Why we make things and why it matters
REVIEWS
LIBRARY JOURNAL | OCTOBER 15, 2013 Read review here.
ALA BOOKLIST | NOVEMBER 1, 2013 Read review here.
CAMDEN HERALD | NOVEMBER 7, 2013 Read article here
AMERICAN CRAFT | DECEMBER 2013 Read review here.
WOODWORK | WINTER 2013-14 Read article here.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY | NOVEMBER 2013 Read review here.
MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM | DECEMBER 1, 2013 Review with video.
BOSTON GLOBE | DECEMBER 10, 2013 Feature article
CULTURAL WEEKLY | DECEMBER, 11 2013 Read review here.
NEW YORK TIMES | JANUARY 2, 2014 Read interview here.
MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE | JANUARY 5, 2014 Read review here.
CRAFTS | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 Read review here.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY | FEBRUARY 5, 2014 Read "Godine Has Surprise Hit" here.
BRITISH WOODWORKER | FEBRUARY, 2014 Read review here.
WOOD NEWS ONLINE | MARCH, 2014 Read review here.
ART LIBRARIES SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA | MARCH, 2014 Read review here.
URBANGLASS ART QUARTERLY | SPRING 2014
AMERICAN WOODTURNER | JUNE 2014 Read review here.
PENOBSCOT BAY PILOT | JUNE 20, 2014 Read article here.
PENNSYLVANIA GAZETTE | OCTOBER 31, 2014 Adapted chapter published.
METRO | JANUARY 8, 2015 Read review here.
THE TIMES (LONDON) | JANUARY 24, 2015 Read review here.
DAILY MAIL | JANUARY 29, 2015 Read review here.
DAILY TELEGRAPH | FEBRUARY 23, 2015 Read review here.
LIVING WOODS | MAY/JUNE 2015 Review
THE WEEK | MAY 24, 2015 (Nick Offerman's 6 Favorite Books) Read review here.
TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT | MAY 27, 2015 Review
THE GUARDIAN | OCTOBER 12, 2015 Read article here.
RHINO TIMES | DECEMBER 22, 2015 Review by Orson Scott Card
THE NEW YORK TIMES | NOVEMBER 7, 2017 Recommendation by Nicole Lamy
PSYCHOLOGIES | DECEMBER 2017 Review by Vanessa King
ARCHITECTURE BOSTON | WINTER 2018 Review by Sam Batchelor AIA
DESCRIPTION FROM PUBLISHER DAVID R. GODINE
The good life that society prescribes—the untrammeled pursuit of wealth and fame, leisure and consumption—often leaves some essential part of us malnourished. We may be capable, competent individuals, yet find ourselves starved for avenues of engagement that provide more satisfying sustenance.
Furniture making, practiced as a craft in the 21st century, is a decidedly marginal occupation. Yet the view from the periphery can be illuminating. For woodworker Peter Korn, the challenging work of bringing something new and meaningful into the world of one’s own volition—whether in the arts, the kitchen, or the marketplace—is exactly what generates the authenticity, meaning, and fulfillment for which so many of us yearn so deeply.
In this moving account, Korn explores the nature and rewards of creative practice. We follow his search for meaning as an Ivy-educated child of the middle class who finds employment as a novice carpenter on Nantucket, transitions to self-employment as a designer/maker of fine furniture, takes a turn at teaching and administration at Colorado's Anderson Ranch Arts Center, and finally founds a school in Maine: the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, an internationally respected, non-profit institution.
This is not a "how-to" book in any sense. Korn wants to get at the why of craft, in particular, and the satisfactions of creative work, in general, to understand their essential nature. How does the making of objects shape our identities? How do the products of creative work inform society? In short, what does the process of making things reveal to us about ourselves? Korn draws on four decades of hands-on experience to answer these questions eloquently, and often poignantly, in this personal, introspective, and revealing inquiry.
Interviews
AMERICAN CRAFT | DECEMBER 2013 Read interview here.
THE NEW YORK TIMES | JANUARY 2, 2014 Read interview here.
MAINE CALLING | JANUARY 16, 2014 Maine public radio program on creativity
RADIO BOSTON | JANUARY 16, 2014 WBUR.
BOSTON ATHENAEUM | FEBRUARY 5, 2014 Watch lecture here.
BARBARA DOOLEY SHOW | MARCH 5, 2014 WGAU, Athens, GA
15 WITH THE AUTHOR | MARCH 14, 2014 KYMN, Northfield, MN
ALVIN JONES SHOW | MARCH 17, 2014 WJFK, Washington, DC
THE FAITH MIDDLETON SHOW | MARCH 17, 2014 Hear interview on WNPR, Albany, NY
THE ROUND TABLE | MARCH 18, 2014 Hear interview on WAMC, Albany, NY
SPECIFIC GRAVITY | MARCH 25, 2014 Hear interview on KVON, Napa, CA
WCSH-TV "207" | MARCH 27, 2014 Watch television news segment here.
