artists books

The Society for Speculation presents The World Ahead by Rachel Simmons

Orlando writers and artists, you’re invited to a super fun night of reading artists’ books and predicting the future! 

The Society for Speculation presents: The World Ahead: a talk on a new collaborative project from artist Rachel Simmons and writer Chrissy Kolaya 


Saturday, June 29, 7-9 p.m. Kerouac House (1418 Clouser Ave, Orlando)

Free and open to the public

Chance of Pain, 2024, limited edition artist’s book by Chrissy Kolaya and Rachel Simmons

We’re all tempted, seduced by the question: what will happen next? Join us as we share a new creative project about predictions, fortune telling, and other ways of guessing the future! 

“The World Ahead” is a found text and collage series of artists’ books using text from the Economist magazine’s “The World Ahead” issue, described by its editors as a “guide to the coming year,” including “future gazing analysis, predictions and speculation.” This series of experimental artist’s books is an attempt to challenge the idea that we can ever meaningfully predict or make sense and order out of an uncertain future. 

What If? 2024, limited edition artist’s book by Chrissy Kolaya and Rachel Simmons

As part of this talk, we'll share samples from this three-book series in progress and discuss our inspiration, process, and collaboration. We'll also invite the audience to participate in an interactive prediction game!


This project has been awarded support from the University of Central Florida’s Women and Gender Studies Program’s Gloria Anzaldúa Research Excellence Award.

#kerouachouse #publicreading #bookasart #bookart #writer #bookartists #artistsbooks #handmadebooks #collaborativeart #prediction 

Chance of Pain, collaborative artist's book by Rachel Simmons

This new limited edition artists’ book, Chance of Pain, was made in collaboration with writer @chrissykolaya and is being shown @fieldprojects in NYC for the upcoming exhibition of artist’s books and zine titled “Traces” on view April 30-May 5, 2024. It’s been so much fun to work on this project, which emerged from a series of poems Chrissy adapted from articles from The Economist's "The Year Ahead" issue, but also from our shared interest in predictions and the future, as well as the nostalgic quality of photographs from 1970’s Nat Geo magazines. This lotus fold accordion invites the reader to make sense of random found imagery paired with the language of prediction.

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