Tag Archives: interview

Studio Snapshots: Adriana Saipe

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Our Studio Snapshot tours have taken us far and wide, but today we’re introducing an artist who is local to lovely New Jersey! We recently discovered Adriana Saipe when Princeton University commissioned her to create the cover of the Princeton Alumni Weekly‘s 2026 Reunions Guide. You can read the PAW interview with her here.

Adriana’s original piece, “Tiger Crossing the Delaware,” is an absolutely breathtaking feat of paper engineering, It will be on display in Firestone Library lobby (right outside of Cotsen) through July 12th. In the meantime, let’s visit Adriana’s studio for a personal tour!

Images courtesy of Adriana Saipe

I’m very lucky that my studio is in my house. This is great for being able to work after my three daughters are in bed. The downside is that my three daughters like to sneak in and get creative with all my supplies. And they are always ALWAYS stealing my tape.

I hoard bits of colorful paper like a squirrel gathers nuts. A few years ago, I bought a large metal flat file set of drawers from another artist. I’ve since filled all the drawers with colorful scraps of things which I then use in my paper cutting and collage projects. I also really like to make paper flowers, so I often have bins of those lying around.

I collect prints and original artwork from some of my favorite illustrators. The bottom piece here is one of my favorites – it’s an original graphite and gouache study by the great Carson Ellis for her amazing book Du Iz Tak?. I find it so inspiring to see what her process is like up close. And I get to enjoy the company of these small, charismatic bugs while I work.

When I’m not paper-cutting, I often work on digital illustrations for clients. I draw on a Wacom Cintiq. It’s big and heavy, so I can’t take it on the go, but it’s one of my favorite studio tools. What I can take on the go is my sketchbook, which comes with me just about everywhere. With three small kids at home, finding time for fun drawing is a challenge, so I try to sneak it in during swim lessons and soccer practice.

My commercial work often involves large format printing and laser cutting, and for that I rely on my Epson P6000 and my Epilog Fusion Edge respectively. I’m not very technologically-competent, but I’ve had to learn quite a bit in order to service and maintain these two big machines.

Working from home wouldn’t be the same without my trusty studio assistant, “Scribbles”. He helps by eating small bits of paper off the floor, and sighing loudly when he thinks I could benefit from getting outside for a walk.

Psssst did we mention that Adriana wants to try illustrating children’s books???

Have You Hugged Your Bread Today?

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We absolutely love when an author brings their talent and enthusiasm to our story time, but Pooja Makhijani scored an absolute first when she brought her personal starter to share along with her newest book, Bread is Love! Please enjoy my interview with Pooja later in the post, and at the very end, don’t miss a chance to enter an awesome little giveaway!

We read Bread is Love, written by Pooja Makhijani and illustrated by Lavanya Naidu (Roaring Book Press, 2026). It’s the weekend, which means it’s time for mama and her children to bake bread! With warmth and enthusiasm, we join the family through the entire process of bread making, from the oozy starter to a delicious fragrant loaf. There’s even a recipe in the back!

After she read her book, Pooja handed out stickers, pencils, and talked about the steps of bread making. Then she amazed us all by introducing a very special guest – “Mr. Willdoughby,” her 10 year-old starter. He smelled absolutely marvelous.

Wanting to get little bakers started on the right foot, we had them customize white aprons with fabric markers, and tucked a sample pouch of Model Magic “dough” into the pocket. Note the various bread-themed illustrations that bedecked some of the aprons.

There was a chunky croissant…

A fluffy muffin…

And a border of green croissants and blue baguettes!

After we finished our aprons, we were joined by a giant, extremely huggable, 30″ bread pillow. The hugging quickly evolved into an impromptu game of “Hug & Toss” which eventually became “Loaf Hide & Seek.” If you ever want to liven up a story time, by all means, introduce a giant bread pillow!

After the loaf was all hugged out, I caught up with Pooja to chat about her delightful work…

Hi Pooja! Please tell us a little bit about yourself!

By day, I manage communications and marketing strategy for the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies, an academic department at Princeton University, and serve as co-editor of Princeton Int’l, an annual publication that highlights the University’s international initiatives and projects. Outside the office, I channel my creativity into baking and writing children’s literature! I’m the author of four books: Mama’s Saris, Bread Is Love, Together For Mama (June 2026), and Aunties (2027). My writing has also appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, WSJ.com, The Cut and Bon Appétit, among other outlets. A lifelong Garden Stater, I’m also a 2026 New Jersey State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Fellow in prose.

