Hello everyone,

For the full newsletter experience, read this email online to get the latest information by clicking on the archives link: archives and calendar. Time sensitive information may be added to the newsletter after it has been sent out. Feel free to let me know about broken links or links pointing to the wrong place. I hope that you can use this newsletter as a jumping off point for your own explorations and adventures looking for workshops, teachers and organizations, processes, etc.

• Beth Stockdell recently acquired a pile of vintage sailing/boating maps from her great-uncle Henry, a captain and a master boatbuilder. They are primarily from the late 1960s, show the waterways of Alaska and Canada - more information here - are you already thinking about what you can do with them?
• If you happen to be in the Soldotna, Alaska area do check out Susan Joy Shares solo exhibit, Weights and Measures at the Gary Freeburg Gallery on the Kenai Peninsula College campus by May 1, 2026 - if you can't make it Susan has posted some picture of the exhibit on Instagram - there is also a workshop on May 1, 2026 - please see the workshop calendar
• Ever wanted to go to Montana and experience Big Sky country - here is your chance to do it and attend an inaugural summer book arts workshop series called the Montana Institute for the Book Arts from Aug 3rd - 14, 2026, broken up into 2 sessions and splitting time between beautiful Missoula, Montana and Flathead Lake, in the woods just south of Glacier National Park - run don't walk to register here - sign up for the mailing list
• There is a call for instructors from The Book Arts League (3063 Sterling Cir, Boulder, CO 80301) - The BAL is looking for any and all folks who are interested in teaching a book arts related workshop to please get in touch with them - check out their latest newsletter
• If you haven't already checked out Karen Hamner's generosity, she uploaded the second and final batch of workshop handouts to her website
• Penland School of Craft has 4 calls for residencies lasting from 2 weeks to 1+ years - more information here - deadline: Jun 15, 2026
• Save the date for The Tropic Bound Artists’ Book Fair being held in Coral Gables from Feb 4 - 7, 2027 - they have a call for exhibitors - apply here - deadline: Jun 1, 2026
• If you haven't signed for FOBA happening Jun 24 - 28, 2026 yet, there are, amazingly, there are still some open workshops - register here - come take a workshop you have been wanting to check out or an instructor you have wanted to learn from

Me ke aloha nui - Jade
Unfolding paper explorer, information conduit & facilitator, foodie, unorthodox traveler, astronomy enthusiast, somewhat grudgingly tech savvy
Mission: Connecting talented people with people exploring their talents
Motto: Always plan a trip around a workshop or vice versa
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Sections below: Things To Do In The Area | Call for Artists/ Entries/ Proposals/ Submissions | Bits & Bobs About Paper/ Books/ Tips/ Trips | Musings and Meanderings | Workshop Calendar | Resource List | Housekeeping

Newport Paper & Book Arts Festival XXIX (Newport, OR, and surrounding communities) - now until Apr 25, 2026

The Morgan Art of Papermaking (1754 East 47th Street - Cleveland OH 44103) - 14th annual juried exhibition - more information upcoming - now until Apr 25, 2026

Come to the 11th Annual Bay Area Printers' Fair & Wayzgoose - History Park, 635 Phelan, San Jose, CA, 10am-3pm - free admission - Apr 25, 2026

Anderson Academic Commons, University of Denver (2150 E Evans Ave, Denver, Colorado 80210 and part of Colorado’s Mo’Print celebration) - Printed Page V - A juried exhibition focusing on the integration of various printmaking techniques into the book form - online catalog - now until Apr 26, 2026

Evanston Art Center (1717 Central Street, Evanston, IL 60201) - Sandra Hansen Our Exquisite Pollution Series: Under the Sea - now until Apr 26, 2026

Gary Freeburg Gallery, Kenai Peninsula College (156 College Rd, Soldotna, AK 99669) - Weights and Measures solo exhibit by Susan Joy Share - now until May 1, 2026

Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild (CBBAG) - Kindred Spirits: The Lucy Maud Montgomery Legacy as Interpreted by Contemporary Book Artists - on view at: University of Guelph, McLaughlin Library (50 Stone Road East, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1) - now until May 1, 2026; Calgary Public Library, Central Library (800 3 St SE, Calgary, Alberta T2G 2E7) - Jun 1, 2026 - Jun 30, 2026; Regina Public Library, George Bothwell Branch (2965 Gordon Road, Regina, Saskatchewan S4S 6H7) - Jul 15 - Aug 20, 2026; Victoria - dates and details forthcoming - video

Marches Makers Festival, Kington, Herefordshire, UK - Marches Book Arts Group the fold - May 2 - 4, 2026

Newlyn Art Gallery (Cornwall, UK) - Walking A Cappella, a major exhibition by Abigail Reynolds - now until May 2, 2026

Center for Book Arts (New York, NY) - Rewriting the World: Isidore Isou and the Lettrist Book - now until May 2, 2026 | Shatter / Chatter: Rosaire Appel - now until May 2, 2026

The Page-Walker Art and History Museum (119 Ambassador Loop, Cary, NC 27513) - Triangle Book Arts History of the Book - now until May 2, 2026

Sebastopol Center for the Arts (282 South High Street, Sebastopol, CA) - Pulp - Paper - Book - exhibition dates: now until May 3, 2026

State Library NSW (1 Shakespeare Place, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia) - Paper Universe: The book as art showcases close to 100 rarely seen works from the State Library’s remarkable collection of artists’ books - now until May 3, 2026

Printed Matter - LA Art Book Fair (LAABF) happening at ArtCenter College of Design South Campus (950 S. Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA) - May 7–10, 2026

Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory (1754 E. 47th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44103) - their 14th Annual National Juried Exhibition A Hand of One's Own - now until May 9,2026

Seattle Art Book Fair returns May 9 - 10, 2026 - Save the date - see you back at Washington Hall (153 14th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122) alongside artists, designers, and arts organizations who are making some of the most inspiring art books and publications today

Vancouver Art Book Fair at the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre (181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2W3) - May 15 - May 17, 2026

The Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences (120 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach, NJ 08008) - 2026 Works on Paper - information forthcoming - May 16-July 5, 2026

KunstCentret Silkeborg Bad (Gjessøvej 40, DK-8600 Silkeborg, Denmark) - The IAPMA Paper Art Biennale 2026 Impressions of Nature: Paper as Memory - now until May 25, 2026

Minnesota Center for Book Arts Main Gallery (1011 S Washington Ave, Suite 100, Minneapolis, MN 55415) - Crossing the Line: The Passport ReImagined - now until May 31, 2026

Lynn Sures - Fabriano workshop and tour of Northern Italy - information and registration from May 28 - Jun 12, 2026 and Drawing in Italy 2026 from Jun 13 - 21, 2026

Columbia University Libraries - Butler Library (535 W. 114 St. 6th Floor, New York, NY 10027) - In CONTEXT: Art, Books, & Freedom - now until May 29, 2026

Brush Art Gallery (256 Market Street, Lowell, MA USA) - New England Book Artists Members' Show - celebrating the works of their artist book community in all its splendor - now until May 31, 2026

San Francisco Public Library Main Branch (100 Larkin St, San Francisco) - Skylight Gallery on the 6th Floor - Patricia Owen Design Bookbinding: A Retrospective Exhibition - now until Jun 4, 2026

Collins Memorial Library, University of Puget Sound (Tacoma, WA, USA) - Fifteen Puget Sound Book Artists Celebrate 15 Years of Creative Community with Anniversary Members’ Exhibition - Jun 4 - Jul 31, 2026 - then moves to the Daniel J. Evans Library, The Evergreen State College (Olympia, WA) - Sep 28 - Dec 12, 2026

Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (550 Winslow Way E., Bainbridge Island, WA 98110) - Handwork 2026: Aimee Lee: Spring Tethered - now until Jun 14, 2026 - exhibition catalog; Summer Cloth, Paper, Stitches - Jul 3 – Sep 20, 2026; Fall Booking: Artists’ Books by Black Artists - Oct 2, 2026 – Jan 31, 2027

Rua Reidh Lighthouse, Scotland - Hybrid Printmaking - Texture, Color, Line with Lucy Turner - this printmaking workshop will be held from Jun 10 – 19, 2026 - more information

Kalamazoo Book Arts Center will be hosting a a travel study program to Italy - Book Arts in Venice - secure a spot by making your deposit online - trip dates: Jun 15 – 26, 2026 - deposit due: Jan 15, 2026 - final payment: Feb 1, 2026

Santa Fe Studio Tours (various locations around Santa Fe, NM) - June 20 - 21, 2026 and June 27 - 28, 2026

Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College (87 North Main Street, Oberlin, OH 44074) - Fibers of Becoming: Contemporary Paper Works by Sarah Brayer, Aimee Lee, and Lin Yan - now until Jun 21, 2026 - take a virtual tour if you can't make it to Oberlin, OH

Focus on Book Arts 2026 (Monmouth, OR) - Jun 24 - 28, 2026

Bower Ashton Library, UWE Bristol City Campus (Kennel Lodge Road. Bristol BS3 2JT, UK - the library is on the 1st floor of B block) - Gen Harrison 100 Days Project Scotland: Fold | Found Concertinas - now until Jun 30, 2026

The Bancroft Library Gallery, University of California (Berkeley, CA) - Shape of Thought: The Book as Art - now until Jun 30, 2026

Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking (Atlanta, GA) - Paper & Architecture - now until Jul 10, 2026 | The Craft of Paper: Contemporary Takes on Tradition - Aug 3, 2026 - Jan 15, 2027

IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) (108 Cathedral Place, Santa Fe, NM 87501) - Paper Trails: Unfolding Indigenous Narratives - now until Jul 12, 2026

The 2026 Taos Paper Retreat with Helen Hiebert will be happening Jul 19 - 25, 2026 in Taos, NM and the theme will be Capture the Light

University of Montana (32 Campus Dr., Missoula, MT 59812) - Montana Institute for Book Arts - inaugural summer book arts workshop series - Aug 3rd - 14, 2026 - sign up for their mailing list

MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives (3 Chome-16-1 Mita, Minato City, Tokyo 108-0073, Japan) - World of Spiral including Jun Mitani exhibit - now until Sep 23, 2026

IDDIS Norwegian Printing Museum (Muségata 16, 4010 Stavanger, Norway) - Bibliofilia: An exhibition on Bookbinding - now until Dec 31, 2026 - the museum is also hosting a series of bookbinding and letterpress workshops and tours - updates here

University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL) - Miami’s international biennial artists’ book fair, Tropic Bound - Feb 4 - 7, 2027

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Websites for calls for entries for all mediums and online juried shows:

- Call for entries management and jury system entrythingy.com

- Find calls https://www.callforentry.org/

- Online juried shows

- Colossal (international platform for contemporary art and visual expression that explores a vast range of creative disciplines) opportunities

Note: On going calls below are listed in alphabetical order followed by calls by due date

Art in the Park residency OR Google “National parks artist in residence” - scroll down to the map of programs across the US map - each park has a different application, criteria, etc. explore the map and find a park that aligns with your goals for a residency - apply through that park’s unique site - artists of all mediums can apply…photographers, writers, composers and more - on going

Call for instructors: The Book Arts League (3063 Sterling Cir, Boulder, CO 80301) - The BAL is looking for any and all folks who are interested in teaching a book arts related workshop to please get in touch with them

Call for workshop proposals: Frederick Book Arts Center is settling into their new space and looking for teachers - if you have experience teaching bookbinding, letterpress, printmaking, photography or other skills related to book arts and are interested in working with us we are interested in hearing from you - please email: charlottemaulerhayes@fredbookartscenter.org - on going

