deep carnivale:a celebration of words is set for september 27

July 6, 2008 at 1:34 pm | In Local Authors, Events, Libraries, Bibliophile Fun, Literacy, Florida Authors, Poetry, For Writers, Books, Tampa Bay Area | No Comments

Mark your calendars! Deep Carnivale:A Celebration of Words is now scheduled for Saturday, September 27, 10 a.m. — 5 p.m.

From the Deep Carnivale website:

The Artists and Writers Group, Inc., has scheduled the second annual Deep Carnivale literature festival for September 27, 2008, in Ybor City on the campus of Hillsborough Community College, at the Cuban Club, and along 14th Street between 9th Avenue and Palm Avenue and is free and open to the public of all ages.

This literary festival aspires to bring Florida authors, writers and poets and related vendors together to share in a celebration of literature and writing with the Tampa Bay community. Approximately 70 poets, fiction writers, and songwriters as well as visual artists presented work at the first event in 2007. There are events for all ages.

There will be four sound stages for readings and live music. Literacy and arts activities will be available for ages from 2 through middle school and workshops available to adults of all ages. The schedule is currently under construction and will be announced around September 1.

One goal is to excite all children and young adults about the pleasures of reading and using the written and spoken word creatively in its many wonderful and diverse forms. Another goal is to illuminate the numerous talented writers living in our community, and a third goal is to provide a new opportunity to emerging authors to develop their audience.

The festival will also have an outdoor live music stage featuring singer/songwriters including Ronny Elliott, Bunko Squad and Darrell House. Booksellers, small publishing houses and related vendors will attend the event. Related activities include street theater, food vendors and book signings.

The event is in partnership with Hillsborough Community College-Ybor City Campus, Ybor City Development Corporation, the Cuban Club, BAAMO, Cigar City Magazine, the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative, and Children’s Future Hillsborough.

The purpose of the Artists and Writers Group is to develop and nurture cultural events that contribute a positive and meaningful experience to our community.

As an organization open to all like-minded individuals, the Artists and Writers Group respects the creative and cultural diversity of our community and is committed to equality, peace and social and economic justice. The Artists and Writers Group aspires to provide events and forums to serve the community through the exposure and sharing of these values.

Visit www.deepcarnivale.com for more as the schedule develops or to read about the 2007 festival.

Anyone interested in participating (authors, performers, food/book vendors, etc.) or volunteering is encouraged to contact Deep Carnivale director David Audet at daudet(at)hccfl.edu.

2008 deep carnivale:a celebration of words set for september 20

December 6, 2007 at 3:30 am | In Events, Bibliophile Fun, Books, Tampa Bay Area | No Comments

Mark your calendars! The second annual Deep Carnivale:A Celebration of Words will be September 20, 2008.

“Deep Carnivale:A Celebration of Words is a daylong cultural arts event free and open to public. The event is a literary festival featuring established Florida authors, writers and poets plus the inclusion of new and emerging writers. The event is family-friendly and marketed to a diverse demographic that includes children, teenagers and adults of all ages and cultural backgrounds. The festival is scheduled for September 20, 2008, and will be concentrated at 9th Avenue and along 14th Street to Palm Avenue. Primary events will be programmed at Hillsborough Community College, El Pasjae, Cuban Club, and the Don Vicente de Ybor Inn. Related programming will be developed into the evening and occur at venues throughout the Ybor City Historical District possibly including King Corona, Czar, Tre Amici, James Joyce, among others.”

Visit www.deepcarnivale.com for more info.

welcome to november

November 4, 2007 at 1:09 pm | In Bibliophile Fun, Books | No Comments

So dull and dark are the November days.
The lazy mist high up the evening curled,
And now the morn quite hides in smoke and haze;
The place we occupy seems all the world.

— John Clare, November

Lots of good books are being released this month.

The November 3rd Club ponders “literary values in a political age.”

The National Educators Association presents authors’ birthdays, reading lists and themed reading activities for the month of November.

Happy reading!

st. pete times festival of reading tomorrow!

October 26, 2007 at 12:30 pm | In Personal, Events, Bibliophile Fun, Books, Tampa Bay Area | 1 Comment

Hi there. We’ve met before, but you might not remember me. It’s been a while. My name is Lisa. I used to post on this blog a long time ago, before I was away from my Real Job for a while, which required me to work extra hours to catch up, which lowered my immunity and helped me catch a nasty stomach bug, which meant I was away from RJ again, which of course means that this week I’ve had to work from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. without taking a decent lunch break.

