First Denver Small Press Fest draws large crowd
The only thing small about the inaugural Denver Small Press Fest was that it featured small and indie publishers, printers and other artists. Saturday’s event was held at The Savoy, in Denver’s Curtis Park neighborhood, and it played to a packed house.
More than 20 exhibitors were crammed into the upstairs of The Savoy to show their wares to 
eager attendees. There was something for everyone — from short-run indie zines, freshly pressed vinyl dressed up in hot album art, graphic novels and altered books to a small letterpress. You could even have a poem typed just for you on an old school typewriter.
The event, sponsored by City, O’ City and Suspect Press, brought graphic artists, small publishers, writers and other creatives together in a collaborative environment where ‘How’d you do that?’ was heard time and again.
Peter Miles Bergman, MSU Denver assistant professor in Communication Design, had a table at the event. Bergman said his “SIGNS & letters” exhibit at Dateline Gallery in Denver will be closing Sept. 27. He will host a TedxAdventure (and talk) Sept. 25 at the gallery. Registration is required. Learn more by checking out his website.
New Lights Press Custom Typography
Most of the wares were reasonably priced, with some so cheap it’s hard to imagine the creators could cover their production costs. Other items like New Lights Press‘ one-off altered book sported justifiably higher price tags. The author / artist cut and pasted images and text and hand-drew other images into a vintage art history book, leaving part of the original book exposed. The result was a cohesive, dual text.
New Lights Press – one-off altered book
Fulcrum Publishing in Golden, Colorado, featured graphic novels with history and Native American themes, among other tasty selections.
The diverse offerings included non-fiction, polished magazines, Native American graphic novels, graphic art, buttons, custom typography, zines, and pamphlets.
The crowd sipped brews and coffee, and the music could just be heard over the noise of the crowd. The offerings here were diverse — both in presentation and subject matter. Some creators said they did their own art and design work, while others hired that out.
Denver Small Press Fest made it evident that Denver and Colorado people have something to say — visually and verbally — and, that there’s a ready market for it. People just couldn’t seem to get enough. Perhaps it’s part of the trend toward keeping things local and patronizing small businesses and fledgling artists.
If you are considering dabbling in small press work — from graphic novels to zines to poetry, buttons, imagery — it seems like the climate is right, here and now. ~end~
Pick a subject. Get a poem. Typed.
Tom Parson of letterpressdepot.com did demonstrations of his small letterpress throughout the day. Parson is part of a team working to restore the Englewood Depot building and create a working letterpress shop.
Urban Landscapes 