Jodi Wille
Encyclopedia
Jodi Wille is a book editor, filmmaker, and cultural event producer known for collaborating with individuals who have amassed personal archives that document American subcultures. She is the co-publisher and editor of Process Media
and Dilettante Press
.
, a publishing house with a focus on outsider, visionary, and vernacular art and photography. Wille conceptualized and co-edited (with El Kholti) the book Starstruck: Photographs from a Fan by amateur photographer Gary Lee Boas, which is featured in Martin Parr’s History of Photography II as one of the 200 most important photography books of the last 30 years.
In 2005, Wille and Adam Parfrey
of Feral House
founded Process Media
, with an emphasis on non-fiction books that explore American subcultures and document groundbreaking musicians such as Roky Erickson
and the 13th Floor Elevators
, John Sinclair
and MC5
, Ya Ho Wa 13 and Father Yod
, and Moondog
. Process has also created a "Self-Reliance Series" of illustrated guide books that promote sustainable and self-sufficient living.
, Melissa Etheridge
, The Dwarves, Sparks
and R.E.M., among others.
Wille spent five years documenting a Los Angeles sect known as "The Universal World Church." She directed a Christmas special for the church called "God Bless America."
Wille is the director of "The Source Family" documentary, currently in production and based on the story of Father Yod
, Ya Ho Wa 13 and the Source Family.
Process Media
Process Media is an independent publishing house, the result of a collaboration between Adam Parfrey of Feral House and Jodi Wille of Dilettante Press.Process was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Port Townsend.-Awards:...
and Dilettante Press
Dilettante Press
Dilettante Press is an independent book publisher, co-founded by Jodi Wille, Nick Rubenstein, and Steven Nalepa in 1995. Dilettante is a publishing house dedicated to “challeng[ing] traditional notions of art and culture,” focusing its efforts on featuring visionary, outsider, vernacular art in...
.
Book publishing and editing
In 1998, Wille co-founded (with Steve Nalepa, Nick Rubenstein, and Hedi El Kholti) Dilettante PressDilettante Press
Dilettante Press is an independent book publisher, co-founded by Jodi Wille, Nick Rubenstein, and Steven Nalepa in 1995. Dilettante is a publishing house dedicated to “challeng[ing] traditional notions of art and culture,” focusing its efforts on featuring visionary, outsider, vernacular art in...
, a publishing house with a focus on outsider, visionary, and vernacular art and photography. Wille conceptualized and co-edited (with El Kholti) the book Starstruck: Photographs from a Fan by amateur photographer Gary Lee Boas, which is featured in Martin Parr’s History of Photography II as one of the 200 most important photography books of the last 30 years.
In 2005, Wille and Adam Parfrey
Adam Parfrey
Adam Parfrey is an American journalist, editor, and the publisher of Feral House books, whose work in all three capacities frequently centers on unusual, extreme, or "forbidden" areas of knowledge.-Life:...
of Feral House
Feral House
Feral House is a book publisher owned and operated by Adam Parfrey. The publisher itself describes the books it sells as "pure information", and says the topics of the books are "forbidden"....
founded Process Media
Process Media
Process Media is an independent publishing house, the result of a collaboration between Adam Parfrey of Feral House and Jodi Wille of Dilettante Press.Process was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Port Townsend.-Awards:...
, with an emphasis on non-fiction books that explore American subcultures and document groundbreaking musicians such as Roky Erickson
Roky Erickson
Roky Erickson is an American singer, songwriter, harmonica player and guitarist from Texas. He was a founding member of the 13th Floor Elevators and a pioneer of the psychedelic rock genre.-Biography:...
and the 13th Floor Elevators
13th Floor Elevators
The 13th Floor Elevators were an American rock band from Austin, Texas formed by guitarist and vocalist Roky Erickson, electric jug player Tommy Hall, and guitarist Stacy Sutherland, which existed from 1965 to 1969...
, John Sinclair
John Sinclair
John Sinclair may refer to:* John Sinclair , Ordinary Lord and later Lord President in the Court of Session* Sir John Sinclair, 1st Baronet , politician and writer on agriculture and finance...
and MC5
MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
, Ya Ho Wa 13 and Father Yod
Father Yod
Father Yod or YaHoWha was the American owner of a Los Angeles health food restaurant on the Sunset Strip who founded a spiritual commune in the Hollywood Hills known as the Source Family...
, and Moondog
Moondog
Moondog, born Louis Thomas Hardin , was a blind American composer, musician, poet and inventor of several musical instruments. Moving to New York as a young man, Moondog made a deliberate decision to make his home on the streets there, where he spent approximately twenty of the thirty years he...
. Process has also created a "Self-Reliance Series" of illustrated guide books that promote sustainable and self-sufficient living.
Selected Works
- The End is Near: Visions of Apocalypse, Millennium and Utopia. By Roger Manley, edited by Jodi Wille. Essays by Stephen Jay GouldStephen Jay GouldStephen Jay Gould was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely read writers of popular science of his generation....
, the Dalai LamaDalai LamaThe Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
, Adam ParfreyAdam ParfreyAdam Parfrey is an American journalist, editor, and the publisher of Feral House books, whose work in all three capacities frequently centers on unusual, extreme, or "forbidden" areas of knowledge.-Life:...
, and Howard FinsterHoward FinsterHoward Finster was an American artist and Baptist reverend from Georgia. He claimed to be inspired by God to spread the gospel through the environment of Paradise Garden and over 46,000 pieces of art. His creations overlap folk art, outsider art, naïve art, and visionary art...
