Generally, we focus on sex and camp when we craft our Lupercalia update. This year, we wanted to shift some of our focus to philia: the love between friends, the family bond, and devotion to community. Inspired by Joannes Carolus Erlenwein’s 17th century festschriften and Anne Wagner’s late-18th-century friendship book, we want to craft not only a scent series based on their charming pages, but also to assemble a Black Phoenix Liber Amicorum of our own.

Friendship books blossomed from 16th century university culture in Germany, and quickly spread. They are a combination of travel journal, scrapbook, sketchbook, autograph book, and yearbook containing a collection of proverbs, poems, mottos, quotes, essays, and notes to friends and loved ones. The pages sometimes honor achievements or events, contain treatises and stories, or scraps of illustration, painting, and collage. They were assembled and kept over the course of decades: a living, breathing testament to friendship, growth, and adventure; a life well-lived, an extended family well-loved.

The Black Phoenix Liber Amicorum is a testament to the worldwide family that surrounds us, that has – for the past fifteen years – become as close to us as blood, and we invite you all to participate with us.

To participate in the Black Phoenix Liber Amicorum, please submit contributions (digital artwork, scans, or PDFs, as examples) to BPLIBERAMICORUM.COM. If for some reason the upload will not work, email your contribution to [email protected]. If you are sending digital image files, please make sure they are at least 300 dpi in case we have the opportunity to put this in print. If you want to submit something that is text only, you may use the Message field in the form or write us an email. You may also send us hard copies by snail mail, but we cannot be held responsible if anything is lost in transit. Please let us know how you would like to be credited with your piece(s). We will do our best to ensure that all entries are included.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab
Attn: Amicorum Curator
12120 Sherman Way
North Hollywood, CA 91605

A portion of all fragrance sales from this series will be donated to the American Library Association.

Love and friendship will sustain us through these challenging times. Reach out to those you love with compassion, empathy, and joy, and we’ll get through this together.

FINE PRINT!
By submitting to the Black Phoenix friendship book project, you acknowledge and agree that your submission may be used on Black Phoenix related websites, future print publications, and other products without compensation. All reasonable care shall be made to credit all contributions using the name provided at the time of submission.