Processing... The Center for Creativity's Podcast

Communication technology is advancing faster than ever in our digital world, so why is the Pitt's Center for Creativity and University Library System so excited about the arrival of a printing press from the 1960s? In this episode, we invite a community of printmakers, newspaper editors, and researchers to learn about the ways print has given those who have been systematically marginalized the power to center their own voices and empower each other. Thanks again to our guests, Justin Jones, Gina Watkins, Megan Massenelli, Rob Taylor, Haylee Ebersole, and Kyrie Bushaw.   

Processing... is a production of the Center for Creativity at the University of Pittsburgh. Many thanks also this season to our partners at the University Library System as well as Archives & Special Collections. More information about the new Text & conText Lab can be found at creative.pitt.edu/text-context-lab  

In this episode   

• 02:54 How historic publications can fit different needs 
• 10:02 Print as a revolutionary experience 
• 13:27 Pitt student activism against anti-LGBT+ bigotry 
• 17:04 How the pandemic has changed print media 

External Links:  

• The story of Absalom Jones and Richard Allen, two former enslaved men who fought back against scapegoating during an outbreak of yellow fever in 1793 Philadelphia (as well as some other amazing stories of Black writers and the letterpress) https://ilovetypography.medium.com/black-print-early-african-american-print-culture-b4a106dea9db 
• The New Pittsburgh Courier’s centering on African American Pittsburgh https://newpittsburghcourier.com/  
• Meshwork Press’ Youth Programming https://meshworkpress.com/pages/youth-programming  
• Blackline Magazine’s new fully digital space https://blackline-magazine.squarespace.com/  
• ULS Archives and Special Collections: https://www.library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections 
• Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions: sessions.blue  

The print press paved the way for the mass production of information, and with quicker modes of distribution came the power to persuade the masses.

"Propaganda" as a term came into use in the 1620s, and we can see examples of various types popping up in the 1800s around the world, but it wasn’t until the start of World War I that we see the use of print presses as tools to spread it, and propaganda and the press have had an association ever since. 

But do we really understand propaganda and the power it has over us? Can you recognize propaganda? Would you want to make your own propaganda to influence the masses?  

Thanks to our guests: Dr. Andrew Lotz, Clare Withers, and David Grinnell. Find out more about Pitt’s Archives and Special Collections.  

Processing... is a production of the Center for Creativity at the University of Pittsburgh. Many thanks also to our partners at the University Library System as well as Archives & Special Collections. More information about the Text & conText Lab: creative.pitt.edu/text-context-lab

In this episode: 

• 1:56 Joe Magarac: folklore or fakelore? 
• 5:18 Pa Pitt, a figure used for redevelopment propaganda 
• 6:50 Framing why and when propaganda happens 
• 10:15 Expanding our understanding of what propaganda is 
• 12:39 Sometimes propaganda is more subtle than you realize  
• 14:10 Can you create propaganda without power? 
• 19:37 Historic propaganda in Archives and Special Collections and importance of modes of production  

External links: 

• Want to learn more about Joe Magarac and Pa Pitt? Follow this link to Ask an Archivist.  
• Check out Pitt's Left Ephemera Collection and Archives of Industrial Society 
• Check the small presses in the Underground Press LibGuide 
• If you want to see some examples of immersive activities that could seed conspiracy and propaganda, check out info about: Puzzlehunts, read more about immersive theater projects that have happened in Pittsburgh here, or check out Geocaching, a favorite immersive game that may be conspiracy worthy. 

Music in this episode 

• Blue Dot Sessions: sessions.blue 

As the printing press spread across the world, standardized sets of cast metal letters began appearing as well, bearing the names of their designers: Bodoni, Didot, Caslon, and others. Today there seems to be a font for every occasion, mood, and usage. How do we interpret the meanings behind the typefaces? In this episode, we explore how printing has changed our alphabets and how type design can amplify a message.   

Thanks to our guests: Clare Withers, Anais Grateau, and Jeanann Haas. Find out more about Pitt’s Archives and Special Collections.  

Processing... is a production of the Center for Creativity at the University of Pittsburgh. Many thanks also to our partners at the University Library System as well as Archives & Special Collections. More information about the new Text & conText Lab can be found at creative.pitt.edu/text-context-lab 

In this episode: 

• 2:40 The Roman alphabet has not always had 26 characters
• 3:16 A special chapbook from Pitt's Children’s Literature collection
• 6:53 Even cheap books were printed on quality paper 
• 9:12 The alphabet in 1790, including the archaic “long s"
• 12:15 Value of chapbooks then and now
• 16:23 Voicemails from Pittsburgh: what is your favorite font? 
• 23:14 Introduction to Neutraface, the “gentrification font" 
• 24:07 What fonts do we see around Pittsburgh? 
• 27:14 Whose voices are heard through typography?  

