Poem about My Rights
Original letterpress print
8.5 x 49 inches
Limited edition, 125 copies
Printed on a 1906 Colt's Armory press from handset type. 2 inks / 6 passes on French paper, 3 sheets hinged with archival paper tape. Ships flat, z-folded. Type is Spartan and gothic wood type. 2018.
Created by Sabina Smith (pictured with Expedition sign) and Myrna Keliher (pictured with megaphone, image credit Holly Hughes) at Expedition Press. Conceived as a benefit print, we originally listed this for sale at $100 and donated $80 of each sale, split between Black Lives Matter and Planned Parenthood. We donated a total of $2,600 this way.
We've been thinking awhile about how to make the print more accessible, and wondering after the efficacy of benefit prints in general, and the strange privilege of us choosing the org, etc. Lots of ethics involved and no easy answers.
At any rate. In light of the US Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs Wade, as of June 24, 2022, we are lowering the price of this print to $60 and donating $40 of each sale to KeepOurClinics.org, a fundraising campaign by the Abortion Care Network that distributes critical funds to independent abortion providers across the US. We love Planned Parenthood, but we feel indie providers are in greater need. They have less resources and are depended on more heavily.
A final note about the numbers. We could have just said "100% of proceeds donated" because the $20 per print kept by Expedition only covers basic production and selling costs. There is no profit being made on this print. But we decided to spell it all out because, it's a personal annoyance about how benefit sales get touted and the details, of course, matter. As always we encourage you to do your own research and find out ways to get involved locally. Dollars do something, yes. But your time can do more.
Finally, if you are an organizer and want to put this print on display in a community space, please reach out and we'll get it to you for $20 plus the cost of shipping. Thank you for your work.
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"Poem about My Rights" by June Jordan, Directed by Desire, Copper Canyon Press. Copyright 2005 June M. Jordan Literary Estate.