KLP Seminars & Workshops

The King Library Press holds seminars and workshops every semester, including the Hammer International Book Arts Biennale, held every two years. The seminars have brought some of the most distinguished printers, type designers, typographers, and book artists from around the world to UK, and give UK students, faculty, staff, and the wider Lexington community an opportunity to gain hands-on experience with noted experts in the field.

Seminars are free and open to the public. Workshops often require advanced registration.

Learn more about upcoming events and find recordings of recent seminars below.

Upcoming Seminars & Workshops

The King Library Press holds seminars and workshops every Fall and Spring.

Fall 2025 Book Arts Weekend

Join us for the Fall 2025 Book Arts Weekend with with designer and printer Brad Vetter. 

How do digital tools impact an analog process like letterpress printing, and how can letterpress printing speak to a digital world? In a free public lecture and hands-on workshop, Vetter will demonstrate the ways in which blending the old and the new can profoundly alter both. Along the way, Vetter envisions creations that are more than a beautiful image – they are calls to action, slices of cultural ephemera, or simple reminders of the good in the world.

A Revival of Sorts
FREE PUBLIC LECTURE
November 14  |  M.I. King Library, Great Hall  |  Reception 6:30pm  |  Lecture 7pm

Drawing on his unique creative process, Vetter will lecture on the means and methods, both personal and artistic, by which letterpress printing remains impactful in the 21st century. A catered reception will precede the lecture. RSVPs are appreciated.

Lasers & Letterpress
COLLABORATIVE WORKSHOP
November 15  |  9am – 3pm  |  M.I. King Library, King Library Press

Vetter and the King Library Press will host a workshop that blends the antique and the state-of-the-art, giving participants the opportunity to create letterpress posters using hand-set type and laser-cut printing blocks.

The cost to attend the workshop is $45 per person ($25 for students). Workshop space is limited and requires reservation. To register for the workshop, please fill out the RSVP form or call (859) 257-1742. Doors open at 8:30 am.

Hammer International Book Arts Biennale

Held every two years, the Hammer International Book Arts Biennale honors Carolyn and Victor Hammer and their legacy to fine printing by inviting distinguished scholars and book artists to lecture on printing, typography, illustration, bookbinding, graphic design, and other aspects of the book arts.

The Hammer Biennale is made possible by an endowment established through the King Library Press. Gifts to the King Library Press are most welcome.

Recent speakers have included:

• 2024 – Dard Hunter III – Hunter's lecture, “The Typography of Dard Hunter – from Magician to Mountain House,” discussed the life and legacy of his grandfather, Dard Hunter, whose devotion to type design, papermaking, and printing made him a key figure in the American Arts & Crafts Movement.
• 2022 – Richard Kegler – Kegler is the founder and lead designer of P22 Type Foundry, an internationally renowned source for digital typefaces. Kegler’s lecture, “Victor Hammer, the Man from Uncial,” honored the legacy of Lexington’s favorite fine printer.
• 2018 – Jerry Kelly – Kelly is an internationally known book designer, calligrapher, type designer, and typographer, and a partner at Kelly-Winterton Press and the Nonpareil Typefoundry, an independent type design firm. His lecture, “Hora Fugit – Carpe Diem: Hermann Zapf on His Centenary,” covered the long career of the German type designer.
• 2016 – Peter Fallon – Fallon is a prize-winning poet and the founder and director of Gallery Press, Ireland's preeminent publisher of poetry and drama. Described as “one of Ireland’s greatest literary talents” by the Sunday Times of London, Fallon spoke on Irish publishing in his lecture, “The Purpose of Praise: Extending the Tradition of Irish Literary Publishing.”

Past Seminars & Workshops

Recordings are available for several past seminars.

• Spring 2025 – Virginia McClure, "Reprinting Waldseemüller’s Map" – McClure lectured on and led the recreation of the first European map to use the name "America" for the newly-discovered lands across the Atlantic.
• Spring 2024 – Mia Cinelli, "Place-Based Typefaces & Tactile Typography" – Cinelli shared the process of creating several "place-based" digital typefaces, revealing how designed letters can reflect hidden histories and form new narratives about specific places.
• Spring 2022 – Chris Fritton, "Painting with the Press" – Reviving the spirit of "tramp printers," Chris Fritton has traveled over 100,000 miles and visited more than 200 print shops across North America. Fritton recounts stories from the road and talks about his stylistic journey.
• Winter 2022 – Roundtable Discussion, "Print/Reprint" – Panelists E. Haven Hawley, Erin McGuirl, Autumn Womack, and Elizabeth Ott discuss the impact of 20th century printing technologies on our collective understanding of social, cultural, and labor history. Recording available.
• Spring 2021 – "Pandemic Printing" – Find out how different book artists around the country have adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Tia Blassingame, Primrose Press. Recording Available.
  • Chris Fritton, The Itinerant Printer. Recording Available.
  • Rejin Leys, Papermaker and Mixed Media Artist. Recording Available.
  • Kadin Henningsen, Meanwhile...Letterpress. Recording Available.