PR: SPX Special Guests Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell, Co-Creators of the March Trilogy

For Immediate Release Contact: Warren Bernard    Email: warren@spxpo.com   Small Press Expo Announces Special Guests Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell for SPX 2016   Bethesda, Maryland; September 1, 2016 Media Release – Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell collaborated with Civil Rights legend Congressman John Lewis on one of the most powerful graphic novel series in the history of the medium. The award winning March series documents Congress Lewis' experiences in the early Civil Rights movement, culminating with the March on Selma in 1965.        The final book in the series, March: Book 3, was released this past June to numerous accolades from across the literary and political spectrum. In July, March: Book 2 won the 2016 Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work, and in August, the March trilogy was in the top three spots on the New York Times Graphic Novel Bestseller List.   Special guests Andrew and Nate will be at the Top Shelf table signing copies of their collaboration, as well as being on a panel discussion about the series as part of SPX 2016 slate of programming.  They are in addition to previously announced special guests Daniel Clowes, Lisa Hanawalt, Jeffrey Brown, Trina Robbins, Charles Burns, Jaime & Gilbert Hernandez, Sarah Glidden Carol Tyler, Jim Woodring, Drew Friedman, Sophie Goldstein, Ed Piskor, and a rare festival appearance by Joe Sacco.   International special guests for SPX 2016 are Tom Gauld, Roger Langridge, Aimée de Jongh, Pascal Girard, Cyril Pedrosa, Steffen Kverneland, Santiago García, Ana Galvañ, David Rubín, Javier Olivares and José Domingo.   Andrew Aydin serves as Digital Director & Policy Advisor to Congressman John Lewis in Washington, D.C., with whom he co-wrote the March series. While studying at Georgetown University in Washington, Andrew wrote his master's thesis on the history and impact of Martin Luther King & The Montgomery Story. As March has grown into a bona fide phenomenon, Andrew continues to publish and lecture about the history of comics in the civil rights movement — including giving talks at the headquarters of both Google and Apple.   Nate Powell, the artist behind the March series, graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 2000. After a decade of working with adults with developmental disabilities, Nate devoted himself full-time to writing and drawing comics. In addition to the March series, his work includes You Don't Say, Any Empire, Swallow Me Whole, The Silence of Our Friends, and The Year of the Beasts. Nate's work has received copious honors, including the Eisner Award for Best Graphic Novel, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize nomination, and four "Great Graphic Novels for Teens" from the American Library Association   SPX 2016 takes place on Saturday and Sunday, September 17-18, and will have over 650 creators, 280 exhibitor tables and 22 programming slots to entertain, enlighten and introduce attendees to the amazing world of independent and small press comics.   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 650 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 Award is a festival prize held every year at SPX recognizing outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning, 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. For more information on the Small Press Expo, please visit http://www.smallpressexpo.com.