is a micro-press of sorts; founded and run by native Brooklynites, it produces small notebooks, crafted by hand from paper, old cassette tapes from your favorite ’80s and ’90s bands, and the album art and liner notes they came packaged in. As part of the mission of TheThe’s Infoxicated Corner is to promote indie art of all kinds (and to emphasize the confluence among literature, creative writing, and other types of art and creativity), I asked Andrew Jung, one of the co-founders of this small arts business to tell us a little bit about the genesis of their press and the creation of their handbound notebooks.
This is my Cassetsy notebook, which I love. I told them to surprise me with whatever album they thought best, and they chose Salt N’ Pepa’s Blacks’ Magic, from 1990.
Watch Cassetsy co-creator Andrew Jung handcraft one of their Coptic-bound notebooks .
(Video credit: Jason Pierre)
Q&A
Fox Frazier-Foley: Excited to learn about the genesis of Cassetsy! Why don’t you start by telling us a little bit about yourself and your background? Who are you? What is Cassetsy Notebooks?
Andrew Jung: My name is Andrew, and I’m one of the co-founders of . We upcycle old cassette tapes and transform them into notebooks. Outside of making these notebooks, I’m an editor for an academic press. But my dream is wage a one-man war against street crime.
F3: I believe in all of those occupations. What gave you the idea to start making notebooks from cassette tapes?
AJ: My friend from Los Angeles was visiting me in New York City. She gave me an amazing sketchbook that she made herself. Since I was so interested, she provided me with instructional videos on (where else?) YouTube. That’s where I found the YouTuber SeaLemon, who has amazing videos on all types of arts & crafts. I started to make cassette tape notebooks for friends, and that’s how I got started.
F3: How did you all choose your name?
AJ: My partner and I combined cassette + Etsy. We thought it was clever. There was already a “CassEtsy” on Etsy, so we slapped on “Notebooks” at the end to distinguish ourselves. If we had a flooring company, it would be called Floor d’Oeurves. If we had a tattoo shop, it’d be Tattoouille. And our Chinese bakery would be Bao Zedong.
F3: That’s amazing. I feel a little sad that the rest of the interview can’t just be a list of what you’d title different specialty businesses. But, rather than succumb entirely to that sorrow, I feel compelled to say: I think these notebooks are a really cool example of sustainability and eco-friendliness being expressed in a creative way that sparks more creativity (for the writers who use them)! Can you talk a little bit about your views on sustainability, or what your thoughts are on how to help care for/protect our planet? Do you use recycled paper in the notebooks, or do you foresee Cassetsy doing that in the future?
AJ: Sustainability and eco-friendliness are certainly important to us. My first (and personal) notebook is actually made from recycled paper. CassEtsy Notebooks experiments with using different types of papers – such as 25% cotton, 28-lbs laser print, drawing paper, watercolor paper, etc. We currently use waxed Irish-linen threads, but have made a few notebooks with hemp thread. Our goal is to eventually transition completely to hemp or bamboo threads & paper for all our notebooks.
F3: Do you have any favorite notebook you’ve made, or one you’ve kept for yourself?
AJ: I don’t have a particular favorite notebook, but it is quite satisfying finding a cassette tape from my youth. We purchase all our cassette tapes from local NYC shops, such as thrift stores, record shops (big shout out to Rainbow Music in the East Village!), and garage sales. Most of the fun is digging through the crates.
F3: Yeah, that feeling of (re-)discovering, or the feeling of having-found-something is one of my favorite things in life. Probably like lots of people, I associate that feeling not just with record stores, but also with used book stores. What authors give you that feeling? Who are your favorites? Or favorite books?
AJ: Grant Morrison is one of my favorite writers. His primary medium is comic books, and he’s written a number of classics – Arkham Asylum, The Invisibles, All-Star Superman, Doom Patrol, and New X-Men.
The Book of Salt, by Monique Truong, is one of my favorite books. The writing is very creative and eloquent. Plus, Gertrude Stein is a character in the story!
And Dune, by Frank Herbert, is a classic. But watch the 1984 film at your own peril.
F3: Since the Infoxicated Corner is all about the confluence of different types of art and creativity, and since your notebooks are so heavily music-inspired, it seems appropriate to ask what you like to listen to. Who are your favorite bands/musicians?
AJ: Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Blackstar; Wu Tang Clan; Sinead O’Connor.
F3: Do you think that Cassetsy Notebooks will eventually branch out to offer other products? Or, if not, do you see yourself doing anything else in the publishing/micropress/indie-lit vein? Making books in any other capacity?
AJ: My next project will be starting an independent press focused on science fiction & speculative fiction by underrepresented writers, i.e. people of color, women, LGBTQI, non-Western, etc. We’re at an inchoate stage at the moment, but have significant plans for a late-2015 launch.
F3: That sounds incredibly exciting! We may have to invite you back to hear more about it once you’ve got it off the ground. In the meantime, is there anything else you want to talk about that I haven’t asked you yet?
AJ: I want to thank Poetry Blog for the great work they’re doing.
F3: Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing the Cassetsy Notebooks story with us, Andrew!
Andrew Jung: Brooklyn poet, wordsmith, editor, Cassesty co-founder, and aspiring street-crime vigilante/warrior
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