St. Louis Small Press Expo (SPEx) celebrates independent publishing through an annual expo that showcases the diverse small press community and provides a platform for publishers to connect with a wider audience. Following the success of the inaugural Expo in 2014, the SPEx steering committee set out to include more independent publishers, opening the festival to small presses nationwide. Now in its third year, the Expo continues to expand its reach by including inspiring independent publishers from around the world.
This year, the Expo kicks off with an opening event at the Pulitzer that invites connections between architecture, the art on view, and the book as form. Guests can enjoy papermaking with Taller Leñateros; a hand-sewn book binding demonstration by BOAAT Press; a performative reading by comic artist Marnie Galloway; a lecture performance by artist Chloë Bass; a poetry reading by Stephanie Ellis Schlaifer; and a short gallery talk by artist and critical writer Buzz Spector. There will also be hands-on zine making with The Moon Zine and the opportunity to purchase works by featured performers, as well as from Brainfreeze Comics and neither/nor zine distributors.
