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Interview

Jeff Alexander p1

Readersvoice.com aims to collect a few interesting reading tips. The Small Press Expo (SPX) is an annual independent comics convention at Bethesda, Maryland, near Washington D.C.. It was founded by some comics retailers in 1994. This year, on September 11 and 12, visitors can see hundreds of comics artists and publishers displaying their work.

I’ll be on another continent — my usual one — so it doesn’t look like I’ll be able to make this year’s Small Press Expo at Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A on September 11 and 12. But it must be great wandering around and looking at the comics that people have come up with, and talking with the artists.
With the Small Press Expo, or SPX, what goes on display is in the hands of the individual creators who’ve booked a space at the Expo (Spaces sold out weeks in advance of this year’s SPX.). This openness to interesting work with numerous points of view and styles, is healthy for fiction, art and the comics that combine them.
SPX also features a lot of talks about artists like Dan Clowes and the Hernandez Brothers, with guest appearances, and these can be relied on to feature the best comics creators today.
Jeff Alexander is executive director of the SPX. I asked him about the SPX, and picked up some interesting reading suggestions, including some novels, Japanese comics and some of his favorite comics from previous years at the SPX. And I asked about what he’d been up to lately.

READERSVOICE.COM: What is the Tokyo trip you are going on for two weeks (in August)?

JEFF ALEXANDER: I wish I could say it was related to SPX, but it is a regular vacation.
My girlfriend’s daughter is at Todai University on a fellowship, so we thought it would be a good excuse to visit.

RV: What are some of the jobs or things you have to take care of before the Small Press Expo will be ready for September 11 and 12 at Bethesda, Maryland?

JA: There are the mundane things that are a part of any convention such as ensuring audio visual contracts with the hotel are correct, floor plans are approved by the decorator, and catering menus are approved. We also are working on having a limited edition souvenir available at registration. This will have signed and numbered prints of the art for the poster, flyer, program guide, and staff t-shirt. We are also gearing up our promotional efforts to let people know who our main guests are and to introduce them to the new addition to SPX, the Animation Showcase of independent animation.

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-Copyright Simon Sandall.