Have you ever been curious about who makes the handbound books BatCat Press produces? As we go through the second half of our 2015 – 2016 year at BatCat Press, we’ll introduce you to all twelve of the staff members that work year-round on creating our beautiful journals and publications! We hope you enjoy!
Our second junior and sixth featured staff member is Haley, who is in her second year with BatCat Press.
NAME: Haley
AGE: 16
FAVORITE BOOK: The Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling
FAVORITE AUTHOR: Ray Bradbury
FAVORITE GENRE TO READ: Realistic fiction
FAVORITE GENRE TO WRITE: Screenwriting
OTHER INTERESTS: Film production, surviving living with four siblings
“I’m proud to be a part of BatCat Press because it’s unique. It’s something we wouldn’t get to do at most schools,” Haley said. “It’s very hands-on and fun, and we also get to learn the history of book making, as well as how sales and businesses work.”
On Press, Haley works on a team with Layla to promote, fundraise, and plan events for for BatCat. You may have read that we have a bookbinding class upcoming; this duo is behind it! “A lot of people, like family members and people at markets, [told us over the years] that they wanted to learn how to bookbind, so we wanted to give them an opportunity to make a book of their own. We came up with a way that would not only be fun, but would also benefit by helping to fundraise for our future publications.”
“We thought people would be interested in this because it’s something you can’t really find anywhere else, or very few other places do it, and it helps out BatCat,” Haley continued, before explaining the process she and Layla went through to make the workshop happen. “[We had to] figure out the logistics, which was a good learning experience. After that, we had to get it approved, figure out who we were going to have cater [we got Mezza Luna],and then decide on the schedule. Fortunately, almost our entire staff has volunteered to be there and teach the class, so it’ll be entirely student-run.”
Haley and Layla have plans for after the class, as well. “Later in the year, we’re thinking about trying to get on the radio; we want to advertise for the Press so that people will be more aware of what we do and who we are. We’re waiting for our new publications to come out before we do that, and then hopefully we’ll have the opportunity!”
Lastly, they’ve worked a lot on our Square Store, where you can find all of our handmade, one-of-a-kind books and journals. Check it out!
Look for more staff members soon!
Olivia, BatCat Staff Member
BatCat Press 