Telling the story: Writing a feature for pressing matters

Anna Bryant and Denise Markbreit on the cover of Pressing Matters Magazine, Issue 31, July 2025.

When I first got the email inviting me to write for Pressing Matters, I had to read it twice. I’ve been a longtime fan of the magazine. I’ve bookmarked and studied the pages for information and inspiration. I’ve collected and treasured each issue. I admire the way it tells the story of printmaking with such depth and care. It’s one of those publications that has always felt like a touchstone in the print world.

So to be asked not only to contribute, but to write the cover feature, was a real pinch-me moment.

Cover spread for Print House’s feature in Pressing Matters, Issue 31, July 2025.

The piece they invited me to write was about our studio’s recovery after Hurricane Helene, but it became about much more than that. It’s the story of the River Arts District in Asheville, the wider artist and craft communities of Western North Carolina, and what it looks like to navigate unimaginable loss while still moving forward. In telling it, I couldn’t ignore the larger reality this storm underscored: climate change is no longer a distant threat. It’s reaching into places once considered safe, rewriting the rules, and forcing us to think about what that means for our future. What happened here wasn’t just Asheville’s disaster — mountain towns across the region were flooded, lives were lost, homes destroyed, and communities displaced.

Anna Bryant with her mono screen print collection featured in Pressing Matters Magazine, Issue 31, July 2025.

I didn’t expect writing the article to be healing, but reflecting on those months after the storm and weaving our story together with those of fellow artists and makers became a surprising gift. It reminded me how much beauty grew to replace what was lost.

Holding the finished article in my hands felt like the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another. I’m grateful to Pressing Matters for trusting me with the space to share our experience, and for giving me the chance to honor the creativity and strength that’s still thriving here in the mountains.

This community’s story matters. And having the opportunity to tell it in a publication I’ve admired for so long is something I’ll carry with me for a long time.

Anna Bryant and Denise Markbreit working in the studio at Print House, featured in Pressing Matters, Issue 31, July 2025.