While it can be said that all art is ephemeral (like the human beings who create it), a distinction is often drawn between large edition works, and small editions of twenty-five or ten or one, between so-called “significant” works and “ephemera.” In this issue, we focus on the latter: those unique, singular (or nearly so) items that often escape the gallery wall or the distributor’s warehouse. These artworks include the handmade card, bookmark, or pamphlet, the poem sent via postcard, the drawing shared amongst a small group of friends, the paper “object.” They travel the mail system to arrive in letter boxes. Occasionally they end up in library special collections. Just as often they’re discarded or lost. We feature “ephemera” as a reminder that art can be everywhere and because ephemera captures a political spirit, one that defies monetary systems, marketing offices, and the declaration of public approval/disapproval. Its joy leaps into the world without great expectations or massive constraints. We are honored to include notable works by Joe Brainard and Kenward Elmslie, along with an array of pieces from Phylum Press, edited by Nancy Kuhl and Richard Deming. We are especially grateful to Ron Padgett for all his kind and valuable assistance with the Brainard and Elmslie materials. We also wish to thank Nancy Kuhl and The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. In addition to the usual AL&C bookmark and postcard (our regular contribution to the world of ephemera), we include at the end of this issue, a tangible poem/object by poet Barbara Duffey for you to assemble. Enjoy!

—Catherine Kasper and David Ray Vance