North Bay Print & Poetry Festival: A Graphic Designer’s Dream

If you’re a fan of print, stamps, linoprints, or even just that shwack noise of perfectly thinned paint... well let's just say: you cannot tell a print lover that the North Bay Print & Poetry Festival is happening and expect them not to show up. This event was held by Northbay Letterpress Arts in Graton, California.

Honestly, I barely needed an invitation. I saw something in passing on their Instagram and immediately put it in my calendar, and I am so glad I did!

I went with another graphic designer friend, which automatically makes an event like this more interesting. We are newer friends, so hearing her say things like "I like that design!" was super fun and interesting. It's like when I took my dad, Mr. Old-House-Fixer-Upper-Carpenter man to the The McDonalds and Their Avenue Tours put on by the city of Santa Rosa. It adds something. You get to see things in a new way, and learn more than if you just went alone. Whispers in my ear about menu designs and linoprint processing enriched my personal experience.

Right away, we were drawn to the linoprints being created on the spot. Watching someone press their designs in to paper, seeing the ink pull, hearing the schwack schwack schwack of the perfect ink roll. It’s so satisfying. And while they had the usual small press setups... they also had a pavement roller out for the bigger pieces. What the heck?! How cool!! It turns it from a visual piece to a performative piece. Hearing the engine and watching it totally flatten the paper–! So. Cool.

There were prints everywhere, merch from local artists, live viewings, and demonstrations. It was lively and friendly and artsy. At one point, a performance started on the stage and it added some upbeat funky jazz tunes to the venture. Imagine a scat-man-jazz-flute-singer performance! I believe it was Spikes Sikes & His Awesome Hotcakes. Watching someone scatting while simultaneously playing the flute is a talent that deserves its own festival. We definitely got a little boogie with it. After our jaws were dropped a bit. It was awesome and fit the vibe of the event wonderfully. We watched some people pop off and start dancing hard.

While I was soaking in the prints and live music, I kept thinking about how much I love the look of linoprints, stamps, and hand-pulled designs. There’s a certain tactile satisfaction and BOLDNESS that just feels so authentic. I even started imagining a linoprint business card. Would it make the most sense for my graphic design business? Not exactly. If you’ve ever wanted a business card with the boldness of a linoprint, you know I’m your person. I'd love to brainstorm that with you. I might even break out my old speedball carvers!

One of my favorite parts of the day, though, was spending time with the typewriters. Believe it or not, I haven’t really used one before. I grew up with keyboards, and the idea of typing without an electronic backspace feels a little intimidating. The typewriter booth became interactive with a creative improv about us wanting to become an old-timey secretary (a hilarious concept as we are happy with being graphic designers, but we got to speak in a transatlantic kind of talk which was fun). The man running the booth wanted to "hire" us but first he had to test our skills by dictated a poem to us, and we had to type it down as he spoke it.

The thing that immediately stood out was the depth of the keys. Some of the typewriters had keys that had to be pressed down almost three inches. It felt insane, and it really slows you down. And the fun part? While your finger disappears into the keyboard, the other fingers sometimes hit extra keys accidentally. The result? A uniquely imperfect poem that’s really a physical artifact of your attempt to keep up with someone else’s words. Here is what it said:

Her moon was in svopio.

Her sun sugn also. Because her rising sign was gemini,

it meant that shebwould have a hard time with

but if ahe would fu nd the one lover,

well give him or her a

five perveny cgance.

I don't think we are getting the job as an old-timey secretary any time soon.

We spent a lot of time talking about old-school print and graphic design, marveling at the craft and dedication required before modern tools. Mistakes used to be costly. There was no Photoshop to magically fix a smudge, no InDesign to easily shift layouts, no Illustrator to smooth out vector lines. Everything had to be painstakingly just so. It gave us a lot of respect for the people who worked in print before computers became standard tools of the trade.

The festival is a celebration of print, and being there made me reflect on my own work. As a graphic designer based in Sonoma County, Santa Rosa, specializing in print design, these moments are inspiring. They’re a reminder that the old tools of the trade, and any slight imperfections that come with them all have a place in modern design, and they haven't lost their spark at all. It’s easy to get lost in pixels and screens, and hearing people say that print is a dead medium. But I disagree so heavily. Everything is print. It is and was so important to us growing as a society. I could go on a whole rant about it.

And let’s not forget the community aspect. North Bay Letterpress Arts did an amazing job of bringing together artists, designers, poets, and performers. The festival felt welcoming, and alive with collaboration and ideas. You could see people sharing their craft, swapping stories about past projects, and inspiring awe in young children. There’s a palpable energy when people are genuinely passionate about what they do, and it’s infectious.

By the end of the day, my friend and I were inspired, energized and giddy from all the walking, looking, and laughing. But we left with a pep in our step and a light air of goofiness and childlike zoomies. And honestly? I can’t wait for the next North Bay Print & Poetry Festival. Whether you’re a seasoned graphic designer, a print enthusiast, or someone who’s just curious about how ink, stamps, and typewriters come together, this is an event that you simply cannot miss. I saw on their website they might need volunteers, so I will have to keep my eye out for next year. I would love to be involved, even though I am a little more modern-style printing.

If you’ve ever thought about exploring linoprints, trying a typewriter, or just witnessing creativity in motion, put the North Bay Print & Poetry Festival on your calendar. And if you want to try a linoprint business card (why not?), I’m definitely open to some print adventures. It was awesome!