last weekend i went to the ladies of letterpress conference {i went last year, remember this recap and here too?} held in asheville, north carolina. {warning, this post is full of iphone pics, not the best of quality, sorry!}
as usual, the conference had some fun swag
there was informative panels and awesome speakers {from seasoned printers to retailers and legal experts} that were more than happy to share their stories, expertise, and tips
above, ladies of letterpress co-founders jessica and kseniya greeting everyone
{top photo amy of paper boat studios , rachael of pistachio press, kathryn of blackbird press middle photo susan of chirps and cheers, holly of salutations, peter of laywine's bottom photo liz of full circle press, travis of parklife press, lisa of sapling press, allison of igloo press}
oh and so many more not pictured like kyle of boxcar press and john of letterpress things
the reception and keynote were held at the nearby "venue" where abigail rorer of lone oak press gave an inspirational talk on her lifetime career in printing
this year the trade and printer's fair was twice as large as last years, from paper vendors to a showcase of wares from talented printers
headcase press {yes, that is type jewelry!}
fair trade eco handmade papers made from women in bangladesh - sustain & heal by de milo design
letterpress goodies from pistachio press, smokey road press, fly rabbit press, and greengirl press
there was a screening of proceed and be bold, a letterpress documentary on amos kennedy jr, a known name in the letterpress world, followed by a Q&A session with amos and film director laura zinger
there is amos signing some posters i bought. his posters range from bold and thought provoking to witty.
believe it or not, there was even a mixer and printer's dance party - yes, i said it. believe you me, these printers can get down!
the most invaluable part of the conference is meeting fellow printers! i met allison and daniel of ink meets paper and co-founders of the letterpress hotline {have i told you that i am volunteer for the hotline?! it's free, if you have a question, call to speak to a letterpress printer!}
and a slew of incredibly talented printers including fellow chicagoan shayna of steel petal press, julie and tyna of henry + co, and kat of gilah press
and of course in between all of the learning and mingling was a whole lot of indulging in local asheville eats
thank you ladies of letterpress for another great year... see you all next year in iowa!