Unclose the Door

The poems by Laura Madeline Wiseman are based on the life of the Nineteeth Century activist and lecturer, Matilda Fletcher. Fletcher was born in Winnebago County, Illinois in 1852. She traveled and lectured on women's suffrage alongside Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Francis Willard. She died in Rockford, IL in 1909. The author and poet Laura Madeline Wiseman is one of her descendants. Production Notes: The book was printed by hand in an edition of 100 copies on Somerset Wove paper, using a Vandercook Universal press by students in the Fall, 2012 book arts class in the Department of Art and Design at Bradley University. Copyright 2012 Gold Quoin Press, Peoria Illinois. The floral illustrations are original drawings based on historical and contemporary sources. The flowers were selected to correspond to the text of each poem based on common symbolism and folk traditions.