Bumping this back up to the top now that it’s official, Tumblr.

We’ll have legendary civil rights leader and current Congressman, John Lewis with us on Saturday at SPX 2013. He’ll be at the Top Shelf table, participating in programming - the whole thing. Walking, talking, history among us.

We’ve got many wonderful guests still to announce - and a host of great creators already confirmed but this one… This one is special. 

I hope you agree.

mdt:

So this is happening…! Couldn’t be prouder of our little show. Many thanks to Congressman Lewis, his staff, and the uberfine folks at Top Shelf for making this possible.

spx:

The Small Press Expo is pleased to announce a civil rights icon, Congressman John Lewis, as a special guest at SPX 2013 this fall.

Widely recognized as one of the most important leaders of the American Civil Rights Movement, John Lewis has represented Georgia’s 5th congressional district since 1987.

We’re beyond honored to have a bona fide American hero joining us at SPX, much less our first sitting member of Congress.

Congressman Lewis will be promoting his first graphic novel, March (Book One), to published by Top Shelf in mid-August 2013.

March was co-written with Andrew Aydin and drawn by the award-winning graphic novelist Nate Powell.

Source: spx

Let’s Make it Official…

Bethesda Maryland; June 12, 2013 – Small Press Expo is pleased to announce civil rights icon and first-time graphic novelist Congressman John Lewis, as a special guest at SPX 2013, to be held Saturday September 14 and Sunday September 15.  Congressman Lewis will be in addition to previously announced guests Seth, Lisa Hanawalt, Gary Panter, Frank Santoro and Gene Yang.

SPX is honored that a sitting member of Congress will be attending the show. Congressman Lewis will be promoting his first graphic novel, March (Book One), published by Top Shelf Productions. The book was co-written with Andrew Aydin and drawn by the award-winning graphic novelist Nate Powell.
For more information on the book (the first in a planned trilogy), visit http://www.topshelfcomix.com/march. 
 
JOHN LEWIS is the U.S. Representative for Georgia’s fifth congressional district and an American icon widely known for his role in the civil rights movement.
He first joined the movement as a seminary student in Nashville, organizing sit-ins and participating in the first Freedom Rides, which challenged illegal segregation at bus stations across the South. He soon became the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and one of the “Big Six” national leaders of the movement, alongside such figures as Martin Luther King, Jr. and A. Philip Randolph.
 
As SNCC chairman, Lewis was an architect of, and the youngest featured speaker, at the historic 1963 March on Washington, and was a key figure in the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer. Together with Hosea Williams, he led the landmark 1965 Selma–Montgomery March (known as “Bloody Sunday”), where police brutality spurred national outrage and hastened passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Despite physical attacks, serious injuries, and more than 40 arrests, John Lewis has remained a devoted advocate of the philosophy of non-violence. His subsequent career has included voter registration activism, service on the Atlanta City Council, and over 25 years in Congress.
 
Lewis was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2011, and was the first recipient of the John F. Kennedy “Profile in Courage” Lifetime Achievement Award. His 1998 book Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement, called “the definitive account of the civil rights movement” (The Washington Post), won numerous honors, including the Robert F. Kennedy, Lillian Smith, and Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards. His most recent book, Across that Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change, received the NAACP Image Award.
About SPX

Small Press Expo (SPX) is the pre-eminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels, and alternative political cartoons. SPX is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit that brings together more than 400 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers, and distributors each year. Graphic novels, mini comics, and alternative comics will all be on display and for sale by their authors and illustrators. The festival will also feature a series of panel discussions and interviews with this year’s guests.

The Ignatz Award is a festival prize held every year at SPX, with the winners chosen by attendees at the show.

As in previous years, profits from the SPX will go to support the SPX Graphic Novel Gift Program, which funds graphic novel purchases for public and academic libraries, as well as the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), which protects the First Amendment rights of comic book readers and professionals. For more information on the CBLDF, visit their website at http://www.cbldf.org.

SPX also supports the Small Press Expo Collection at the Library of Congress, which preserves the history of both the artistic output of the creators who come to SPX, as well as the art that SPX itself generates as part of its yearly festival. It the first program of its type by a major institution in the United States to preserve the works of the indie comics community.

For more information on the Small Press Expo, please visit http://www.spxpo.com.

The Small Press Expo is pleased to announce a civil rights icon, Congressman John Lewis, as a special guest at SPX 2013 this fall.

Widely recognized as one of the most important leaders of the American Civil Rights Movement, John Lewis has represented Georgia’s 5th congressional district since 1987.

We’re beyond honored to have a bona fide American hero joining us at SPX, much less our first sitting member of Congress.

Congressman Lewis will be promoting his first graphic novel, March (Book One), to published by Top Shelf in mid-August 2013. 

March was co-written with Andrew Aydin and drawn by the award-winning graphic novelist Nate Powell.

Hoo boy…

So a few weeks back we informally dropped that Heidi MacDonald of The Beat had generously offered her minicomics collection to SPX as a contribution to the Small Press Expo Permanent Collection at the Library of Congress.  

Well it’s time to start sharing some of this cool stuff with you, all of which will be documented and accessible for all time at the LOC - forever preserving these independent voices in comics and cartooning.

Three great books start us off, including circa 2000 work from Craig Thompson, Dave Roman, Jason Ho, Jeff Zornow and Matt Feazell!  

