Festschrift LXXXV — Marking Alan Loney’s 85thFestschrift for Alan Loney

In May 2025, a small group quietly marked a milestone: the 85th birthday of poet, printer, editor, and perennial provocateur of the printed word, Alan Loney. It was an occasion that called for something more than a card or a congratulatory email. Alan has never been a figure who fits tidily into a single category, so a conventional tribute would have felt insufficient. Instead, a group of friends, colleagues, and fellow printers gathered their thoughts, memories, and acknowledgements into a small Festschrift — a form traditionally used in academia, but entirely fitting for someone whose life has been spent at the intersection of scholarship, craft, and creative inquiry.

A Tradition Renewed

Ten years earlier, for Alan’s 75th, Brendan O’Brien coordinated a small foldered set of acknowledgements from five contributors. Around twenty copies were produced, enough for each writer, a few for Alan, and the remainder sold to cover costs.

Ten years later, I felt the impulse to honour Alan again, this time with a wider group and a broader scope.

An Exhibition Without Its Guest of Honour

Alan had planned to travel to Christchurch for the opening of a small exhibition marking 50 years of Hawk Press, curated by Peter Vangioni for the new library and archives display area at the Christchurch City Art Gallery. Medical advice meant he couldn’t attend, but the exhibition went ahead, beautifully installed. In his absence, the Festschrift became a way for the community to gather around him in print.

The Contributors

The eleven contributors reflect the breadth of Alan’s relationships and influence:

Pressing On

Festschrift LXXXV is modest in scale but rich in intention. It stands as a collective thank‑you to someone who has spent a lifetime in conversation with the book — its form, its meaning, its possibilities. For those of us who contributed, it was a privilege to acknowledge that ongoing influence in the medium Alan has always championed: print itself.

A Bespoke Portfolio for a Red‑Letter Occasion

To house the eleven contributions, I designed and made a two‑flap portfolio with a red cover — a nod to the “red‑letter” significance of Alan’s 85th. The cover carries a blind‑embossed LXXXV, understated but celebratory.

Only 24 were produced, and five copies remain available.

Making the Portfolios

With the eleven contributions received, the next stage was to create a portfolio that would house them with the care and dignity the project deserved.

1. Collating the Contributions

Once all the pieces arrived, I laid them out across the dining table and collated them into 24 complete sets. This is always a grounding moment — the shift from individual sheets to a coherent body of work.

2. Cutting and Shaping the Boards

Each portfolio is built from several precisely cut pieces of board. Some require additional shaping to accommodate the magnetic closure:

• the larger left flap, which carries the title,
• and the smaller right flap, which is notched so the closure tab sits flush.

Accuracy at this stage determines how cleanly everything will align later.

3. Preparing the Embossed LXXXV

The Roman numerals were cut separately, glued to the front board, and left to dry. Once the red cover paper was applied, I used a bone folder to work the paper down around the raised numerals, creating a crisp, understated blind emboss. It’s a small detail, but it gives the portfolio its quiet sense of occasion.

4. Covering the Boards in Red

The boards were then covered in the chosen red paper — a deliberate nod to this “red‑letter” birthday.

The paper is turned in neatly before the inner coverings are applied. At this point, the two neodymium magnets must be positioned with absolute precision and buried within the board layers. If they’re even slightly misaligned, the closure won’t meet cleanly.

5. Infill, Lining, and Foil Stamping

Once the outer structure was complete, I infilled the boards and lined the interior. 

Before final assembly, I hot‑foiled my IMPRIMO logo and name — a small but important signature of origin.

The last internal element is the black two‑flap enclosure, which holds the contributions. This is glued in once all the lining is dry and flat.

6. Drying Time — The Invisible Stage

There is a surprising amount of waiting in a project like this. Adhesive must dry thoroughly between stages, and because both sides of the boards receive adhesive, everything settles flat and true once cured. It’s slow, but essential for a crisp, professional finish.

7. Boxing and Wrapping for Posting

With the portfolios complete, the final task was to ensure they would travel safely. I made custom white foam‑board boxes for each one — fitted, cushioned, and designed to prevent corner damage in transit.

Each boxed portfolio was then wrapped in heavy brown paper, addressed, and sent off to its new home.