This weekend marks the debut of Staple! Independent Media Expo's very first two-day run, and the underground comic fair is set to celebrate in style with a badass bunch of afterparties, audience participation-fueled art parties and open mics. more ›

Hand-drawn illustrations, limited edition art prints, experimental fiction, self-published zines, comic anthologies, DIY board games, sci-fi plush dolls -- what do all these things have in common? They're art forms that Austin's creatives have a particular knack for, and you can find them -- and more -- at the seventh annual Staple! Independent Media Expo. An interactive book fair and conference promoting comics, art, animation and self-published literature taking place March 5-6, 2011 at The Marchesa Hall and Theater, Staple! is a celebration of underground media featuring panels, performances and an extensive selection of local and visiting vendors. more ›

Most of us developed an aversion to homework at an early age, avoiding anything that vaguely resembled work, like memorizing formulas or reading 500-page novels. But what if your teachers had assigned you the latest issue of X-Men instead of Jane Eyre? Would reading for fun seem more appealing? Dallas filmmaker Todd Kent wanted to find out, and the result is Comic Book Literacy, a documentary that explores the use of comics in literacy education and promotion. more ›

Writer, director and producer Jason Neulander has one of Austin's most impressive resumes; from 1994 to 2008, Neulander was the founder and Artistic Director of Salvage Vanguard Theater, where he directed and produced more than fifty world premiere plays, musicals, and operas - earning him the Austin Chronicle's coveted "Best Theater Director" title not once, but three times (2004, 2005 and 2007). Neulander's work has been staged at national venues including The Playwrights' Center and The Guthrie in Minneapolis and Oregon's Portland Center Stage, but it's his long-running radio play, The Intergalactic Nemesis, which began in 2006, that's been touring to sold-out audiences coast to coast. more ›

Graphic novelist and Texas native Mack White is well-known for his signature style that pairs traditional pulp comic sensibilities with subject matter that often draws comparisons to dark masters like Robert Anton Wilson. He began self-publishing comics in the '80s, and has been featured in a wide range of anthologies including Zero Zero, The Bush Junta (which he co-edited with Gary Groth) and the touring art show Comics on the Verge. His forthcoming release, the graphic novel Texas Tales Illustrated, explores unique stories from the Texas Revolution and will be published by Texas Christian University Press this April. When he's not illustrating, White is co-host of the political podcast PsiOp Radio, and is also acting in the locally-produced film Bozoland. more ›

The Staple! Independent Media Expo, an exhibition of creative media, unique comics and self-published literature, is returning March 5-6 to the Marchesa Hall and Theater (formerly the Monarch) for it's seventh year, to demand so popular that the expo is expanding to include a full second day of programming. The brainchild of Chris Nicholas, aka "Uncle Staple," the event boasts a book fair brimming with local talent and a series of panels featuring artists from around the country, all promoting underground media and encouraging direct communication between artists and their audiences. more ›

Organized by Art Alliance Austin, this annual event is the city's largest and longest running outdoor art fair, and features more than 200 established and emerging artists working in a range of mediums. In addition to all of the creative output, there will be local and organic food producers, interactive art projects, live music, and activities for the little ones. more ›

Those of us who have been naughty all year might well prosper in this economy; we'll be lucky if Santa brings us coal (seriously, did you know that you could heat your house with this stuff?!). For the rest of you, who have no doubt been nicer, crafty elves all over town are coming together to hock their wares at various holiday art fairs. Shopping for local, handmade gifts cuts out a lot of the holiday hassle and is a great way to insure that you are giving unique presents. After hitting up a few of these sales year after year, our biggest shopping challenge is always resisting the urge to spend our gift budgets on ourselves. more ›