06 October 2005

Is It Wrong?

We finally bottled the blackberry brandy we made from this summer's picking. With the stink of fermented fruit permeating throughout the house, I designed this year's label. More than a couple people have commented on my choice of graphics, but I couldn't help using it:



I originally set out to put a headshot of all four of us, one one each corner, but stumbled across this photo I shot some time ago with the hopes of using it for a postcard. I used humor to justify the use of children on a label for booze. Both the boys helped pick the berries, although I picked the majority. Baylin, my youngest, also helped with bottling and corking. Was I wrong for putting my kids on a bottle of alcohol? Does anyone know of any liquors with a depiction of a child on its label?

6 comments:

Adam said...

Far be it from me to suggest children and alcohol don't mix in iconography.

Is this brandy available for sale? Where at? I'd love to show my support for child labor and booze all at the same time.

Kyle Stich said...

(Un)fortunately, we don't offer it for sale, but I can deliver one to your stoop if you give me an apartment number.

Theresa said...

This kind of irreverent humor is especially funny because you know better.

I Love it, and the kids are adorable!

Anonymous said...

why stop at brandy. have them keep up on your e mailing maybe part time jobs lol.
I have enjoyed the writting. expecially while you were sick and finding inspiration to get through. the gen II aphgans are great hu amanda

Kyle Stich said...

Welcome, welcome, Amanda. Glad to see one of my clan reading my blog.

Kyle Stich said...

Welcome to my blog, Ashley. To answer some of questions, I scored one of the only jobs in publishing in this valley, working for Caveat Press/White Cloud Press/RiverWood Books...yes, I am very happy about my situation. I didn't even have to leave Ashland to find work doing what I love.

I've also continued to write in all modes -- poetry, short fiction, essay, article, press releases, and the list goes on. I'm about to present a collaborative project I've been working on. My friend Robert Casserly passed on an opportunity from Kasey Mohammad to do something with the Jefferson Nature Center. Basically, I got paid $100 to hang out in a boat house, canoe, and wrote one Saturday. The point of the project was to bring the artistic community together with the scientific community. My group visited the Klamath Bird Observatory and watch them mist netting and banding song birds for a national conservation database.

Also, I edited my first fiction novel. It was terrific getting to read another author's work and make suggestions on plot, characterization, and overall improvements I thought needed to happen to make the story that much better. And of course, I was overly harsh on it.

As for readings, I recently attended the Burger/Spahr reading. I missed the last to poets due to a scheduling conflict. But, I hear SPEWS and West Wind Review are starting weekly open mics at the Siskiyou Brew Pub on Wednesdays from 7 to 9.