Saw an ad today for the slew of new books that Brenda Hillman has chosen for publication by New Issues. I like her taste; I'd probably like these books. I'll even order some for the Bookery. But why, oh why, is their design so ugly? The Green Rose books (for poets on their second book or later) look okay, but the New Issues series lacks even the homely appeal of Black Sparrow's crude designs and rough cover paper. It's mystifying. They ought to hire Jeff Clark away from FSG. If they must use the same template for the whole series, maybe he could come up with one for them on a pro bono basis.