Type as Visual Form - "Horse-Eventing: Three Poems"
Type as Visual Form
"Horse-Eventing: Three Poems," Lillie Chaffin, Southport Press
For Travis DuPriest of Southport Press, “The choice of font, typeface and size, is crucial to the inter-relationship between the poem and the printed page.“ With "Horse-Eventing" the printer and poet wanted a poem representative of Kentucky and the Bluegrass. The printing choices made by DuPriest emphasize “the strength of the horse.” Times New Roman is an important choice of typeface as it is both clean and strong whether in caps or lower case. The bold face of the type reinforces the theme of strength. Though the “line integrity” is determined by the poet, the printer has control over the spacing and layout. The design of the three poems is in the form of a column, which DuPriest felt would contribute to the theme of strength. With the thoughtful selection of the strong Times New Roman type and columnar layout, the printer visually connects the reader to the Horse eventing synonymous with the Bluegrass.
"Five Sonnets," Wilma Tague, Southport Press
“Five Sonnets” is a collection of printed broadsides by the poet Wilma Tague. The sonnets are printed using Bastarda type on Strathmore Artlaid paper. The printing choices of delicate type and paper serve to reinforce the poem's ethereal theme. For DuPriest the printer’s choices are crucial in conveying themes of the works. “The works ‘Horse-Eventing’ and ‘Five Sonnets’ are a study in ‘big and bold’ and ‘small and delicate.’”