Call for teachers: Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center, Maui, HI, is looking for Youth Teaching Artists - more information - to apply for this position, please send a resume and sample art projects to: Michaela McGuire, Youth Programs Coordinator, michaela@huinoeau.com - on going

Call for artist in residence: Joseph Rock Arboretum on Hawai'i Island - JRA Sculptural Project Honoring the Earth Through Indigenous Wisdom - deadline: on going - they offer a 3-week stay in the Kailua-Kona area on Hawai'i Island (artist will need to get a rental car (or use UBER), buy food, bring their supplies or buy locally, to construct their art and they can bring a friend or partner)

Call for Artists: The Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) Shop is seeking new artists interested in selling their work - on going

Call for teachers: Pacific Ocean Paperfolders monthly virtual meeting - on going - contact Joel Stern

Call for Workshop Teachers: PaperWorks 2025-2026 Season - half day, full day and multiple day classes, in person or via Zoom - download proposal form and send completed form to education@paperworks.info - on going

Call for Submissions: Printed Matter, New York - Decolonisation, Resistance & Solidarity - is actively soliciting artists’ books, zines, and print ephemera that engage with ideas of decolonisation, resistance, and interconnected solidarity around the world - accepted submissions will be distributed online and in-store - this is an open, rolling call - there is no deadline for submissions - to view a selection of titles that speak to these themes and their submission guidelines

Call for workshop proposals: The Santa Fe Book Arts Group Program Committee extends an invitation to submit proposals for workshops in the coming months - more information - on going

Call for exhibitors: The Tropic Bound Artists’ Book Fair held in Miami from Feb 4 - 7, 2027 - apply here - deadline: Jun 1, 2026

Call for residencies: Penland School of Craft - how to apply - deadline: Jun 15, 2026

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Note: If you want to inspect a link to see where it may take you, mouse over the link and in the lower left corner of your screen the status bar will show you where the hyperlink would take you. On smartphones or tablets long press on the link and a window will appear with that information

Sarah Bodman - Book Arts Newsletter - Impact Press at the Centre for Print Research, UWE Bristol, UK - more book arts related events in the UK, EU, EEA and some USA - latest edition and back issues

Bainbridge Island Museum of Art’s (BIMA) - Artist's Books Unshelved: full play list here - latest videos: Sum of Parts | Works by Edie Overturf and gino romero; Plates We Share | Works by David Esslemont and Sandra Trujillo

Beth Stockdell recently acquired a pile of vintage sailing/boating maps from her great-uncle Henry, a captain and a master boatbuilder. They are primarily from the late 1960s, show the waterways of Alaska and Canada and are from the US Department of Commerce, Environmental Science Administration, Coast and Geodetic Survey, and the Canadian Hydrographic Service, Marine Sciences Branch, Department of Energy, Mines, and Resources. The maps are generally 30×40” or 36×48” and have been folded into quarters and are quite heavy. These were working maps, sometimes with writing on them, but most are clean. Beth is offering these to paper artists, and they will be fabulous to use as book covers, in paper collages, in paper weaving, and more - US shipping only - while supplies last - link to check out maps and more information

If you haven't already checked out Karen Hamner's generosity, she uploaded the second and final batch of workshop handouts to her website

When did I write that? If you are using Google's Chrome browser and you need to insert a date stamp there is an extension for that - go to the Chrome Web Store - search for Date Stamp and add it to your extensions - then in any app you use in Chrome you will be able to right click and select Date Stamp to insert the current date and time - have started to use this when I use Google Keep to organize my workshop related information

Origami paper clip and a smaller version

I joined Marches Book Arts Group (UK) back in mid-September of last year and now that I am on their WhatsApp chat group I can get pdf handouts for their meeting workshops - their bylaws prohibit sharing of zoom videos but at the latest meeting a YouTube video was shared for the sliding (I say telescoping - let's call the whole thing off - there I go with old song references) page structure - I can see pages with different lengths and sections - would make for a wonderfully interactive sculpture - here is another telescoping pull card on Instagram

