Will Burns, Nina Hervé & Michael Zilkha

Michael Zilkha, founder and publisher of ZE Books and co-founder of the influential ZE Records, joins Nina Hervé, co-director of Rough Trade Books, and poet Will Burns for a conversation about the connections between independent music and publishing. Both ZE Books and Rough Trade Books grew out of record-label cultures and carry that same independent spirit into the books they publish, bringing together literature, music, art, design, and counterculture.

The conversation will explore why record labels have moved into publishing, what books can offer musicians and artists that other formats cannot, and how the experience of discovering, developing, and presenting music can shape an editorial project. They will also discuss the relationship between books and physical objects, the importance of design and collaboration, and what independent cultural institutions can do differently from larger publishing houses.