STUDIO TULSA | MARCH 27, 2014 Hear interview on KWGS, Tulsa, OK
MORNING SHOW | MARCH 28, 2014 KBEM, Minneapolis, MN
STRATEGIES FOR LIVING | APRIL 10, 2014 KEEL, Shreveport, LA
MORNING EDITION | APRIL 10, 2014 WOJB, Hayward, WI
THE IDEA EXCHANGE | APRIL 10, 2014 WBEV. Madison, WI
VOICE OF AMERICA, INTERNATIONAL | APRIL 11, 2014
THE JEFFERSON EXCHANGE | APRIL 14, 2014 Hear interview on Jefferson Public Radio, Oregon
WORD OF MOUTH | APRIL 21, 2014 Hear interview on New Hampshire Public Radio
IT'S YOUR HEALTH | APRIL 30, 2014 Interview with radio host Lisa Davis, syndicated
TOPICAL CURRENTS | MAY 1, 2014 Hear interview on WLRN, Miami, FL
WRITERS' VOICES | MAY 2, 2014 Hear interview on KRUU, Fairfield, IA
CENTRAL TIME | MAY 13, 2014 Hear interview on Wisconsin Public Radio
THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW | MAY 21, 2014
BOOMER BABES RADIO | MAY 27, 2014
THE VOICE OF THE PERFORMING ARTS | JULY 5, 2014 Interview on WICR, Indianapolis, IN
TELEGRAPH | APRIL 29, 2015 Read interview here.
BBC "MIDWEEK"| MAY 27, 2015 Listen to Interview
THE ART OF MANLINESS| JUNE 6, 2015 Listen to podcast
events
CENTER FOR FURNITURE CRAFTSMANSHIP | NOVEMBER 9, 2013
MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN | JANUARY 13, 2014 New York, New York
MAINE COLLEGE OF ART/LONGFELLOW BOOKS | JANUARY 30, 2014 Portland, Maine
BOSTON ATHENEUM | FEBRUARY 5, 2014 Boston, MA Listen here.
LEFT BANK BOOKS | MARCH 2, 2014 Belfast, ME
FALMOUTH MEMORIAL LIBRARY | MARCH 6, 2014 Falmouth, Maine
CAMDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY | MARCH 11, 2014 Camden, Maine
CRAFT IN AMERICA | MARCH 16, 2014 Los Angeles, CA
MALOOF FOUNDATION | MARCH 17, 2014 Alta Loma, CA
MUSEUM OF CRAFT AND DESIGN | MARCH 20, 2014 San Francisco, CA
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORAR CRAFT | MARCH 22, 2014 Portland, OR
BELLEVUE ARTS MUSEUM | MARCH 23, 2014 Bellevue, WA
SEMINARY CO-OP BOOKSTORE | MARCH 25, 2014 Chicago, IL
SKIDOMPHA LIBRARY | APRIL 3, 2014 Damariscotta, ME
ELIOT SCHOOL | APRIL 13, 2014 Jamaica Plain, MA
LEAGUE OF NH CRAFTSMENT | APRIL 17, 2014 Concord, NH
PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART | MAY 4, 2014 Philadelphia, PA
WANTED DESIGN | MAY 18, 2014 New York, NY
FARNSWORTH ART MUSEUM | May 28, 2014 Rockland, ME
ARTISAN BOOKS AND BINDERY | JULY 17, 2014 Islesboro, ME
GALLERY AT SOMES SOUND | AUGUST 10, 2014 Somesville, ME
PORTLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY | AUGUST 20, 2014 Portland, ME
JESUP MEMORIAL LIBRARY | SEPTEMBER 6, 2014 Bar Harbor, ME
GUILD OF NEW HAMPSHIRE WOODWORKERS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2014 Bow, NH
PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM | NOVEMBER 15, 2014 Salem, MA
DESIGN MUSEUM BOSTON | DECEMBER 12, 2014 Boston, MA
FULLER CRAFT MUSEUM | JANUARY 11, 2015 Brockton, MA
BELLEVUE ARTS MUSEUM | JANUARY 31, 2015 Bellevue, WA
WALDOBORO PUBLIC LIBRARY | FEBRUARY 21, 2015 Waldoboro, ME
OXFORD LITERARY FESTIVAL | MARCH 21, 2015 Oxford, England
CRAFTS STUDY CENTRE | MARCH 25, 2015 Farnham, England
BUILDING CRAFTS COLLEGE | MARCH 26, 2015 London, England
HAY FESTIVAL OF LITERATURE AND THE ARTS | MAY 29, 2015 Hay-on-Wye, Wales Watch video here.
CRAFT CONTEMPORARY | APRIL 14, 2019 Los Angeles, CA
CALIFORNIA COLLEGE OF THE ARTS | APRIL 18, 2019 San Francisco, CA
SKIDMORE COLLEGE - RAAB LECTURE | OCTOBER 29, 2019 Saratoga Springs, NY