To those of you that love to paper weave or would like to try something new have a look at the Japanese art of mizuhiki -an article explaining what mizuhiji is - a YouTube playlist showing some basic knots - get your supplies from etsy or Amazon - thank you, Ann from All Things Paper, for gathering this information

Sometimes places on the US map is not how you pictured it in your mind's eye

Make a book of where you are with the Travelling Bookbinder

Popup book box by Adventures in BookBinding: part 1 - the slipcase; part 2 - trays; part 3 - case and assembly - however if you would prefer an instructor led workshop check out Nancy Akerly's workshop schedule

A very cool book cover to contains your ephemera, pens and stationery - have been thinking about how to make one - a closer look or you could fold your own book cover/wrap with pocket & bookmark

Quick Japanese minimalist cover for books

Also from the same people as above a very cool pencil sharpener

Making simple notepads

Stop by any Los Angeles Public Library Branch to receive an envelope of your very own genuine catalog cards and receive a commemorative stamp for that branch. This will be a 2026 year long celebration so collect all 72 - visit lapl.org/central100 - Los Angeles Public Library Branch locations - and here's a video

Origami photo display stand - works even with one unit

Building a small pencil case from an Altoids tin

Alicia Bailey showing the Narrative Threads exhibit books on the Abecedarian Gallery website or on Instagram if you missed it

Folding flower card and how to stain Tyvek from Helen Hiebert

Flexagon book, another flexagon book tutorial from another creative and printables for making a tetra-tetra flexagon

David Hawcock's pop-up books on inventions

For those of us that do not have an envelope punch board here is a creative making an exquisite envelope with a few elegant touches (I also felt it deserved its own line and space) and another envelope (probably featured before) made out of 4 circles

Adding glassine paper interleaving and mounting photos

Not paper or book related but I have been following these financial suggestions in this video for a while now - I would be happy to chat about what worked for me but the caveat is I am not a financial planner

What is an artist book? A brief history of artist books and how to create your own

If you don't have a way to edit a PDF file you can use Google Docs to do so

A pen loop, elastic closure (travelers notebook?) and an expandable pocket - upgrades for your journal or book

My shoelaces finally untied in the last week of my trip after not having to touch them for over a year - here is another method you can use

A number of books from Peter Baumgartner: book1 - booklet with pocket; book2 - woven and interlocking book structures by Claire Van Vliet and Elizabeth Steiner (page 76) - Gioia; book3 - leporello that can be used for other than an advent calendar - also page 41 & 45 from The Art of the Fold by Hedi Kyle and Ulla Warchol; book4 - tunnel binding

If you missed the Ruth Asawa retrospective like I did when it was at SFMOMA last year, here is a video about her

Love Matthew Reinhart - he brings so much joy to the popup process - here is a reverse action pull tab and a double reverse action layers popup

A variation of the twist and pop structure at the top of the page - the usual variation in the middle of the page

Ok - now we all need a touch of cuteness in our lives but this might be AI - Japanese dwarf flying squirrels

Did I ever mention that I met the Sarah Matthews at Hedi Kyle's workshop October 2023? Here is her version of the flag book - love the colors and different size flags/pages!

I noticed I have been collecting many tutorials on how to present a gift or fold an envelope or make a box - enjoy! gift bag1; gift bag2; gift box3 with self closure; origami envelope1; secret letter/envelope2; color change envelope3; square origami envelope4 (I have the step by step diagram if you need it); floral popup envelope5; purse/envelope6; box1 - from one sheet of paper; box2 - self closing with an accordion fan

Insiya Dhatt's latest book - wowzers!

