Her valedictory column upon taking one of the buyouts the Times offered in its move to cut 20% oof its staff reminded us how much Tampa Bay readers will miss. As the paper’s book editor for 17 years, Colette Bancroft graced its pages with the clarity and thoroughness of her criticism, and as the driving force behind the St. Pete Times Festival of Reading she enabled countless close encounters between local book fans and their favorite authors for the last 14 years. An award-winning writer herself, we hope to follow her prose wherever it leads her next. @colettemb on Twitter
—David Warner
This article appears in Best of The Bay 2024.
