Wednesday, September 03, 2025

Announcing City Wide Events at SPX 2025

SPX banner by Caroline Cash.

For Immediate Release

Contact: Warren Bernard

Email: exhibitor-inquiries@smallpressexpo.com

City Wide Events for SPX 2025

Bethesda, Maryland - September 4, 2025

Media Release - Small Press Expo is thrilled to announce numerous events that take place around SPX 2025 from September 11 - September 13.

See SPX-related events at the Library of Congress, The Czech Embassy, Fantom Comics and People's Book.

This year SPX is honored to welcome the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC) yearly meeting and panel presentations.

Detailed information on all of these events can be found on the SPX web site.

The festival takes place September 13-14, at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, across the street from the North Bethesda Metro stop on the Red Line). SPX will have over 500 creators, 280 exhibitor tables, 22 programming panels and 18 hands-on workshops to introduce attendees to the amazing world of independent and small press comics.

Lists of Special Guests, Debuts, Exhibitors, Program Panels and Workshops can all be found on the SPX web site.

Thursday September 11

An Evening with Graphic Novelist Štěpánka Jislová

The Embassy of the Czech Republic is pleased to welcome acclaimed Czech graphic novelist Štěpánka Jislová for a special presentation of her award-winning autobiographical graphic novel Srdcovka (translated into English as Heartcore)

Time: 6:00PM

Place: Embassy of the Czech Republic

3900 Spring of Freedom Street, NW, Washington, DC 20008

Author Talk: Ronald Wimberly and Ben Passmore

Ronald Wimberly & Ben Passmore return to Fantom for a joint launch event celebrating the new issue of LAAB magazine: "Three's Company" as well as Passmore's upcoming graphic novel Black Arms to Hold You Up: A History of Black Resistance.

Time: 6:30PM

Place: Fantom Comics 2010 P St NW, Upper Floor, Washington D.C., DC

Friday September 12

SPX Lecture at the Library of Congress: Paul Karasik on How to Teach Anything Comics

Join us for an afternoon with two-time Eisner Award winning cartoonist and international comics instructor, Paul Karasik, who has taught the craft of making comics for decades and will share his unique methods for teaching comics that can be applied in any classroom to any discipline. Teachers, students, cartoonists, and comics fans: come prepared to participate in learning more about how comics are built and how your brain is built.

Time: Noon

Place: Madison Building Library of Congress 101 Independence Ave., Washington DC

Maia Kobabe and Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD for Breathe: Journeys to Healthy Binding

A graphic guide to chest binding with real-life stories and research-backed advice from bestselling Gender Queer author MAIA KOBABE and University of Maryland professor SARAH PEITZMEIER.

Breathe arose from the need for a resource for folks considering chest binding as gender-affirming care. Dr. Peitzmeier interviewed twenty-five people of different ages and backgrounds about their journeys with binding, and then she and Kobabe combined excerpts from those interviews with evidence-based resources on binding into this extremely accessible guide.

Time: 6:00PM

Place: Peoples Book 7014 Westmoreland Ave Suite A, Takoma Park, MD 20912

Fantom Comics Pre-SPX Party

Fantom Comics will hold live comics readings with SPX Special Guests Caroline Cash and Paige Hender, along with SPX Exhibitors Erin Lisette and Andrew White.

Grayson Bear will supply live art to the proceedings

Time: 6:30PM

Place: Fantom Comics 2010 P St NW, Upper Floor, Washington D.C., DC

Saturday September 13

American Association of Editorial Cartoonists Program Panels

The AAEC brings its annual meeting to SPX. They have a full panel schedule on Saturday, including:

Perspectives: Diversity In Political Cartooning
Art Of The Nightmare: Facing Down The Regime With Steve Brodner

Time: 11:00AM-5:00PM

Place: Brookside A/B at the Bethesda North Hotel & Conference Center 5701 Marinelli Drive Rockville, MD. 20852

Small Press Expo (SPX) is the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels, and alternative political cartoons. SPX is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit that brings together more than 500 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 expo includes a series of panel discussions and interviews with this year's guests.

The Ignatz Awards are held every year at SPX recognizing outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning.

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