described the project as an “independent, non-profit enterprise collected, composed, and printed by the editors to promote the arts in Michigan. ... No letters to the editors, no sports, no Dow Jones Industrial Averages, no weather reports, just Art—some of the best work being done by area, national, and internationally known writers and artists.”10In order to reproduce the artwork they had to photograph it under bright lights. John Grant later admitted, “We never even told the artists that we put their art in front of these arc lights. I don’t know what their art looks like now.” The ability to shoot it well determined whether or not the artwork could be included. John Grant: “We’d like a piece of art, then we’d find out that we couldn’t shoot it properly. I was very often going back to the artist saying, ‘Sorry [we can’t use your work]. Sometimes the artist would just be furious, like, ‘What do you mean?’”11Some noteworthy authors that were published in riverrun include Michael Ondaatje, whose writing at that point was only available in Canada, and Jeffrey Tambor, a Wayne State student who went on to become a well-known television actor. After the first issue, they switched from uncoated to coated stock for the interior pages."
The Detroit Printing Co-op by Danielle Aubert.
Front cover.