Celebrate the life and work of Irish writer James Joyce at Wilson’s Book World’s Bloomsday event Monday, June 16, 7 to 9 p.m. Presented by Wilson’s, the Stand-up Librarian Meredith Myers and Wordier Than Thou, the event will feature readings from Joyce’s groundbreaking novel Ulysses, performances by Myers, a Molly Bloom contest and more. This event is sponsored by Guinness. Wilson’s is located at 2394 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N., St. Petersburg.
NPR’s Eric Deggans will be at Mirror Lake Library, 280 Fifth St. N., St. Pete, Monday, June 16. A casual reception will take place at 5 p.m., following by a talk by Deggans from 6 to 7 p.m. Deggans is NPR’s first full-time TV critic, crafting stories and commentaries for broadcasts such as Morning Edition and All Things Considered, along with an array of written contributions to NPR.org and other blogs. He joined NPR in September 2013 after writing for the Tampa Bay Times for nearly 20 years.
Wordier Than Thou hosts its monthly storytelling and prose open mic at St. Pete's Studio@620 Tuesday, June 17, 7 p.m. Share your finest prose, or if you’re just in the mood for listening, catch some tales from our area’s talented wordsmiths. The featured reader is Stephanie Hayes, Tampa Bay Times performing arts critic and YA author. She’ll be followed by 10-minute long open mic slots. Suggested $5 donation at the door and refreshments available for donation. Go here for more information.
Share your poetry, stories and songs at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church’s bi-monthly Poetry & Open Mic Night, Wednesday, June 18. The evening kicks off with a potluck at 6:30 p.m. So get there early to sign in and snack; readings and performances begin promptly at 7 p.m. The church is located at 3747 34th St. S, St. Pete. Call (727) 452-2369 for more information.
Got a rant or a story or a poem? Pick up the mic and show off your stuff at Oral Fixation’s LGBTQ monthly open mic on Thursday, June 19 at Ybor City’s R Bar, 1820 North 15th St., Tampa. Doors open at 9 p.m. Performers of all types are welcome and encouraged to share their art.
The University of Tampa kicks off its summer Lectores public reading series this week. Poets David Kirby and Barbara Hamby will read Thursday, June 19, 4 to 6 p.m. Author Kevin Moffett, and novelist/journalist Tony D’Souza will read Friday, June 20, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Authors Jason Ockert and Benjamin Percy will read Saturday, June 21, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Collaborate, generate and confabulate with other creative geniuses! Come out and help create a new original publication at the Tampa Zine Fest Type Mob Creative Jam Session on Friday, June 20, 7 p.m., at Café Hey, 1540 N. Franklin St., Tampa. Typewriters and art supplies will be available. The finished product will be published as a special release for Tampa Zine Fest in July.
St. Pete College professor and author Sheree Greer offers three days of intensive writing, reading and discussion centered on expanding our understanding of conflict, setting and structure as it relates to completing fully realized, compelling movements in fiction or memoir. Her Write Now! Summer Workshop Series, which will take place Friday, June 20 through Sunday, June 22 at a historic bungalow in St. Pete’s Old Northeast neighborhood, will tackle the topics of conflict and desire, service-driven setting, and basic story structure.
Eight of Tampa Bay’s most daring writers face off in live literary combat at the next Lucha Libro competition Saturday, June 21, 7 p.m., at the Bends in St. Pete. During each theatrical round, writers will go head to head, with five minutes to tackle a random prompt and create an original piece of literary brilliance. Each combatant will present their spontaneous creations until an ultimate winner is declared at the end of the night.