External links: 

• Check out Pitt's Nesbitt Collection of children’s literature and History of Books and Printing collections! 
• Want to print your own copy of the chapbook we discussed in this episode? Follow this link to Ask an Archivist. 
•  Many more chapbooks to discover in the Elizabeth Nesbitt collection. 
•  The article from Vice that inspired this episode: “A Deep Dive Into the ‘Gentrification Font’” 
•  More typeface history and a chart that shows the evolution of the Roman/Latin alphabet. 
•  An investigation into Gutenberg’s first typeface.  
•  Two articles on Bi Sheng and the world’s first movable type. This one includes a video of the printing process.  
•  A short video interview with type designer Ed Benguiat

 Music in this episode  

• Blue Dot Sessions: sessions.blue 
• Chris Zabriskie: chriszabriskie.com  “Undercover Vampire Policeman” and “Land on the Golden Gate” by Chris Zabriskie are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Communication technology is advancing faster than ever in our digital world, so why is the Pitt's Center for Creativity and University Library System so excited about the arrival of a printing press from the 1960s? 

In this episode, we again invite our friends in the University of Pittsburgh Library System’s Archives and Special Collections to learn about the surprisingly contentious history of paper and how it became a worldwide phenomenon. Thanks again to our guests, Jeanann Haas and Anaïs Grateau.   

Processing... is a production of the Center for Creativity at the University of Pittsburgh. Many thanks also this season to our partners at the University Library System as well as Archives & Special Collections. More information about the new Text & conText Lab can be found at creative.pitt.edu/text-context-lab  

In this episode   

• 02:15 Paper and its competition 
• 04:40 Kidnapping and anti-paper propaganda (no kidding!) 
• 10:19 Acids and paper don’t mix 
• 14:40 How we save our favorite books from falling apart 

External Links:  

• A (very) in depth explanation of the processes for creating papyrus, parchment and vellum, and paper (warning: description of parchment making process can be considered graphic)  https://www.adelaide.edu.au/library/special/exhibitions/cover-to-cover/papyrus/  
• A dissertation diving into the story of the kidnapped papermakers of Uzbek and variations on how the story is told https://www.proquest.com/docview/2077110914?pq-origsite=primo  
• ULS Archives and Special Collections: https://www.library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections 
• Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions: sessions.blue  

Communication technology is advancing faster than ever in our digital world, so why is the Pitt's Center for Creativity and University Library System so excited about the arrival of a printing press from the 1960s? In this episode, we talk with our friends in the University of Pittsburgh Library System’s Archives and Special Collections to learn about some of the mysteries of ink and what makes it a fleeting yet exciting material to work with. Thanks to our guests, Jeanann Haas and Anaïs Grateau.  

Processing... is a production of the Center for Creativity at the University of Pittsburgh. Many thanks also this season to our partners at the University Library System as well as Archives & Special Collections. More information about the new Text & conText Lab can be found at creative.pitt.edu/text-context-lab 

In this episode  

• 01:32 What makes something an ink 
• 07:05 Iron Gall Ink is weird
• 10:58 The many enemies of ink
• 15:19 Preserving modern inks  
• 17:21 The future of the medium and its creative uses

External Links: 

• An article from realcolorwheel.com gives some in-depth information about just some of the history of ink: http://www.realcolorwheel.com/ink.htm#:~:text=The%20first%20printing%20inks%20in%20use%20until%201864,can%20still%20be%20added%20to%20printing%20ink.%20Printing. 
•  Chad Brown’s Ink Workshop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKkyoOwp6_I.  
• Processing… 105 with Ana Rodriguez Castillo: https://soundcloud.com/pittc4c/c4c-processing-season-1-ep-5-ana-rodriguez-castillo.  
• ULS Archives and Special Collections: https://www.library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
• Audobon’s Birds of America: https://digital.library.pitt.edu/collection/audubons-birds-america 
• Japanese wood blocks: https://digital.library.pitt.edu/collection/barry-rosensteel-japanese-print-collection  
• The Leuba Collection: https://digital.library.pitt.edu/collection/walter-martha-leuba-papers 
• Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions: sessions.blue 

Communication technology is advancing faster than ever in our digital world, so why is the Pitt's Center for Creativity and University Library System so excited about the arrival of a printing press from the 1960s? In this episode, we talk with our friends in the University of Pittsburgh English Department about letterpress printing on the Pittsburgh campus and what value we can find in this slow, manual craft. 

Thanks to our guests, Dr. Jeff Aziz and Tim Appleton.   

Processing... is a production of the Center for Creativity at the University of Pittsburgh. Many thanks also this season to our partners at the University Library System as well as Archives & Special Collections. More information about the new Text & conText Lab can be found at creative.pitt.edu/text-context-lab.  

