The St. Louis Small Press Expo, undeniably, was fun. The event, first launched in 2014, brought together independent creators of books, comics, prints, literary journals, artworks and more for what felt like the ultimate display of all the types of creativity that could be put down on paper.
St. Louisans seemed to agree and flocked to Firecracker Press (now Central Print) in Old North and then the Central Library for the event, which grew year over year in number of vendors and attendees. But then COVID-19 came along and, like so much else, the expo shut down.
Thankfully, though, St. Louis hasn’t seen the last of it. A new group has resurrected the event, which is rebranding as the St. Louis Independent Comics Expo, or SLICE. It will return on October 14 at the Sheldon (3648 Washington Avenue), and vendor applications opened this week at slicexpo.org.
St. Louis-based comic artist Steenz is leading this second-wave effort as board president. A volunteer with the expo’s original iteration, they were thinking about trying to bring it back when fellow creative Tate Foley reached out with the same idea.
“I was very excited about that because I love the expo,” Steenz says. “I think it's a great thing to have for St. Louis.”
Steenz and Foley gathered a group of like-minded individuals to reform a board for the event and got to planning. One of the first orders of business was the expo’s image, and a committee member, Kruttika Susarla, suggested changing the name to be more in vogue with a trend of independent comic expos across the country. Susarla also created a new mascot, Mr. Slice, a little artist holding a stylus or paint roller.
The group hopes the name and the mascot will help SLICE get attention.
“For me, it is a more energetic and relatable brand, something that people can grab onto a bit more easily in terms of a name,” says board member Noah Jodice, who has been wearing many hats in his efforts to help the expo, including a focus on marketing.
“We're trying to get people to come check out artists, and so we want it to be fun but [also let] people know that these are people who dedicate a lot to their craft,” he adds.
Despite the addition of comics in the name, SLICE will still be a home for a variety of media.
“Printmaking, poetry, book making — really anything that has to do with print and its format,” Steenz says.
The name isn’t the only thing different about the expo, though. Instead of this being a one and done event, SLICE will host programming throughout the year. That starts with a workshop with St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts at noon on April 22 at the High Low (3301 Washington Avenue).
The events, Jodice explains, are in part about encouraging artistic expression throughout the year and strengthening the already-strong print and creative community in St. Louis.
“I'm really excited about a lot of the programming we're going to do,” Jodice says. “We’re really trying to give back as much as we’re asking from St. Louis, and I feel like this city is so good at reciprocating the kind of love that you give it.”
SLICE will be announcing events throughout the year. Keep watch on slicexpo.org.
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