Design the cover of a fascinating memoir from a famous poet

Learning Life: Beginnings

Sylvia Baer

Dr. Sylvia Baer is the Poet Laureate of Cape May, New Jersey; Professor of Communication and Creative & Performing Arts at Rowan College; and an expert on the poetry of 19th century American poet Emily Dickinson.

Learning Life: Beginnings is a collection of essays, photographs, and poems, from the Poet Laureate of Cape May, New Jersey and esteemed English Professor Dr. Sylvia Baer. Most of the essays were originally published during the pandemic, and tell the stories of five generations of her amazing family, including grandparents who escaped the Holocaust to Uruguay and another grandfather who worked on the Manhattan Project; her family, school, and friends in Uruguay, Brazil, and New York; her experiences as an immigrant in 1950s America; and stories of many of the people who helped, guided, influenced, and encountered her during her childhood. These essays are accompanied by vivid family photographs dating back nearly a century as well as thematically-connected poetry from Emily Dickinson.

A wide variety of readers. We do not want the cover to be attractive to any specific demographic.

Tapa dura

Please see attached design brief for SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS about the themes and possible images we'd like you to explore on the cover. We are very interested in seeing submissions designed around these lines from Emily Dickenson: How many Flowers fail in Wood- Or perish from the Hill- Without the privilege to know That they are Beautiful- How many cast a nameless Pod Upon the nearest Breeze- Unconscious of the Scarlet Freight- It bear to other eyes- Here’s what it means, and here’s what we are interested in seeing. The poet is saying that we often don’t know how our words and actions influence the people around us, but they do—what we say and what we do has profound influence, and is carried on by our family and friends, and shared with others, and can even outlast our own life. For the cover, we would love to see you explore the image of the “scarlet freight”—that is, red pods, or seeds, floating and spreading from a tree (or trees). This is the poem and image that begins the book. We are excited to see submissions that take up and play with this idea of red pods/seeds/leaves/etc. flowing from a tree or forest. Other possible themes: • The idea that the essays and photographs describe a journey—the author has lived a long and interesting life, and had many interesting and wonderful people in her life as influences • The idea of interconnectedness—the author’s family (and, later, her students) are like the many branches of a tree, or the interconnected plants in a garden

We do NOT want to see photos (unless the photo is EXACTLY on point, showing floating red seedlings or something similar). We do NOT want to see human figures.

Toda categoría de diseño tiene precios flexibles para todos los presupuestos. Portada comienza en $299.