Warren Lehrer Visualizes Grief in LETTER BOX: The Geometry of Loss

Warren Lehrer, a trailblazer in graphic design history and the innovator behind "visualized books," has crafted LETTER BOX: The Geometry of Loss, authored by ex-New York Times journalist Rick Black. Released by the Center for Book Arts and EarSay, this poignant memoir employs poetic prose to explore a young man's journey through his mother's battle with cancer. Lehrer's typographic artistry enhances the emotional and metaphorical layers of Black's narrative, creating a cinematic reading experience. The subtitle originates from a line in Black's manuscript: "The geometry of loss is a circle that's never complete." Having witnessed Lehrer's 2020 presentation on Five Oceans in a Teaspoon, Black tailored the text with Lehrer in mind. Lehrer, who stepped down from his long-term teaching role at SUNY Purchase four years ago, continues to instruct "Writing and Designing the Visual Book" in the SVA Designer as Entrepreneur MFA program. In the last four years, he has published five books, a notable increase from his previous pace of one every five to eight years. The narrative in LETTER BOX utilizes a single typeface, with a brief appearance of another to represent the mother's voice. A book launch is scheduled for Friday, October 9 at 7 PM at the Center for Book Arts in New York. Lehrer is also working on a history and survey of Visual Literature, spanning from cave paintings to interactive electronic poetry, set for release in fall 2028.