St. Louis Small Press Expo Kick-Off Party

The St. Louis Small Press Expo is a celebration of the people who make and sell their own books, comics, magazines and printed materials. It's a larger world than you might think — this year's expo features more than 80 people and collectives. Among them are Taller Leñateros, a group from Chiapas, Mexico, who have been making their own paper since 1975, and the bookbinders of BOAAT Press. You can watch both of these groups in action at the kick-off party for this year's Small Press Expo, which takes place from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, October 14, at Pulitzer Arts Foundation (3716 Washington Boulevard; www.stlouissmallpressexpo.com). Chicago comic artist Marnie Galloway will debut her new work Burrow in a reading at the event, and poet Stephanie Ellis Schlaifer will read from her poetry collection, Cleavemark. The expo moves to St. Louis Public Library's Central Branch (1301 Olive Street) on Saturday, October 15, for the full-on show and sale of works by all participating artists. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. you can take advantage of seminars on digital bookmaking and desktop publishing, buy hand-made books and comics, get freshly-printed poetry broadsides and speak with the people who make them. Admission is free.