Each year — at the beginning of the winter and summer terms — the University of Tampa's MFA program brings in high-profile poets and authors and occasionally some musicians from across the nation for its Lectores event series.
Those of you new to the area might not recognize the local historic significance of the event's name — Lectores are the readers who informed and entertained cigar workers in early 20th century Ybor City.
High profile, writerly celebs have headlined Lectores. Past guests include Miranda July, Denis Johnson, filmmaker Hal Hartley and musician Joe Pernice. This summer's installment highlights contemporary writer Rick Moody, Nathan Deuel and Susan Minot and several other notables.
The laid-back and inspiring series isn't just for the stiff, corduroy jacket-and-elbow-patch set. Scholars and book lovers of all stripe are encouraged to take in some of the best writers of today — and attend one of Tampa's best free events.
Lectores takes place June 19-26, 7:30-9:30 p.m. (with additional time slots on the weekends) at Reeves Theater on the University of Tampa campus in the Vaughn Center (pictured above). Click here for more about the program and authors.
David Kirby and Barbara Hamby Kirby’s collection He is the author of Little Richard: The Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll, and his most recent poetry collection is called A Wilderness of Monkeys. She is the author of five books of poems, most recently On the Street of Divine Love: New and Selected Poems (2014), and was a 2010 Guggenheim fellow in Poetry. Thurs., June 19, 4-6 p.m.
Kevin Moffett and Tony D’Souza Moffett, author of Permanent Visitors and Further Interpretations of Real-Life Events, is a contributor to McSweeney’s, The Believer and several other publications and journals. Novelist and journalist Tony D’Souza’s The Konkans (2008) was praised by the Washington Post and Poets & Writers. Fri., June 20, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Jason Ockert and Benjamin Percy Ockert is the author of two collections of short stories: Neighbors of Nothing and Rabbit Punches. Percy is the author of three novels, The Dead Lands (2015), Red Moon and The Wilding, as well as two books of short stories. Sat., June 21, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Carmen Gimenez Smith Giménez Smith is the author of a memoir, Bring Down the Little Birds, and four poetry collections. Mon., June 23, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Nathan Deuel Click here for feature on the UT alum. Tue., June 24, 7:30-9 p.m.
Leslie Jamison and Ian Stansel Jamison’s essay collection, The Empathy Exams, won the Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize and is a current New York Times bestseller. Stansel is the author of the story collection Everybody’s Irish (2013). He holds a Ph.D. in literature and creative writing from the University of Houston. Wed., June 25, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Rick Moody and Susan Minot Click here for feature on Moody. Minot’s nonfiction has been published in the New York Times, and her family-centered novel, Monkeys, won the Prix Femina Étranger in France. Thu., June 26, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