Helen Hiebert paper weaving demo for Ali Manning, who runs Vintage Page Designs and the Handmade Book Club - catch the replay here – they talked about the Helen's book and Helen show how to make a hexagonal weaving with paper strips

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Trying something new for this section - had so much to write about that I broke up the musing into various trip components that will open a Google Doc in another window when you click on the links at the end of this section - also used some short forms for countries and cities: SG - Singapore; MY - Malaysia; ID - Indonesia; KL - Kuala Lumpur; KK - Kota Kinabalu

I was able to get lunch in at a fish market in Santa Monica with fellow adventurer, foodie and workshop attendee, Yol A., before I left and she introduced me to something called "salmon candy". I was skeptical at first despite professing having an adventurous palate. Then I tasted it I was immediately hooked and my brain broke a little - what on earth is this stuff?!? Great and delicious way to get your omega-3s! In planning for an anniversary trip in May I found a fish market in Santa Barbara that sold black cod (aka butterfish aka sable fish) candy - you know I must go check that out! Also took in a vibrant silk lantern exhibit at the Korean Cultural Center but what astounded me was what they were able to weave with horse hair - those delicate and astounding official headdresses. I also got the chance to view the GBW artists book exhibit again at the Long Beach Museum of Art but was disappointed that the Hawaiian doughnut place, The Holey Grail, had shuttered and had to settle for a really good pour over coffee instead. Thanks, Jane S. for coming with me and saving me from getting a parking ticket! I also started the Secret Lives of Cubes workshop with Paula Krieg knowing that I would have to attend the last session while in Singapore. It was completely and utterly worth it! - thank you, Paula, for yet another marvelous and enlightening workshop.

Los Angeles to Singapore and the drive up to Kuala Lumpur, Melaka & Penang

It was 2 very long flights to get from Los Angeles (LA) to Singapore (SG) - 12 hours from LA to Tokyo (10 hours the other way) - great layover at Narita to get Japanese snacks and souvenirs to give away to family and friends in Singapore and Malaysia - then another 7.5 hours from Tokyo to Singapore (7 hours the other way). The process through Changi airport passport control and customs was a breeze because you filled out the Singapore travel card online within 72 hours of travel (during a break in packing), your passport still had at least 6 months left before expiring and you had nothing to declare. In fact the walk from the arrival gate to passport control took longer than going through immigration and customs. That was wonderfully unremarkable and quick.

The e-sims I purchased before the trip worked flawlessly in Singapore (SG), Malaysia (MY) and Indonesia (ID). It effortlessly switched data providers (well ... mostly - see tech support blurb below) depending on what country we were in. I was able to navigate streets in SG, reply to emails as we drove from SG to MY, check on flight details at all airports, figure out which waterfall to go to next in Bali, etc. Much easier than struggling to put in a physical sim in your phone after navigating the many sim stores and wondering which one you should pick and did you really want to hand your phone over to a total stranger? You don't get a physical phone number but everybody (including businesses) communicates via WhatsApp in the countries mentioned above so you can leave your local number with just about anybody and remain well connected.

The hotel room window in SG was frosted (3/4s of it) but did not notice this until later that morning since we arrived at the hotel at 2 AM. I already knew about this from our last visit in 2022 but forgot to ask for a room not facing the Presidential palace (the frosting was for security reasons). I was not bothered by this as Singapore is always building, building, building, even more so now. There is so much construction that the locals joke that the national bird is the crane, the mechanical one. So the view from the 1/4 of the window that was not frosted was of 3 brand spanking new high rises being built. I enjoyed the dichotomy of seeing the older red roofed buildings against the new, sparkly high rises. Strangely enough the birds seem to be thriving. I could hear crows, mourning doves, sparrows/finches, and another bird whose calls I could not identify. I would lie in bed after being woken up by the crows trying to identify those "strange" calls. It wasn't until I saw a myna that it occurred to me that those were myna bird calls. I could then tell from listening to the myna calls that they "spoke" a different dialect from the ones on the Big Island of Hawai'i (and also different from the ones in Malaysia).

