WATCHWORD is a collaboration between author Jason Haaf and artist Aaron Krach. The book combines personal stories and journal entries from Jason and collages by Aaron. Together, they create a dreamy narrative that follows its own idiosyncratic logic. "The writing does not always aim to make sense,” says Jason, “as many memories do not.” The stories range from private anecdotes to timely observations about class and sexuality. Aaron’s kaleidoscopic pictures and independent visual moments frame Jason’s text with sincerity. “I relate to Jason’s writing on an emotional level,” says Aaron. “I wanted the pictures to capture something authentic we both share.”

The book’s experimental design evolved directly from Jason’s admiration for cut-up innovators such as William Burroughs, and Aaron’s commitment to cut-and-paste collage. The book is unbound with each chapter printed on a separate folio. We set the stories in order, but they don’t need to remain this way. We imagine the pages spilling out on a reader’s lap or desk and new orders being created, new connections to be made. Hopefully, each reader can also become a contributor.

“WATCHWORD felt complete when all of the pieces fit,” says Jason. “Those same pieces are meant to come apart, to be rearranged, to go together or be separate.”

WATCHWORD is the first book from @ND, an experimental publishing initiative launched by Aaron Krach in 2023.