We Want to See You in Tampa

The Tampa Book Arts Studio at the University of Tampa joins AAPA in inviting you to the 2008 convention of the American Amateur Press Association in Tampa, Florida, June 12 - 14.

Presentations, panels, and demonstrations should satisfy the tastes of anyone interested in writing, printing, or publishing.

Some of the sessions will include:
- A Mike Anderson talk with PowerPoint visuals on the steps he took from computer to typecaster to reproduce the typeface used by Gutenberg in printing his first Bible.
- A panel discussion by several members on the subjuct, "How I Got My Book Published."
- J. Damien Diachenko on creative computer design in amateur journals.
- Rich Hopkins on re-creating in metal type the first page of the first newspaper published in Salem, North Carolina, for display on a period press in Salem's museum.
- Sean Donnelly on rediscovering the work of amateur printer Walter J. Coates (1880-1941).

If current plans succeed, a convention paper will be produced on an Intertype machine and printed on a Vandercook press at the Tampa Book Arts Studio.

Following AAPA's traditional convention pattern, those arriving Thursday, June 12, will attend a Chinese Buffet honoring long-time member Charlie Bush.

Friday, June 13, sessions will be held at the University of Tampa--its Book Arts Studio, Library, and Riverside Building. The university's Plan Hall is an 1891 Tampa landmark, topped by distinctive silver minarets. It's right across the river from the Howard Johnson, which provides free shuttle service.

A free Spanish-style luncheon will be available for delegates at the nearby Valencia Garden restaurant.

Saturday, June 14, sessions will take place at the hotel, including a banquet that night (the cost: $30 a plate).

We hope you'll share our enthusiasm and plan to attend! For those of you who have to attend "vicariously," we'll try to keep you updated on happenings during the convention. Stay tuned to this blogspot!