Grab a spoon and get ready for some major updates from the typography community. Alphabettes Soup: Feminist Approaches to Type—a substantial, highly anticipated volume exploring the intersection of gender, design, and typography—has officially transitioned from concept to reality, hitting the press and rolling out an extensive international launch tour.
On April 1, 2026, the comprehensive 400-page publication was printed and bound at Gráfica Maiaduoro in Portugal. The milestone moment was marked by a personal journey to sunny Porto, where the author, accompanied by her daughter, held the very first finished copy of the 2.4-pound volume. Featuring a striking bright green cover dominated by a large letter "A" constructed from smaller characters and glyphs, along with a distinct vertical spine displaying the title, the book represents years of collaborative feminist discourse within the design sphere.
Following the printing in Portugal, the community celebrated with an intimate soft launch on Thursday, April 2, at the Bikini Books headquarters. Drawing a crowd of over forty attendees, the event offered the first public opportunity to purchase physical copies, secure author signatures, and toast to the realization of a project that has been eagerly anticipated by designers, educators, and typographers worldwide.
The release marks a significant moment for the Alphabettes network, an international collective and professional platform that champions women and underrepresented genders in typography and type design. Alphabettes Soup gathers these vital voices, essays, and critical perspectives into a physical artifact designed to permanently document feminist critiques and methodologies within a discipline historically dominated by traditional frameworks.
Following its soft launch in Portugal, the book is now available for purchase globally through independent art and design book distributor Draw Down Books. However, the print run’s journey has only just begun, with a packed schedule of international stopovers, lectures, symposia, and festival appearances scheduled throughout the spring and early summer.
The official North American launch is slated for June 26 through June 27, 2026, at the prestigious Typographics Festival in New York City, where key contributors will take the stage as featured speakers. In the lead-up to the New York festival, readers and design enthusiasts across multiple continents will have numerous opportunities to engage with contributors, attend specialized lectures, and acquire copies of the book in person at cultural and academic institutions.
The international events calendar kicks off in the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Portland, Oregon. There, the Portland State University Graphic Design (PSUGD) Matthias Kemeny Design Lecture Series will present a talk by Tereza Bettinardi, the designer behind the striking visual identity of Alphabettes Soup. Physical copies of the book will be made available at the event through the Volumes Design Library.
The tour then moves across the Atlantic to Europe for a series of high-profile academic and cultural gatherings. On May 26, 2026, Brussels, Belgium, will host the "Without A Center, With Many" symposium. Organized by Garine Gokceyan, the research seminar features several prominent contributors to Alphabettes Soup. While the event is free to attend, registration is required for participants wishing to join the discussions.
The following day, on May 27, 2026, the tour heads to Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Independent publishing space PrintRoom will host an event featuring Nina Paim alongside virtual participation from Amy Papaelias, bringing together more voices from the publication’s diverse roster of authors and creators. Additional details for the Rotterdam gathering are expected to be announced closer to the date.
Concurrently, from May 27 to May 30, 2026, the Letterform Archive will maintain a physical presence at the ATypI Stanford conference, stocking and selling copies of the book to attendees of the international typography gathering.
As the early summer approaches, the tour continues into Germany. On June 12, 2026, Berlin will host Countersession #8, presented by A-Z Presents. The session will feature Nina Paim alongside fellow Alphabettes Soup contributors, offering another localized platform for discussion surrounding feminist perspectives in contemporary type design.
Finally, the tour culminates in New York City on June 26 and 27, 2026, at the Typographics Festival. Amy Papaelias and other contributors will participate in conference programming, and copies of the book will be prominently featured and sold at the festival’s dedicated book fair.
For local communities, academic departments, or independent bookstores interested in joining the global rollout, the organizers have extended an open invitation to coordinate additional presentations and launch events. Organizations wishing to host an Alphabettes Soup event can reach out directly via email to coordinate logistics and bring the tour to new regions.
