McCurdy, Michael

Michael McCurdy earned his B.F.A. and M.F.A. degrees from the graphic arts department of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, though his interest in hand-printing stems back to a toy press that he received as a present at the age of twelve. McCurdy worked as a freelance illustrator and engraver for a number of years, but also retained an interest in printing his own books. His first production, Genesis, was published under the imprint of the Hillside Press, but this name had to be changed after McCurdy discovered another printer using the same name on the other side of Beacon Hill in Boston . The first Penmaen Press publication was Quaker Queries in 1969. The Penmaen name comes from a town in Wales ; McCurdy came upon the name in Gerard Manley Hopkins ' poem "Penmaen Pool."

The Penmaen Press became a full-time operation for McCurdy in 1975. Over the next ten years the press developed a diverse catalogue of publications, including original works of poetry by writers such as Leo Connellan and Richard Eberhart as well as short stories by William Saroyan and Lynne Sharon Schwartz . The Penmaen Press also produced broadsides of poems by Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Allen Ginsberg . Many Penmaen works feature engravings by Michael McCurdy, though other engravers (such as Lynd Ward ) have also been featured.

In 1984, Michael McCurdy and Robert Hauser formed a partnership to produce Face to Face: Twelve Contemporary American Artists Interpret Themselves in a Limited Edition of Original Wood Engravings . Engravers who submitted self-portraits for this project include McCurdy, Barry Moser, Fritz Eichenberg, John DePol, and others.

From the guide to the Penmaen Press Records., 1967-1999., (Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center .)

Michael McCurdy was born February 17, 1942, in New York, New York. He became an artist and illustrator for both children's and adult's books, and also self-illustrated a few books he himself wrote. His illustrations have received several honors and awards. He became interested in wood engraving while in art school and has become known for his work as an engraver. He also had his own small publishing company, Penmaen for a while, but no longer operates it, returning instead to full time work as an author and illustrator.

Biographical sources: Something About the Author, vols. 13, 82, 147

From the guide to the Michael McCurdy Papers, 1975-1976, (University of Minnesota Libraries Children's Literature Research Collections [clrc])