Fishtown Forget Me Not is the result of 10 years of taking pictures of discarded Arctic Splash cartons and the resulting process of over-thinking things. The book moves from considering the River-Ward neighborhoods to meditating on the cartons that can be found almost nowhere else. As Fishtown changes and old traditions hit their expiration date, the cartons seem to have completed a process of evolution from a drink full of nostalgia and chemicals to a symbol of knowing urbanity and gentrification.
Justin Coffin is a Philadelphia writer who has lived twice in Fishtown. An intractable case of writer's block led him to take up photography in 2006, when he began taking pictures of Fishtown and its litter. He has written plays, reviews, essays, and articles, and has ghostwritten books.
