Tampa Book Buzz

beautiful losers at usf’s contemporary art museum

The University of South Florida’s Contemporary Art Museum is presenting “Beautiful Losers: Contemporary Art and Street Culture” from November 4 to December 17.

This exhibition of multi-media art and design …explores the recent work of a diverse group of visual artists that have emerged from aspects of street culture loosely organized around the subcultures of skateboarding, graffiti, punk and hip-hop in urban U.S. cities. It includes painting, sculpture, photography, film, video and performance by 30 individuals who have emerged over the last decade. For information visit www.usfcam.usf.edu/framestest/irafs.html

(From an email from USF.)

On Friday, November 4, from 6 to 7 p.m. at USF’s Contemporary Art Museum, there will be a booksigning with artist Ryan McGinness on his new publication Installationview.

opening lines:good girls don’t by kelley st. john

From Kelley St. John’s new book Good Girls Don’t (coming out in December 2005):

Digging through her briefcase, Colette Campbell snagged her cellular phone in one hand and her contact’s information sheet in the other, while her sister rummaged through her green glitter-embellished duffel bag to grab a bright, pink, misshapen vibrator. Both girls were notorious for bringing their work home; tonight was no exception.

Oh yes, you read that correctly.

I started reading Good Girls Don’t Friday morning in my doctor’s office’s waiting room and caused a minor stir when I half-gasped, half-laughed while reading the first page. I finished it last night and will post my review this week. Go ahead and put Good Girls Don’t on your holiday shopping list for yourself, your sister or your friend. (But not for your mother or your elderly aunt!)

yesterday’s festival of reading

Have you ever climbed out of bed in the morning and known that you were going to have a good day? That doesn’t happen to me very often, but it did yesterday. After The Husband got home from work at 11 a.m., we headed to St. Pete for the Times‘ Festival of Reading. I returned home with a sore throat from constant talking, sunburned, and very, very happy.

Did I buy lots of books, get some books signed or attend a panel discussion? Um…no, no, and no. I spent about five hours walking around talking to local authors and learning about their books. It was wonderful.

I learned about the Alley Cat Players, a local group who put on poetry readings and performances at local libraries. I finally got to meet the wonderful local author Wendy Boucher in person and learn how to pronounce her last name correctly (for the record, it’s “boo-SHAY”). I learned that the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative is updating its website in January and will have the capacity for email lists, for those (like me) who are interesting in finding out about upcoming events.

I finally got to meet local author Skip Allen in person. Skip has mastered the art of the cliffhanger. He told me a little about the book he has just finished (the sequel to Out of Ashes), but stopped mid-plotline to end his sentence with “and you’ll have to wait until the book comes out to find out what happens.” No, Skip, I’m not anxiously awaiting your next book; nope, not at all. Wait, when did you say it was coming out?

I had a chance to meet local author David McRee, a.k.a. Beach Hunter, author of the new book Florida Beaches. I picked up some information about the Tampa Writers Alliance and met several of its members.

And much, much more. Over the next week or so I will write about the local authors I met and post a couple of pictures from the event.

is haslam’s haunted?

Just in time for Halloween:

According to tbt* (*Tampa Bay Times), local artist Brandy Stark and the S.P.I.R.I.T.S. (Servicing Paranormal Investigators Reporting Information Through Study) have visited Haslam’s Bookstore in St. Pete…

…on three occasions to see if, according to local lore, it’s haunted by the ghost of Jack Kerouac, the famed Beat Generation writer who died in 1969 in St. Petersburg. While alive, Kerouac regularly visited Haslam’s, reshelving his own novels to make them eye-level with customers. For decades, it’s been rumored the writer’s ghost still hangs around.

oprah says:read a million little pieces by james frey

The awesome power and influence of Oprah continue undiminished (and somewhere in America, James Frey (A Million Little Pieces) is jumping for joy).

the book standard interviews stuart woods

Here’s an interview with Stuart Woods (Chiefs, Iron Orchid) that I found in the Book Standard. Woods will be at Inkwood Books on November 7.

what are you doing tomorrow?

The St. Petersburg Times‘ Festival of Reading is Saturday and I’m ready to go. I’ve charged the batteries in my digital camera and practically memorized the schedule on the Festival’s website. While there will be many authors there from Florida and across the U.S., I must admit that I’m most excited about meeting the authors from the Tampa Bay area who will be at the Festival.

Featured local authors include Gary Mormino (Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams), Jeff Klinkenberg (The Seasons of Real Florida), Marc D. Giller (Hammerjack), Lee Irby (7,000 Clams) and Raymond Arsenault (Paradise Lost? The Environmental History of Florida).

Among the local booksellers and exhibitors will be the Largo Area Historical Society, the Tampa Writers Alliance (where Skip Allen, author of Out of the Ashes, will be in the afternoon), the Literacy Council of St. Petersburg, and Hoyden Press, LCC (where Wendy Boucher, author of Parvenue Throws a Party, can be found).

This list is only partial; there’s no way I can post the complete list here. The Festival of Reading is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. October 29 at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus and is FREE. Hope to see you there.

running moonshine? trouble with the law? it’s all water under the bridge

Carol Overstreet has used the very colorful life of 93-year-old moonshine-runner/watermelon farmer Clarence Lane of Zephyrhills as one of the main characters in her new book Water Under the Bridge. The Tampa Tribune has more.

(Thanks go to Sticks of Fire for sending this to me.)

counting down to the times festival of reading this weekend

Only a few more days until the Times Festival of Reading. In the meantime, check out Margo Hammond’s great summary in the St. Pete Times.

local author kendall smith-sullivan in st. pete times

The St. Pete Times recently had a nice article about local author Kendall Smith-Sullivan and her new book Soulmate Logic. Faithful readers will remember that I mentioned Smith-Sullivan’s new book here a few weeks ago. I’m always glad to see local authors get some publicity.