Preview of Current: An Anthology for Jackson, MS
I'm so excited to share this blog post with you this week. Not only did I get a chance to learn about the book cover design process, I have the opportunity to preview the Current anthology. This anthology will be raising money to aid in the Jackson, MS water crisis.
So let's get into the interview with Brynn book cover designer and author...
WR: Many readers know you as an author, can you tell us when/how you decided to also incorporate (transition to) book cover designs? Or alternatively, what prompted you to learn how design book covers?
Brynn: I think the biggest driving force for me to really take graphic design seriously as an author is when I saw how expensive cover designs could be. I’m painfully frugal and already had a Photoshop subscription, so I spent a few years with my nose to the pavement practicing alongside tutorials on YouTube, and thankfully it eventually clicked haha!
WR: Which is easier: creating a cover or writing a book?
Brynn: Creating a cover, by FAR! While the concept may take a while to come up with, the turnaround time for writing a book can take months. A book cover only takes me a week at the longest!
WR: What was the first cover you created? How do you feel about your work then vs. now?
Brynn: Hmmm. I think it was something on Wattpad, a little snowy background with the title on the front, and oof, it was so bad. I have to admire the effort, but every time I think about how proud of it I was, I end up laughing.
Let’s shift gears and talk about Current: An Anthology for Jackson, MS. Katrina Jackson shared some insights how the anthology came about. This is what she told me…
WR: When did you decide that you wanted to coordinate the anthology?
Katrina Jackson: When I first saw the notice that Jackson was under a boil order on Twitter I immediately thought about Flint. A few years ago, I had a grad student from Michigan who wanted to do something to help Flint and asked for [my] help. She and I spent a few weeks collecting money and bottled water from our campus community and drove it up to a small clinic that provided health care, water, canned food, and some educational programming for children. It was rewarding work that made me angry. I was honestly similarly angry at how quickly Jackson seemed to disappear from my timeline. Except for a few accounts, most people seemed to register the shock of another U.S. town unable to drink their water, and then seemingly moved on.
I did not want to move on.
A couple of days after the boil order was announced I sent Tasha a text message or voice note. The project snowballed from [that] text conversation. I hopped into just over a dozen authors' DMs and almost everyone said yes to my surprise! But by and large everyone who said yes echoed my frustration at watching Jackson disappear from their timelines. I decided to move ahead with the anthology, because if we have learned anything from Flint, and the information we have out of Jackson, is that the boil order was part of a larger, longer project of neglect.
WR: How did you pick the two organizations?
Katrina Jackson: The process has been collaborative all the way. I asked everyone involved to recommend donation sites. I think the ones we eventually chose were suggested by A.H. Cunningham. Just after we finalized some dates for the anthology, Jackson lifted the boil order. [So] even though this anthology began to raise funds for clean water for Jackson residents, the reality is that there is significant need outside of reliable clean water and exacerbated by the lack of it.
And I am happy that we decided that 100% the proceeds from the anthology will be donated to these two organizations. Raising funds for the MS Reproductive Freedom Fund and Cooperative Jackson will hopefully centralize aid to community members, especially those who might still be wary of tap water, or dealing with the realities of poverty.
If you’re interested in learning more about these two organizations, keep on reading.
Brynn: Working with Tasha and Katrina, we wanted something that played with the imagery of water that also made people pause and stare at the cover a little. It took a bit of finagling to get the water to not look too odd, but I think it turned out pretty good! Blue felt like the natural color to go with too!
WR: Do you think the Current cover will evoke any specific emotions; i.e. call to action or a sense of urgency?
Brynn: My hope is that the Current cover feels refreshing and is a strong reminder that all people deserve access to water!
WR: I hope readers connect with the anthology and support for Jackson, Mississippi buy purchasing the anthology. Because I'm a nosy nelly I have a one more question for you...
WR: What’s your favorite cover that you’ve created thus far?
Brynn: Hmmm… One of the covers I haven’t been able to share yet, but it’s beautiful, dark, and has lots of feathers all over it. Of all the covers I’ve been able to share, though, I’d say Desires Darkly is one of my favorites so far!
WR: Oh, I can't wait to see this secret cover!!! But Desires Darkly is pretty intense
WR: How can people find you if they want to commission a cover?
Brynn: I’m currently on Instagram at @createwithbloom or bloombrynn@gmail if anyone is interested in commissioning a cover!
I would like to thank Brynn for sharing their insight working on the book cover for this anthology. If you are interested in ordering a copy of Current, it will be released on Wednesday, November 30, 2022. In the meantime signup for the newsletter for continuous updates about the project.
Dria Andersen | J. Chary | A.H. Cunningham | Nicole Falls | Elysabeth Grace | Sheree L. Greer |Tasha L. Harrison | Katrina Jackson | Meka James | Karmen Lee | Tia Love | D. Rose | Jayce Ellis
Please support this cause!
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