Take a look!

Next up?

That time that guy Frank came to SPX and brought some minicomics.

What is this, you may ask? Why it is the incredible minicomics collection of Heidi MacDonald, proprietor of The Beat and all-around comics bon vivant. Heidi is a long-time friend of SPX and she’s closing in on a decade of online comics journalism, which is in and of itself only a small part of an epic career that she has dedicated to the comics art form. Shit-kicking badass, if you know what I am saying. So back to that minicomics collection… Late last year Heidi generously consented to contribute her minicomics to the SPX Collection at the Library of Congress where they will be cataloged and preserved for posterity. There is some outrageously cool stuff in the collection that SPX’s Eden has been diligently documenting.  I’ve got dozens of photos in the pipeline that we’ll be posting here in the coming weeks. But for now, just a peek… Very excited to share bits from Heidi’s collection with you and, via the Library of Congress, with scholars and enthusiasts long into the future. Thank you Heidi!
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What is this, you may ask?

Why it is the incredible minicomics collection of Heidi MacDonald, proprietor of The Beat and all-around comics bon vivant.

Heidi is a long-time friend of SPX and she’s closing in on a decade of online comics journalism, which is in and of itself only a small part of an epic career that she has dedicated to the comics art form.

Shit-kicking badass, if you know what I am saying.

So back to that minicomics collection…

Late last year Heidi generously consented to contribute her minicomics to the SPX Collection at the Library of Congress where they will be cataloged and preserved for posterity.

There is some outrageously cool stuff in the collection that SPX’s Eden has been diligently documenting.  I’ve got dozens of photos in the pipeline that we’ll be posting here in the coming weeks.

But for now, just a peek…

Very excited to share bits from Heidi’s collection with you and, via the Library of Congress, with scholars and enthusiasts long into the future.

Thank you Heidi!

IGNATZ NOMINATIONS — LAST CALL!

If you’d like to have a work considered for nomination in one of our categories for the 2013 Ignatz Awards please get us a copy digitally or in print, postmarked by the end of May and in our hands by June 7.

The Ignatz Awards are the festival prize awarded each year at the Small Press Expo - this year’s dates: September 14-15. Attendees submit a ballot on the first day of the festival and the ceremony is held that evening.

See: Full Ignatz Guidelines and Submission Information

Award winners receive the most coveted brick in all of comics on a custom stand, handcrafted at Sidewinder Arts.

All nominees will have their books added to the SPX Permanent Collection at the Library of Congress where they will be preserved for all time.

Best of luck to all!

And if you haven’t already made your plans to come see us at SPX 2013 - what in the world are you waiting for?

(The fabulous Ignatz design above was created for SPX by 2012 Promising New Talent Igantz Award recipient, Lale Westvind)

Hey everyone, Summer will be here before you can blink and that means that Fall will be rustling leaves around your ankles before you know it and that means that SPX is practically right around the corner! If you’ve never made the trip to MAJESTIC SUBURBAN WASHINGTON we highly recommend it. Put the weekend of September 15th 2013 on your calendar and consider making the trip!  We like to think we put on the best independent comics and arts festival around. The vibe is tops and the newly expanded show floor will mean the largest group of indie comic creators under one roof - maybe ever. Travel info to SPX can be found right here and the Marriott’s SPX room block is up and ready to take your reservations. Rooms this year are $114.  You can also call their toll free number at 1-877-212-5752 and use the code “The Expo” to reserve your rooms. Looking forward to seeing you all in the fall! - MDT
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Hey everyone, Summer will be here before you can blink and that means that Fall will be rustling leaves around your ankles before you know it and that means that SPX is practically right around the corner!

If you’ve never made the trip to MAJESTIC SUBURBAN WASHINGTON we highly recommend it. Put the weekend of September 15th 2013 on your calendar and consider making the trip! 

We like to think we put on the best independent comics and arts festival around. The vibe is tops and the newly expanded show floor will mean the largest group of indie comic creators under one roof - maybe ever.

Travel info to SPX can be found right here and the Marriott’s SPX room block is up and ready to take your reservations. Rooms this year are $114. 

You can also call their toll free number at 1-877-212-5752 and use the code “The Expo” to reserve your rooms.

Looking forward to seeing you all in the fall!

- MDT

Speaking of Lale Westvind, as SPX’s 2012 Ignatz Award winner for Promising New Talent, she took on the challenge of creating a unique Ignatz design for use in promoting the 2013 show - and here it is. Pretty rad! This piece, along with all the Ignatz nominated works and promotional art for SPX 2013 will be preserved forever as a part of the Small Press Expo Collection at the Library of Congress. Thank you to Lale - and to Daryl Ayo who helped us kick off this tradition last year. Daryl won the Ignatz for Promising New Talent in 2011.
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Speaking of Lale Westvind, as SPX’s 2012 Ignatz Award winner for Promising New Talent, she took on the challenge of creating a unique Ignatz design for use in promoting the 2013 show - and here it is.

Pretty rad!

This piece, along with all the Ignatz nominated works and promotional art for SPX 2013 will be preserved forever as a part of the Small Press Expo Collection at the Library of Congress.

Thank you to Lale - and to Daryl Ayo who helped us kick off this tradition last year. Daryl won the Ignatz for Promising New Talent in 2011.

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