A work-in-progress, this book is an experiment in non-linear narrative form that weaves together three accounts:
One is the story of an introverted, lifelong company man (circa 1960) who becomes an obsessive collector and connoisseur of office supplies and ephemera in an attempt to rationalize his slavish devotion to his job.

Another is the tale of a contemporary artist, who also compulsively collects vintage office supplies but for more nostalgic reasons. Staplers, paperclips, scissors, and tape dispensers are among the visual subject matter of her work.

The third thread is a first-person account told from the point of view of a fountain pen that has witnessed several decades in the hands of different owners.

It’s my intention to create a piece that reflects poetically on early 20th century work life and the technological changes since that have rendered many of that era’s objects, practices, and roles obsolete. Via this project I continue my on-going consideration of the many ways in which we use material culture to form identities, understand history, and connect with one another.