While no promises can be made for bikini weather and beach trips for those staying in Buffalo during the break, there will be an opportunity for members of the community who share a common love for books to come together.
The Buffalo Small Press Book Fair is a one-day event that brings a variety of people including authors, poets, zine-sters, and bookmakers to the same place and encourages the sharing of creative ideas.
The event, which is free to the public, will be held at the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum on Porter Avenue in Downtown Buffalo on March 19, from noon to 6 p.m.
"The book fair really is an egalitarian space that brings a diverse group of artists and authors together to share their ideas and what they're making," said Chris Fritton, the organizer of the Buffalo Small Press Book Fair.
The book fair offers a variety of activities that appeal to people of all ages. A number of free workshops will be given throughout the day. This year, the workshops and presentations will take place upstairs at Karpeles.
Some topics will include "Low-Budget Comics: Creation, Publication, and Promotion," where a successful local comic book artist will talk about his work and its creative process as well as how artists can share their work on a tight budget. "Zoetropes: Analog Animation" is a presented by members of Squeaky Wheel where the audience can view homemade zoetropes and learn how to make their own. A zoetrope is a collection of static images that when put into motion appear to be a moving action reel.
Finally, "Copyright, Fair Use, and other Legal Issues" gives essential information on touchy subjects like trademarks, unauthorized biographies, and defamation.
Space upstairs at Karpeles is limited and admittance is available on a first-come-first-serve basis. The workshops are meant to be brief and fun, and questions are always encouraged.
In conjunction with the workshops, the lower level of Karpeles will be filled with vendors that have been accepted by Fritton to display and sell their work. One of the vendors this year will be a group called "We, the notorious pronouns."
This up-and-coming independent poetry group, which is comprised of current and former UB students, was formed in late September of 2010. They have self- published a collection of poems and embrace the slogan, "This ain't your gramma's poetry."
Copies of the group's latest book will be sold to anyone who inquires and hopes to become associated with small book publishers and writers, according to John Cuittito, a UB graduate and member of the group,
"The [Buffalo Small Press Book Fair] will have a whole host of different publications available at very reasonable prices," Cuittito said. "I know I am personally excited to discover what gems I can pick up there."
The book fair has been held annually for the past five years and has shown increased popularity each year. A pre-party has been scheduled on March 18 at the Western New York Book Arts Center. Poetry readings and special guest readers from innovative small presses throughout the country will be presenting. This will save space for vendors on the day of the actual book fair.
"Last year there were 90 vendors, and now there are 110, and the first year there were only 65," Fritton said.
In addition to the vendors on the first floor, the book fair will also give a historical poetry experience for the people walking around.
Karpeles has a number of display cases on its first floor. The Poetry Collection at UB will be presenting a one-day display of historical poetry, according to Fritton. The Poetry Collection is a strong sponsor of this event.
"The Poetry Collection is an active facet of the realm of the poem, particularly in Buffalo," said Michael Basinski, curator of the Poetry Collection at UB. "We do all things poetry. Poets are our people. Where the poets are, we are."
For more information on the Buffalo Small Press Book Fair, visit its website at www.buffalosmallpress.org.
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