How did this book come to be?

Bread baking entered my life during a difficult divorce a decade ago. What began as a coping mechanism grew into a grounding ritual, one that calmed my anxiety, deepened my connections with others, offered weekly sustenance, and nourished me creatively as both an artist and a photographer. During the pandemic, I took stock of the creative work I felt called to do. Telling a story about bread, and honoring everything it had come to represent for me, like science and self-care to sustenance and sharing, felt like the most natural place to begin.

In early drafts, I mapped out the mechanics of making a loaf—gathering ingredients, mixing, fermenting, shaping, and more. With time and my editor’s guidance, I wove into those early drafts the elements they lacked—and that became central to the book’s message: patience, adaptability, and attentiveness as essential baking skills; the way baking itself nurtures hope; and how bread, in all its forms, connects us across cultures.

Not to spoil your beautiful Author’s Note, but can you tell us about how you “bake in” the new year?

In 2016, I founded a new family tradition: my daughter and I “bake in” the new year. Each year, on December 31, we choose a bread recipe—cinnamon raisin bread, milk bread, brioche—and make sure that our loaf of bread emerges from the oven at the stroke of midnight. (We aren’t always successful in this regard; bread can be temperamental.) The bread then becomes breakfast on January 1, topped with runny yolks or slathered with jelly or dipped in olive oil. This rite steeped in togetherness and warmth and bounty, reminds us that life has seasons and that time is supposed to pass. It’s also delicious!

Please tell us about the distinguished Mr. Willdoughby.

I’ve been a Janeite since I was 12 years old. Pride and Prejudice was my favorite book as a teenager; as an adult, I reread Persuasion at least once a year. It’s customary for sourdough bakers to name their starters; “Mr. Willdoughby” is my humble homage to one of the greatest writers in the English language.

Mr. Willdoughby has been my steady companion for 10 years. Ironically, John Willoughby, his namesake, was not constant. But I do believe he genuinely loved Marianne Dashwood, and his confession showed real remorse. Despite his lack of steadiness and discipline, he meant well. He’s also not as slippery as Austen’s other scoundrels, like George Wickham or William Elliot. Mr. Willoughby was also very handsome, attentive, and passionate—the perfect qualities for a starter.

If you had to eat only ONE bread for the rest of your life, what would it be?

This is an impossible question! I would have to say naan with ghee, minced garlic, nigella seeds, and fresh coriander. My homemade naan have a crisp exterior and a pillowy core, a wonderful “chew,” a slight tang and a distinctive char, and best paired with rich, aromatic grilled meats and curries. I’m hungry now.

Giveaway alert! Readers who live in the United States can win a Bread is Love pencil and sticker set! Simple email cotsenevents@princeton.edu and tell us your favorite type of bread! Three winners will be randomly selected on May 26th 2026 and we’ll mail your prize to you! Good luck!

A Language All Her Own

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J.R.R. Tolkien is revered for the 20+ languages he created for his majestic world of Middle-earth. He even coined the term “Glossopoeia” to describe his brand of language invention. Tolkien got his start in his teens…just like Emi, avid glossopoet and the subject of today’s blog post!

But before we meet Emi, we have another teen to introduce…

Long time readers may remember Hope, our kid guest writer who tested calligraphy sets, launched catapults, and reviewed arts supplies far and near. Hope also has the distinction of being the first kid to grow up in our little library and be accepted into Princeton University! She graduated in the Class of 2024!

Today, it is my distinct pleasure to introduce a new teen writer. Lila is a freshman in high school and our new arts and entertainment desk. Today, she’ll be sharing an amazing discovery she made – a fellow student who invented her own language! Take it away, Lila!

Hello readers! I’m so happy to be here! Imagine my surprise when during a free period in school, I glanced over to see a notebook full of symbols and writings. This intricate script belonged to a student I’ve had the pleasure of knowing for a few years now. Emi is a highly creative friend of mine, so knowing this, it came as no surprise that this page turned out to be part of a language she invented. Intrigued, I felt deeply inspired to learn more and interview her! And thankfully, I learned quite a lot, as Emi provides us with a deeper dive into her language, its purpose, how it works, and more.

Hi Emi! Please tell us a little bit about yourself!

Salutations! I’m Emi, your friendly nyctophile who enjoys illustrating and writing.

Can you explain how your language works, and how you use it in your life?

