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Founded in 1997, SLPA is
incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in
Missouri. We are an affiliate of the Publishers
Marketing Association (PMA) and a partner of the Small
Publishers Association of North America (SPAN).
In March, 1997, Dan Malan and
Scottie Priesemeyer (Tula Publishing) decided to get a
group of St. Louis small press publishers together at
Library, Ltd. to give a seminar celebrating "Small Press
Week." They contacted several local publishers who were
also members of PMA. The response was great!
They then got together with Linda
Ardakani, who was a participant at the seminar, and
formed the St. Louis Publishers Association.
At the first meeting, approximately
12 people showed up at Bixby Hall on the Washington
University campus. In May there were 40 attendees. And
in June, over 60 people filled the small auditorium at
Washington University. Dan Malan agreed to be the first
president, Linda the secretary, and Scottie the PR
director.
The fledgling organization held
other seminars at various St. Louis bookstores and also
hosted a conference in October 1997 with Kate and Doug
Bandos as featured guests.
The organization continued to form
and grow throughout 1998. In 1999, SLPA became a
non-profit association, an affiliate of PMA and a
partner of SPAN. It also began regular publication of
the St. Louis Publishers Association News & Views, ISSN:
1524-5195.
From those formative years, SLPA has
become a vibrant association of nearly 100 local and
regional publishers, authors and others. SLPA regularly
sponsors educational and marketing activities for its
members and community interest events for the general
public.
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