Printers Ball 2013: Trip & Return

Spudnik Press Cooperative, one of Chicago’s premier independent printmaking houses, is taking the reins for this year’s Printers Ball from the Poetry Foundation, the event’s founding organizer. Printers Ball is the city’s largest annual celebration of literary and printmaking culture.

The Printers Ball theme for 2013 is “Trip & Return,” a playful reference to a letterpress printing term and an acknowledgment of the return to discussion of the craft. This daytime event will host letterpress and screen-printing demonstrations, discussions by well-known print and poster makers, readings from local poets, and performances from Elastic Arts Foundation musicians throughout the many art and design spaces within the Hubbard Street Lofts. Local food trucks and beverage vendors will also be on hand. As is the tradition, over 400 magazines, literary organizations, and design studios from across the country will provide complimentary magazines and ephemera to all attendees of this free event.

Printers Ball events include:

• Artist and writer Tony Fitzpatrick in conversation with Fred Sasaki
• Print-shop demonstrations with Brad Vetter and Alex Valentine
• Free jazz performances curated by Elastic Arts Foundation with Michael Zerang, Fred Longberg-Holm, Paul Giallorenzo and Aaron Zarzutzki
• Readings and broadsides curated by Woodland Pattern with poets Anne Kingsbury, Lewis Freedman and Anna Vitale
• Poetics Theater with the Danny’s Reading Series
• Conversations with Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum and Detroit Wood Type Co.
• Reading and conversation with writer and visual artist Mary Burger
• Risograph demos with SPARE
• Workshops on surrealist poetry, bookmaking and bookbinding
• Summer spritzers by Hornswaggler Arts and WBC-Goose Island Root Beer and Spicy Ginger courtesy of the WIT Beverage Company
• Sweet treats by Ice3 Ice Cream and savory snacks by 5411 Empanadas
• On-the-spot tote bag screen printing by Spudnik Press Cooperative
• Read/Write Library’s BiblioTreka Mobile Library

Plus books, magazines and ephemera from all over! Visit printersball.org for a full schedule.

Printers Ball 2013 is presented in partnership with Spudnik Press Cooperative Printshop and Annex, Platform, Johalla Projects, The Post Family, Simple Honest Work, and IAEOU. Made possible by the Poetry Foundation and Poetry magazine.

Sponsors include WIT Beverage and French Paper