In this episode
01:15 Brief history of printing press technology
03:00 The Vandercook Company
05:40 Interview with Dr. Jeff Aziz and Tim Appleton
08:45 A letterpress arrives in the English Department
11:50 The value in manual activities like printing by hand
15:04 New technology meets old  
16:35 Collaboration in the print shop

External Links: 

• An excellent resource for Vandercook Co. history: vandercookpress.info 
• An article with videos describing Bi Sheng’s and Gutenberg’s early innovations: medium.com/@RossAlTejada/movable-type-the-very-first-printer-and-a-brief-look-at-its-history-4228bde57e9a 
• ULS Archives & Special Collections: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections 
• Pitt Vibrant Media Lab: vml.pitt.edu 

Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions: sessions.blue Additional music by the Edna White Trumpet Quartette, from the Public Domain: archive.org/details/78_the-lost-chord_edna-white-trumpet-quartette-sullivan_gbia0069824a/The+Lost+Chord+-+Edna+White+Trumpet+Quartette.flac 

In this season of Processing... we take a deep dive into the world of printing through our new partnership with the University of Pittsburgh Library System, the Text & conText Lab. We explore topics from letterpress history and culture to printing's social impact to the ways in which analog and digital processes interact, talking with experts and enthusiasts from the University and the community. Join us!

What's your favorite typeface? Is it serif? Sans serif? Are you a Futura fan or do you stan for Schoolbook? We want to know! Our third season focuses on all aspects of printing, from typesetting to the social implications and influence of the letterpress. And we want to hear from YOU!

Season 2 of Processing… continues to give us insight into how creative makers work through periods of intense political and personal uncertainty.

Today, we end this season's journey by discussing how chaos can be transformative to the creative process, and reviewing with our guests how the twists and turns of 2020 have changed them. This season features the stories of Hannah Eko (MFA in writing graduate), Craig Hayes (undergraduate student), Oronde Sharif (Department of Africana Studies faculty), Ivette Spradlin (Studio Arts faculty), and Tahirah Walker (former staff, Center for Teaching and Learning). Hosted by Shannon Fink (Center for Creativity Operations Manager).

In our season finale of Processing..., our guests take stock of how this year has affected their creativity, and how change can expose us to new ways of reimagining the creative process. Hannah discusses how the dramatic shifts of the year have helped her  to carve out a space in which she can focus more on what she wants from her writing. Oronde describes how the chaos has created a new avenue of connection in which he can help others heal. Tahirah talks of how lessons learned over the course of the year have helped her reframe her creative process to be more freeing. Ivette walks us through how she has expanded her creative horizons and the joy of being a beginner again in a new craft. Craig talks about how his support systems and staying in tune with himself have been crucial in keeping him invested in his creative process.

“I think there's something very stress relieving about learning something new, as frustrating as it is. I really believe in that Zen idea of the beginner's mind where you have all the potential in the world as a beginner, and as a master it closes down. And I think it's good for me as a teacher, too. To know how my students feel, because I can forget!” -Ivette Spradlin

Processing... is a production of the Center for Creativity at the University of Pittsburgh. The team includes Jasmine Green, Mike Campbell, Nancy Kirkwood, Kit Ayars, Erik Schuckers, Chad Brown and Shannon Fink. For more information, visit us online at creative.pitt.edu. Music in this episode is by Blue Dot Sessions. 

Season 2 of Processing… continues to give us insight into how creative makers work through periods of intense political and personal uncertainty.

Today, we discuss how, in the period of safety restrictions brought about by COVID-19, limitations can be a source of innovation and reimagining of the creative process. This season features the stories of Hannah Eko (MFA in writing graduate), Craig Hayes (undergraduate student), Oronde Sharif (Department of Africana Studies faculty), Ivette Spradlin (Studio Arts faculty), and Tahirah Walker (former staff, Center for Teaching and Learning). Hosted by Shannon Fink (Center for Creativity Operations Manager).

In this episode of Processing..., our creative cohort describes how improvisation is an integral part of navigating periods of intense change in their personal and communal lives, and the struggles they’ve encountered in a year that has called for constant pivoting.

Oronde speaks about the challenges of producing synergy between people while being far apart and ways he seeks to overcome them. Ivette takes us through the way a project inspired by past pandemics has bridged gaps in connections between herself and her neighbors. Hannah describes how her writing has become a point of connection with the world around her and, as a result, has become a refuge. Craig talks of how the separation caused by the pandemic has helped him create community with others, and how this has sparked a sense of purpose and responsibility in his own creative expression. Tahirah rounds out our discussion by examining how the slowing down of the world around her has caused her to become much more intentional and how the needs for justice, community, and health converge in new and interesting ways.

“How do you navigate a need for community, and a need for justice, while you're also really concerned about things on other levels...that's the creativity question, kind of writ large, right? Like it's a balance. You got to know when you put too much read in that thing, like I might want to write a poem and I might want every other words to be the F bomb, because that's how I feel. And yet, I kind of have to think like, but does that invite people to my work?...You got to make those decisions.” - Tahirah Walker

Processing... is a production of the Center for Creativity at the University of Pittsburgh. The team includes Jasmine Green, Mike Campbell, Nancy Kirkwood, Kit Ayars, Erik Schuckers, Chad Brown and Shannon Fink. For more information, visit us online at creative.pitt.edu. Music in this episode is by Blue Dot Sessions.