Today we’d like to introduce you to SLICE (The St. Louis Independent Comics Expo).
Hello, SLICE; we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The St. Louis Independent Comics Expo (SLICE) began as the St. Louis Small Press Expo (STL SPEX). STL SPEX started in 2014. STL SPEX collaborated with local arts organizations like the Pulitzer Foundation and featured guests like Ignatz Award-winning cartoonists Ben Passmore and Liz Prince. The expo had grown consistently, bringing in more than 1300 attendees in 2019. The show went on a three-year hiatus during the pandemic and was relaunched and rebranded by a new slate of organizers. It was rebranded as SLICE to align with other independent expos nationwide. It is now the premier annual indie-print showcase, bringing together writers, artists, poets, and printmakers from St. Louis and beyond to showcase their self-published books, comics, zines, magazines, poetry, and more. In this new iteration, SLICE supports the St. Louis small press community through workshops, artist meetups, and programming throughout the year leading to the October expo. It’s now held at The Sheldon Concert Hall and Art Galleries. Last year was the first year SLICE returned and brought in over 800 attendees. We’re excited for SLICE to expand even further!
Would it be a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s honestly been wonderful. The board of directors is all competent. And having a team that has a wide variety of skills makes it even easier. We’re thrilled to have a dozen or so committee members to support programming and the expo’s organization at the year’s end. Board President Steenz has a history of running small conventions and organizing comics programming, so we’re in good hands!
Thanks for sharing that. So, tell us more about your work next.
SLICE is unique in that we try to do programming in all kinds of mediums. Programs include zine-making, drawing, printmaking, poetry, lecture series, author visits, and more. We want to be a part of any creative medium involving paper!
Contact Info:
- Website: slicexpo.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slicexpo/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/slicexpo
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/slicexpo
- Other: https://bsky.app/profile/slicexpo.bsky.social
Image Credits
Jin Park, Dmitri Jackson, Steve Heineman
