Suggested materials: papers (Kiala uses Bristol paper 5×17, drawing paper 9×12, mixed media paper 14×17, brown or toned Paper 9×12), awl or large needle for piercing holes, dental floss, binder clips, bone folder, glue stick, needle

Click here and head on over to the Sketchbook Revival Facebook Group. Share your sketchbooks!

Kiala Givehand

Kiala Givehand is a published poet, bookbinder, teacher, fountain pen collector, and radical nomad. She believes in surrounding herself with ordinary humans who live extraordinary lives, gathering with people who make her laugh & love uncontrollably, and living a life intent on cultivating happiness.
Kiala is a double Capricorn, ambivert who grew up on the Gulf Coast of Florida where she learned to appreciate and respect hurricanes, humidity, and the transformational powers of the sun, the moon, and the ocean. She holds six academic degrees in various subjects from various Universities, but the one she cherishes most is her M.F.A. from Mills College where she studied with (and later apprenticed for) world renown Book Artist, Julie Chen. Finding and falling in love with Book Art was a life changing experience for Kiala after having gone through a traumatic two-year health battle and realizing life is too short to put off doing the things we most desire.
Kiala is proud of many things, but at the top of the list is having a successful 20 year professional teaching and training career at the K-12 and College levels, being married to her best friend of 30 years, raising her nephew Treavor, mentoring more than 20 young women over the last 25 years, and unapologetically pursuing her creative and entrepreneurial dreams. She now runs two successful online businesses and through online courses and in person retreats, teaches women all over the world how to find what makes them happy and pursue it without regrets.
She’s always seen books as a vessel for sharing our journey and documenting our lives. And while many believe that Book Art is a complex skill that only a select few can master, Kiala is on a mission to demystify creativity & handmade books in order to make both accessible to anyone who wants to document their ideas, images, and stories. Through her love for paper, words, and handmade books, Kiala has been able to cultivate an artistic life that includes Book Art, poetry, lots of silly doodling and tons of creative exploration and discovery in sketchbooks.
Check out Kiala’s Book-in-a-Day series on YouTube and follow her online shenanigans at kialagivehand.com and on Instagram (@kialagives)