When my brother and sister-in-law (SIL) got in the next morning, we explored the floor where the pool was located and breakfast was served. There were views from the pool and I went to take a look to see if the self-service laundry was also still there. On the way back to the elevators I noticed a glass case with 2 shelves containing books with a sign that said, "Little Free Library" and I had completely missed it on the way to the laundry area. Luckily I caught it on the way out and my brother was really interested in getting a book and he found a favorite author. A lady named Amy walked by and asked if we found anything interesting. "An unusual place for a little free library. How did this come to be?", I asked. Amy mentioned that it felt like too much of a waste to discard the books and magazines left behind by guests and so she thought a little free library would work. Despite the unusual location I marveled at the many languages the books were in and the many I did not recognize. What a great idea! This would not be the last time I would run into a not so little, free library (see Kuala Lumpur link below).

I was just starting to get familiar with the streets in Little India (where the hotel was), Chinatown (where 3 or more street food centers were) and Little Arab and then we had to leave. I relied on my phone so much for walking navigation that it had to switch to night mode to cool down on a couple of occasions. It certainly doesn't help that it is always hot and humid there. Bought popups of Peranakan life, watercolor prints of old time Singapore, lucky red money packets and a couple books by local authors. Remember this was only week 1 and our suitcases were still in their unexpanded mode. Lots of times it took as long on to get somewhere on the transit system as it did to walk. So walk we did, and sweat! A lot! Note: I bought a clip-on mini fan that I intend to test the next time we are in Hawai'i - not as hot or humid but want to see how well the fan will keep me cooler nd more motivated to take longer hikes.

I didn't let being 16 time zones away interfere with attending the last session of Secret Lives of Cubes with Paula Krieg (hello my fellow Paula-bears!). Only Paula can inspire me to wake up that early (for me) for that last workshop session. It was 6:00 PM on a Thursday evening where Paula was and 7:00 AM the next morning for me! I was able to pack my finished projects flat because I was able to use removable glue dots to put them together, take pictures, post them on the workshop slides and then break them down to flat or almost flat and store them in a document folder from Daiso. Thank you, Jean W. for that brilliant suggestion!

After a really early start (6:00 AM - ok! - only Paula and travel can get me out of bed early) to avoid delays at the land border crossing between SG and MY, we stopped by for a delicious breakfast where I promptly burnt my upper palate. I forgot that everything was made to order and served piping HOT! On the way to our overnight in Melaka I was astounded to see palm oil trees even further than the eye could see. Where were the rubber trees I used to see when I lived there? I found out that they now grow rubber in Southern Thailand and just about everything is palm oil in MY.

We stopped by Melaka's famous Jonkers Street to check for souvenirs and had some of their traditional shaved ice - 2 different kinds - to help us cool down before even braving the sun, heat and humidity. I'll have you know Malaysian shaved ice, both kinds, are much better than Hawaiian shave (no "d") ice. They like to throw everything in there but the kitchen sink! When I introduced it to Bill the very first time we were in SG together, he insisted on getting one after every meal (except for breakfast - the hotel provided that). We walked around Jonkers Street for about an hour or so and the temperature slowly climbed to the point where we decided maybe it would be better if we got dropped off at the hotel and wait for our rooms to be ready in the nice cool air-conditioned lobby. But in the mean time another mix shave ice for Bill to cool him down after that hot, sweaty walk. Found some amazing bookmarks that looked like what the front doors of the old Peranakan houses still found in Melaka, Penang and Singapore. Weirdly they included the Chinese astrological animal name on them as well but did not notice until after I had bought them. I now wish I had bought the cool tea pot and cup set that was perfectly swaddled in its own handled bag but I was thinking of not allowing souvenirs to take over our luggage space. Suitcases were still in their unexpanded mode. We continued our walk along Jonkers Street after dinner when it was cooler but stepped away from the crowd to enjoy the slightly cooler area by the river and found the tourist police station. And yes, it did say, "Tourist Police" on the sign. They were having dinner instead of policing the tourists! The reflections of the lights by the river was pretty spectacular as the sun decided to call it a day.

