Tammy Wenzel and Jennifer Parisi of Yileen Press are publishing a book of Sherpa poetry entitled On a Donkey’s Back. They found our website, introduced themselves, and asked if we could connect on projects. We were excited by their initiative and have agreed to print a bookband to wrap around the approximate 90-page book and a broadside that will be included to create a few deluxe copies of the book.

As a thank you they gave us one of the original paintings used to illustrate poems in the book.

Here is the story on the artist for this piece.

Binod Guru is a man who is very lucky to be alive. Born into a lower cast in the Dhading District of Central Nepal, hearing impaired and poor, his life was a destined for hard labor. As with many in his position Mr. Guru soon began hauling heavy loads up the mountains of Nepal as a porter.

On one trip, after becoming ill, Binod was relieved of his load only to be left by the side of the trail to die. After hours of extreme exposure he was found by a passing trekking group who assisted him to the safety of a nearby village. Too late to save the majority of his hands and feet, which required amputation due to frostbite, Binod was stranded many days walk from him family and village. It took nearly two years before his strength was restored and he was able to make the long journey home – to a family that had little to no word about his condition for the previous years.

Today, Binod works in the coffee shop located within the volunteer center run by the Mountain Fund in Katmandu. Unstable and hindered by a horrible limp, Binod no longer is able to carry the heavy loads but instead paints dramatic scenes that depicts the mountains areas he once serviced as a porter. Beautiful watercolors depict village scenes, mountain passes along with various views of the mountains that were once the workplace for this inspiring man.

One of those projects you are happy to be connected with.

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