What‘s the perfect complement to a university that has a strong English department, publishes a fine literary journal (the 49!-year-old Tampa Review) and runs an innovative Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing that attracts name authors like Miranda July, Denis Johnson and George Saunders? How about the Oxford Exchange? It’s not only the hottest place in town for power lunches; it’s also home to the city’s most alluring bookstore, a Ralph Lauren landed-gentry dream curated with a personal touch and witty asides by Alison Powell. Though we mourn the departure from the MFA directorship of Jeff Parker, who left UT for the University of Massachusetts, we still love the brainiac buzz emanating from UT and OE these days, exemplified by the likes of Sweet: A Literary Confection, an e-zine edited with flair by UT professor Ira Sukrungruang. tampareview.ut.edu, oxfordexchange.com, sweetlit.com.
