FAQ
...would you like your receipt?
accounting books, called daifuku cho, were popular in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868). oftentimes, they were used as travel journals; although our receipts are scrolls (bearing resemblance to maki-mono), we continue to misuse the ledgers of capital.
...who runs this junction?
for now, betweenthehighway press is maintained by alex benedict (puddlethumb). alex is a Jōdo Shū Buddhist from Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley, currently tutoring at The University of North Carolina’s Writing Center.
...why betweenthehighway?
stocking & clerking at Han-Dee Hugo’s in Carrboro, NC, I walked along, across, and between highway 54, talking with the evicted, exploited, and ignored. reciting sutra from the median, the highway laughs as if to say “see if you can say something!”.
...why receipts?
returning home on the highway from my clerk shifts, I started writing with misprinted receipts.
otherwise...
- receipts are a simple surface
- receipts are cheap
- receipts designate lawful purchases, which the exploited cannot always afford
- receipts are portable, foldable, and continuous
- receipt word processors are free
- receipts are the detritus of capital
- receipts are prayers to the American God - receipts can be mutagenic
- receipts express themselves virtually (the coating turning black where heat concentrates in the thermal print head)
...submissions?
always —
although, currently, we only publish 3-5 receipt-books on June 17th.
we primarily publish long poems — all on receipt.
generally, we are interested in animal-writing, working class perspectives, collaborative projects, concrete poetry, creative responses, translation, unfinished work, writing that engages the receipt, and continuing a scattered tradition of north american Buddhist poetry and beyond (e.g., d.a.levy, leslie scalapino & Jackson Mac Low).
our authors receive half of profits exceeding production costs and up to twelve encased copies as well as twenty non-cased copies.
for now, receipts run 50-100 copies.
if you’d like, share your art with our receipt machine software: P-touch.
receipt dimensions:
L x 2.25 in.
...distribution?
if you are a library, archive, or educator and would like our receipts, please write to betweenthehighway@gmail.com and we can provide receipts at half the cost.
if you are a bookstore, please write to betweenthehighway@gmail.com for sample receipts and consignment details.
betweenthehighway receipts are held by...
- UNC-Chapel Hill’s Sloane Art Library
- University College London Library
- University of Arizona Poetry Center
- Colorado College Library
- Sticky Institute
- Zine Volcano
- concern newsstand
- 8-Ball Archive
- and more!
betweenthehighway sporadically distributes at markets, fairs, community libraries/pantries, and by hand.
...what’s your tech.?
- brother TD-2120N label printer
- 2.25 in. thermal receipt paper
- eaton MFG CASH CONTROL ENVELOPES
...copy-right/rot?
unless otherwise indicated and barring author choice, all published material is under Creative Comrades Liscense Agreement 0.4.
copyright specific to author choice is indicated on receipts.
copyright specific to levy is ‘copyrot’, but complicated by university archives. all levy asked for was to be read...
...money?
after production costs, half of proceeds are shared with authors and the other half for food insecurity.
primarily, proceeds go towards buying food, maintaining food drives, and redistributing food with FNB and local food insecurity organizations such as TABLE. for general finances, look here.
...receipt pricing?
although receipts from contemporary writers are available for $9 each, they are priced cheaper in bulk by publishing cycle:
- S1 - 2021 receipts
- S2 - 2022 receipts
- ...
list of comparably priced products
if you are unable to pay, we love exchanges! if you are able to exchange books/art, write to betweenthehighway@gmail.com
if you are unable to pay shipping, no worries! during checkout, there is an option to purchase without paying for shipping. however, if you are able, shipping is only $2 for 1-3 receipts and $4 for 4+ receipts.
if you are unable to pay or exchange any books/art, we have free receipts!
...would you like a piece of gum?
please...
- share
- tear
- shed
- bleed
- soak
- scratch
- burn
- fold
- mold
- cry over
- write over
- bite
- stuff
- and scuff
your receipts before bookmarking.
what questions do you have?
write to betweenthehighway@gmail.com