Dog Heart is the first book of poetry for Western Michigan author Allison Swan. The selection of poems created over the past ten years are a celebration of life and companionship in the natural world. Editor and publisher Jill Peek of Alice Greene & Co asked if I would like to be involved in this project which started out as chapbook idea. Since many of the poems’ inspiration come from the walks Allison took along the shoreline and woods of Lake Michigan with her dog Kewee I began to think of the native plants she might also have encountered on those walks. American bittersweet is an image I created a few years ago and its simplicity and movement felt like the right choice for the cover. I enjoyed working with Jill once again ( having worked on the large project of Easy Edibles) and always appreciate her discerning eye when it comes to words and the quality paper on which she chooses to print them.
After a successful first edition came out at the end of 2011 -with hand sewn binding by Ann Arbor based book artist Jean Buescher Bartlett-Dog Heart is soon scheduled for another printing.
