All About Olive: An Interview

Hello! Welcome to Olive About Books, a blog by Olive L. Sullivan, proprietor of Sullivan Book Arts LLC.

I’m Amy, Olive’s sidekick in writing, antiquing, and other shenanigans as assigned. I’m helming this maiden voyage of posts, because who better to introduce you to Olive than the president of her fan club?

Although I’ve known Olive for nearly 20 years, when I sat down to write this, I realized I didn’t know the answers to some of the things I think readers should know. I know her shoe size (7.5) and her stance on the Oxford Comma (pro), but I still have plenty of things to learn about Olive. So we collaborated on the interview that follows.

Q: When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

A: Stories are what connect people. I come from a long line of storytelling women; stories are part of the fabric of my family. I always knew I wanted to be a writer. I was a passionate reader early on, and that’s part of the training for being a writer. When I was in high school, one of my English teachers told me I was talented enough to become a professional writer, and that solidified it.

Q: What is your educational background?

A: I have a bachelor's degree in English with an emphasis in professional writing and a minor in journalism from Pittsburg State University, a master’s degree in English literature and professional writing from the University of Colorado at Denver, and a master of fine arts degree in poetry and fiction from Stonecoast. Along the way, I took every art class I could fit in. I think education is important, not necessarily to teach a person how to write or do accounting or whatever, but to open one’s mind to different ideas and perspectives, to give them something to write about. I’m a passionate believer in a true liberal arts education that prepares a person to be a better citizen.

Q: What drew you to bookbinding?

A: I’ve always liked to make things, and I love everything about books, from the paper to the binding to the words inside. As a child, I would tell stories and my mother would illustrate them. Once I was able to illustrate by myself, I began creating little books on my own. Although I was trained to make traditional books, I really enjoy making journals with covers that are almost collage; I do a sort of deconstructed image that hints at a bigger picture. They’re almost  sculptural artifacts, using my background in drawing and other art media. But it’s important to me that the book inside be a functional book to write in.

Q: What kinds of training did you have to learn the craft of bookbinding?

A: I knew the basics of how to make a book, but I didn’t know how to make a book that looks store-bought.When I started teaching journalism in 2011 at  Missouri Southern State University, I received a phone call from bookbinder Sharen May, who said she had the previous year’s bound volumes of the student newspaper, The Chart, ready for pick up. When I walked into her bindery, I swear choirs of angels sang. I thought, “Forget teaching, THIS is it.” Later, I got in touch with her and asked if I could be her apprentice. I worked with her off and on for seven years. During that time, I was diagnosed with leukemia and kidney failure, and spent extended time receiving inpatient and outpatient treatment. There were days when I was so sick my mother would drive me to the bindery and wait while I did what work I could manage. Being there gave me hope for the future when there was good reason to believe I wouldn’t have a future. 

Fortunately, I recovered, and, while I didn’t end up buying Sharen’s business as I had hoped, I started a new business with my own flair and focus. The process has been really organic and intuitive. I didn’t draft a business plan, I just saw opportunities and took them. For example, I found that the San Francisco Center for the Book had a week-long intensive workshop scheduled for the week after I had to be there for an unrelated event. There I learned other - and in some cases - much easier ways to do things. Sharen had learned bookbinding from her father, Ralph Drennan, who was self-taught, so I appreciated learning those more efficient techniques. Another example is the new storefront that houses SBA and my partner Wyrd Hoard Letterpress and Photography. We worked out of our homes, but when a building I had been coveting for years was suddenly available, I jumped on it. 

Q: What is your vision for Sullivan Book Arts?

A: SBA is an umbrella label  for everything Olive.That includes not just writing and bookbinding, but anything that a jack-of-all-trades would do if the trades involve words. I enjoy giving workshops and presentations, and I will read poetry on street corners in the rain, or anywhere else.  I’ve worked with all kinds of people - non-traditional learners, former gang bangers, Girl Scouts, medical transcriptionists, and conference participants, among others - helping them tap into the pleasure I get from telling stories and playing with words. As for the store and gallery, my goal is to create community around art and books. I host a monthly book club and schedule artist receptions that I hope come to be “happenings,” like the ones I enjoyed as a child in the 60s.

Q: What is your motto?

A: Have pen, will travel!

To hear more about Olive, Sullivan Book Arts, bookbinding, and other book- and arts-related topics, please tune in for the next installment of Olive About Books.

Cheers!

Amy Nixon

You can read more of my work on my Substack, Write Side Up, at https://amynixon.substack.com/.

You can find Sullivan Book Arts [insert links]