My life as phone tech support continues (see musings from December 2025). As everyone settled in for our overnight in Melaka I worked on the e-sim on Bill's phone. It was working in Singapore and stopped working in Malaysia. I spent quite a bit of time online with an AI tech support bot and then 2 tech support humans. None of them were able to resolve the issue. I thought perhaps the e-sim app needed be removed and re-installed and checked online to see if it was a sound idea. I was somewhat assured it would be. After a long enough delay to make me question my technical abilities all signs went green and his status bar (top right corner) looked just like mine. Phew! I had enabled my phone's hotspot as a backup in the event it didn't work. Double phew! as my hotspot name is a slightly cheeky Hawaiian description. It is actually the name of a Hawaiian company and it is what happens when you surf all day and you forget your towel for your car seat so have to live in your board shorts for the drive home or to work. I will send you lots of paper if you can guess what that name is!

We got into Kuala Lumpur (KL) the next day after passing through the beach resort town we used to visit when I was a kid and wondering why there were so many abandoned buildings. We stopped there for coffee, of course, but the magic of that bygone era - gone. Luckily there are still memories - one even written down during an Ed Hutchins content workshop. Of course dinner the night we got into KL was already planned with one set of cousins at the Malaysian version of a Brazilian churrascaria. Had to turn in early for as we would be driving to the island of Penang the next morning. When we got to Penang it was the 15th day of the Chinese New Year and the total lunar eclipse of the moon. Unfortunately there was an in-coming thunderstorm that obscured the sky for viewing the eclipse. Sigh!

We stayed at a really old hotel called The Edison and she is an grand old dame of 120 years having been built in 1906! The rooms (only 35 in total) were large with extremely high ceilings and great air conditioning. No elevators just really steep stairs and we were lucky they gave us rooms on the ground floor. They had a lounge that served a continental breakfast plus some local eats and you could eat or drink anything you set your eyes on, including some nostalgic candies from when I was growing up. It was all a part of the room rate. A lovely young man (who had always wanted to be a cop), Lingesh, showed us around the hotel (they even had a library) and was absolutely chock full of information, suggestions and a delight to chat with. The room keys were also pretty unique and bulky so it was easier to leave it with the very capable front desk staff. They always spotted us coming in and had them ready for us without us needing to tell them our room number. The folks at the front desk were utterly professional and warm. I would definitely stay there again not only for the great hospitality but also the fact that we were within easy walking distance to lots of good street foods!

To continue reading about my adventures ...

Click here to read about Kuala Lumpur

Click here to read about Bali and Lombok

Click here to read about Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

Click here to read about Singapore again, heading back to LA and closing thoughts

See you in May!

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(maintained in my Dropbox account - close popup to view document). Documents are saved in Word format (.docx). If you do not have Microsoft Word you can use Microsoft 365 to save a copy

• Organizations where I gather my workshop information
• Teaching opportunities (needs to be updated)
• On-demand workshops with pre-recorded videos and/or kits
• Favorite paper places (I am not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with any of the companies listed. I merely enjoy their products and fantasize about what I might buy)
• Central place for artist residencies - all mediums
• MFA programs in the US (updated annually around early December) - due dates, points of contacts, programs offered and admission requirements
  
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• Link to the calendar
• Best viewed on a large monitor (there is lots of information) and is searchable
• There is no difference between the colors you see, just a way to visually separate workshops but the more subdued colors are online workshops
• The calendar is updated as I come across information but you have 24x7 access to it
• If you add any calendar entry to your own personal calendar be sure to update the time to your local time zone - time zone converter
• For more information view this video
• Questions? Suggestions? Email me at jsqcentral-workshop@yahoo.com

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In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation, I guarantee that I do not use your information for purposes outside of sharing this workshop calendar and special announcements relating to workshops. I will never share any of your personal information, including your address, contact information, or otherwise, with anyone. Please subscribe, unsubscribe or view this newsletter online using the link below.

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