. (Dilettante PressDilettante PressDilettante Press is an independent book publisher, co-founded by Jodi Wille, Nick Rubenstein, and Steven Nalepa in 1995. Dilettante is a publishing house dedicated to “challeng[ing] traditional notions of art and culture,” focusing its efforts on featuring visionary, outsider, vernacular art in...
/Process MediaProcess MediaProcess Media is an independent publishing house, the result of a collaboration between Adam Parfrey of Feral House and Jodi Wille of Dilettante Press.Process was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Port Townsend.-Awards:...
, 1995, ISBN 0-9664272-7-0) - Starstruck: Photographs from a Fan. By Gary Lee Boas. Foreword by Michael MustoMichael MustoMichael Musto is an American columnist for the The Village Voice, where he writes La Dolce Musto. Musto was born in Brooklyn to an Italian American family. He attended Columbia University graduating in 1976. During his studies, he was a theater critic for the Columbia Spectator...
. Afterword by Carlo McCormickCarlo McCormickCarlo McCormick is a culture critic and curator living in New York City. He is the author of numerous books, monographs and catalogues on contemporary art and artists.-Pedagogic Activity:...
. Edited by Jodi Wille, Photo Editor: Hedi El Kholti (Dilettante PressDilettante PressDilettante Press is an independent book publisher, co-founded by Jodi Wille, Nick Rubenstein, and Steven Nalepa in 1995. Dilettante is a publishing house dedicated to “challeng[ing] traditional notions of art and culture,” focusing its efforts on featuring visionary, outsider, vernacular art in...
/Process MediaProcess MediaProcess Media is an independent publishing house, the result of a collaboration between Adam Parfrey of Feral House and Jodi Wille of Dilettante Press.Process was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Port Townsend.-Awards:...
, ISBN 0-9664272-5-4) - Gary Lee Boas: New York Sex 1979-1985. Essay by Bruce Hainley, edited by Hedi El Kholti and Jodi Wille (text editor). (Editions Kamel Mennour, 2003, ISBN 2-914191-16-1)
- Go Ask Ogre: Letters from a Deathrock Cutter. By Jolene Siana, edited by Jodi Wille (Process MediaProcess MediaProcess Media is an independent publishing house, the result of a collaboration between Adam Parfrey of Feral House and Jodi Wille of Dilettante Press.Process was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Port Townsend.-Awards:...
, 2005, ISBN 0-9760822-1-7) - Sex Machines: Photographs and Interviews. By Timothy Archibald, edited by Jodi Wille (Process MediaProcess MediaProcess Media is an independent publishing house, the result of a collaboration between Adam Parfrey of Feral House and Jodi Wille of Dilettante Press.Process was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Port Townsend.-Awards:...
, 2005, ISBN 0-9760822-3-3) - The Source: The Untold Story of Father Yod, Ya Ho Wa 13, and The Source Family. By Isis Aquarian and Electricity Aquarian. Introduction by Erik DavisErik DavisErik Davis is a North American writer, social historian, cultural critic and lecturer.He is noted for his study of the history of technology and society and his essays about the fate of the individual in the dawning posthuman era...
. Edited by Jodi Wille (Process MediaProcess MediaProcess Media is an independent publishing house, the result of a collaboration between Adam Parfrey of Feral House and Jodi Wille of Dilettante Press.Process was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Port Townsend.-Awards:...
, 2007, ISBN 978-09760822-9-2)
Awards
- Dear Andy Kaufman, I Hate Your Guts! Gold Medal, Best Popular Culture Book, 2010 Independent Book Awards
- The Source: The Untold Story of Father Yod, Ya Ho Wa 13, and the Source Family, Bronze: Best Popular Culture Book, 2008 Independent Book Awards
- Sex Machines: Photographs and Interviews, Winner: Best Book on Sexuality/Relationships, 2006 Independent Publisher Awards
- Starstruck: Photographs from a Fan, Selected by Artforum as "Best of 2000"
- Go Ask Ogre: Letters from a Deathrock Cutter, Finalist: Best Juvenile/Teen Young Adult Non-fiction, 2006 Independent Publisher Awards
- The End is Near: Visions of Apocalypse, Millennium and Utopia, Winner: Benjamin Franklin Award for Best First Book, 1998
Filmmaking and Photography
Wille has also worked as a documentarian, commercial photographer, music video director, and television field producer, collaborating with artists Vincent GalloVincent Gallo
Vincent Gallo is an Italian-American film director and actor. Though he has had minor roles in mainstream films such as Goodfellas, he is most associated with independent movies, including Buffalo '66, which he wrote, directed, did the music for and starred in; The Brown Bunny, which he also...
, Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Lou Etheridge is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician.Etheridge is known for her mixture of confessional lyrics, pop-based folk-rock, and raspy, smoky vocals...
, The Dwarves, Sparks
Sparks (band)
Sparks is an American rock and pop band formed in Los Angeles in 1968 by brothers Ron and Russell Mael , initially under the name Halfnelson...
and R.E.M., among others.
Wille spent five years documenting a Los Angeles sect known as "The Universal World Church." She directed a Christmas special for the church called "God Bless America."
Wille is the director of "The Source Family" documentary, currently in production and based on the story of Father Yod
Father Yod
Father Yod or YaHoWha was the American owner of a Los Angeles health food restaurant on the Sunset Strip who founded a spiritual commune in the Hollywood Hills known as the Source Family...
, Ya Ho Wa 13 and the Source Family.