Small Press Expo has announced the first Special Guests for SPX 2023. The show takes place on Saturday September 9 and Sunday September 10 with programming and workshops about the amazing world of independent comics and an exhibitor floor with over 500 creators.

Additional Special Guests will be announced over the next few weeks.

SPX 2023 is honored to have the following creators as Special Guests to this year’s show:

Derf Backderf

Derf will be showcasing the paperback edition of the Eisner-Award-winning KENT STATE, scheduled for release summer 2023. This appearance at SPX is also a make-up date, as the 2020 premiere of KENT STATE was wiped out by Covid. The SPX appearance will follow a lecture on KENT STATE at the Library of Congress on Thurs., Sept 7 at 7pm.

Lawrence Lindell

Lawrence Lindell is the author of Blackward, a new graphic novel out September 2023 with Drawn & Quarterly.

Leslie Stein

Leslie Stein is a cartoonist living in Brooklyn New York. She is the author of Brooklyn’s Last Secret, recently released from Drawn & Quarterly.

Tyrell Waiters

Tyrell Waiter’s debut graphic novel, Vern: Custodian of the Universe, is a thought-provoking and hilarious romp through time and space that explores what it means to be human in a world fraught with uncertainty.

Natalie Norris

We are so pleased to announce that Natalie Norris will be a Special Guest at SPX 2023! Her debut, Dear Mini: A Graphic Memoir, Book One, is a bittersweet coming of age story that chronicles the author’s teenage experiences with sexual assault, PTSD, and resiliency.

K. Wroten

Don’t miss your chance to meet K. Wroten as they debut their new graphic novel, Eden II, as a Special Guest at SPX 2023! In the grungy, punk-inflected world K. Wroten creates, a cast of disaffected young characters struggle to find their purpose in life. A blistering critique of digital media and a kaleidoscopic depiction of consumer culture, Eden II is both fanciful and satirical, a combination of deft cartooning and virtuosic storytelling.

Breena Nuñez

Breena Nuñez will be appearing as co-founder of the family owned small press, Laneha House. She will be signing the Laneha House Issue #10 to be released for SPX 2023. This issue will feature a series of comic strips that chronicle Breena’s experience of what it like to navigate life during pregnancy and in postpartum as a mother/birthing parent. Breena will also be appearing as a guest presenter for “Carousel” which will be hosted by R. Sikoryak.