The thing is, I’m still creating my language. I think it’s more of a code/ language, like how Zac Brewer, the author of The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, made theirs. The language is called Ximo, meaning SD or Slayer Dialect. Although not associated with the Monster Slayers in my book anymore, the name Ximo will still stand. The overall language is used for the supernaturals in the fake universe I’ve created for my book called The Spiral Universe. The reason I originally said that it’s a dialect is because different parts of that fake world speak the language but change the words up a bit like how there’s Quebecois French and then the French that is spoken in France or how in the Philippines there is Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, Waray, etc. Sometimes I try to speak Ximo to my friends, the looks on their faces… absolutely hilarious. One of these days I need to teach them Ximo. I doubt these rules will change, if they do I shall certainly write that in my book, but here are some rules:

If a word contains repeat letters, the extra letters are removed. Like if you have the word “know” in Ximo which is usually kotaaifa if written without the rule. Instead we write it like, kotaifa with one A instead of two because we already knew that there would be another A there because of the I.

Words like “to look” which in Ximo would be, Ioloaiaiko without the rule, usually have a letter that isn’t repeated. Since we already see 2 letter Os in the word, we’d say Ioloaiako.

Verbs have “Io” in front of them.

Xlobi means “fly” in Ximo. Any word in English that ends with “Y” will end with “Bi” in Ximo, with some exceptions of words like adding -ly to adjectives to turn into adverbs. Then that would be “Ra” with the r rolled.

For example, if I wanted to say, “This is Ximo,” in the language, it’s like this:

Thjao q Ximo.

Here are some words:

At: Th
Are: Atnexo
Am: Atza
And: Ja
Is: Q
It: Qu
That: Thja
This: Thjao
These: Thjaok
Those: Thjaoka

Just like how English has contractions in the languages like Isn’t, Aren’t, Doesn’t, Don’t, Ximo also has these but they are different.

Some common ones are:

Aren’t: Atnedansais
Isn’t: Hixinsais
It’s: Hinonsais
Can’t: Zoatnsais
Doesn’t: Moaidaxinsais

Notice how they have sais at the end? That acts like the T in English. The n is added before the ais to make it negative.

What inspired you to create this language?

I have a lot of inspiration actually. The World of Elysia is the fantasy world that Zac Brewer created, my favorite author. They made The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod and many other series I value dearly. They have this code in their book called “Elysian Code.” I guess once I read all the books in those series, I told myself that I needed to write a book. I started writing in 2023 and my first book was Supernatural Control which I haven’t finished yet. My book I’m currently writing is called Blood Lies. Vampires in The World of Elysia speak Elysian code, and write in it, but the pronunciation of the words and how to speak it was always kept a secret. I decided I really wanted my language/code to be able to be spoken regardless of what language a person spoke.

J.R.R. Tolkien is a famous author who created languages for a fictitious world he was building. Is this true for you too, or is your language stand-alone?

My language is specifically for my book series I’m creating/ writing. It’s the main language spoken in The Spiral universe, mostly noted to be spoken in The Spiral City while the various representatives from each house were there. House of Fairies, House of Vampires, House of Elves, not creative names, but it says what House they are from at least. They all speak this language. Humans cannot understand the language. Regardless if they learned Ximo or not, supernaturals can naturally understand it. There is another language I’m making called “Qzklyu” which the demons in the book speak and only the demons can understand it. They can understand Ximo and Qzklyu because their brain is programmed to understand and speak both.

Do you speak any other languages and did that impact how you designed your own language?

I speak English, I’m learning French in school. I’m learning Japanese, Esperanto, Welsh, Mandarin, Turkish, and German on Duolingo. Tagalog is something I’m learning from my Mom and online because my mom is Filipino. And then there is Ximo and Qzklyu that I’m developing and learning to speak and write. Japanese, Tagalog, English, and German have to be the most help developing my languages. Some words are pronounced like in English, the way some words are pronounced in Japanese is also pronounced in there as well. Like “No” or “Mo” or “Ta” is similar in Japanese and is in Ximo and “Th” in English. “Ja” pronunciation like in German.

What are some words of inspiration and/ or practical advice for others who want to create their own languages?

My words of inspiration are something I struggle with; however, they just need to nerd out. Nerd out on what you do. If it’s languages, pursue that, research that, talk about that. Watch videos, say random sounds and gibberish, and eventually you’ll make words. Just be yourself and let other’s know.

Anyway that’s all. Thank you for your time. :D

As we say in Ximo as a farewell,

Ekquio diertu qiz zoatloza.

Many thanks to Lila for conducting the interview, and to Emi for sharing her amazing work!