Yesterday I achieved the Grand Slam of Hectic Modern Life: I had no more clean clothes; there were no clean plates or silverware, which didn’t matter too much because the fridge was almost empty; the “put some gas in this car before you get stranded on a deserted road” light in my car had come on; my cell phone battery was dead; I had no cash in my wallet, nor did I have enough change for the Crosstown or a can of soda; and it had been so long since I’d looked at my To Do List that I couldn’t remember what I was supposed to be stressed about not doing.

It was an oddly perfect moment in time when I realized I had won a Grand Slam; I would have cried but I had run out of tissue.

After a brief but vigorous internal debate about running away from home and just starting over from scratch, I’ve decided to do the next best thing: say to hell with it all and have some fun.

Tonight I’m going to the Blogosphere Blast sponsored by local blog Sticks of Fire, to which you are all invited. After a couple of hours there, I’m heading over to Cult-O-Ween, sponsored by local website Crazed Fan Boy and videostore Unique Video, to which you are also invited.

And let’s not forget tomorrow. Tomorrow is THE big event for bibliophiles, ravenous readers and literacy lovers everywhere: The St. Petersburg Times’ Festival of Reading.

Long story short: 140 Seventh Ave. South at Bayboro Harbor in St. Pete from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., free parking. Attending authors include David Andelman, Michael Connelly, R. L. Stine, Scott Deitche, Kimberly Llewelyn and Peter Meinke. (There are many more.) St. Pete Times writers Sue Carlton, Ernest Hooper, Jeff Klinkenberg and Howard Troxler will be there. Dozens of booths have been reserved by authors, publishing companies, literacy groups, libraries, colleges, used book dealers, clubs, organizations and who knows who else. Pineapple Press…JimSam, Inc. Publishing, Pasco Authors and Writers Organization, Florida Motion Picture and TV Association, Book TV on C-Span 2 and the Tampa Writers Alliance were some of the names on the FoR website. Even the group Lawyers for Literacy will be there, for heaven’s sake. (No lawyer jokes allowed. Supporting literacy is a good thing.) Visit www.festivalofreading.com for more details, including the schedule.

If I don’t see you here or here, hopefully I’ll see you here.

I’ll be easy to spot. I’ll be the tall, disheveled woman with dark circles under her eyes who is wearing wrinkled clothing, asking everyone for a dollar for a can of soda, and who will probably fall asleep from sheer exhaustion while standing up if the crowds are packed enough to provide support. Please wake me up, give me a sip of your Mountain Dew and say hello, won’t you? Because I’ll need to borrow your cell phone to call my husband to come pick me up.

“find a treasure sale of $1 books” at old tampa book company october 20

October 19, 2007 at 9:57 pm | In Events, Bibliophile Fun, Bookstores, Books, Tampa Bay Area | No Comments

Received via email:

The Old Tampa Book Company celebrates Live After Five and the Urban Home Tour with a “Find a Treasure Sale of $1 Books” Saturday October 20.

The store is a gem for booklovers in the heart of downtown with over 40,000 collectible, rare, used, and out-of-print books; fiction and non-fiction from automobiles to zoology.

Owners David and Ellen Brown have selected hundreds of books for the sale and invite you to ” search our sale boxes and carts and find a treasure in our store.”

Visit www.oldtampabookcompany.com for more info.

(hat tip to local author Eric Sturm for this info.)

jewish book day celebration november 11

October 19, 2007 at 4:04 pm | In Events, Bibliophile Fun, Books, Tampa Bay Area | No Comments

Celebrate Jewish Book Month with Jewish Book Day on Sunday, November 11, at the Tampa JCC (Jewish Community Center), 13009 Community Campus Drive. Award-winning author Gloria Goldreich (Leah’s Journey, Dinner With Anna Karenina) is the special guest. Here’s the schedule:

10 a.m.-4 p.m. — Chanukah Shopping Bazaar and Jewish Book Fair. Free admission. Bring a Hebrew or English book to swap.

10-11:30 a.m. — story time and children’s activities. Free admission.

10:30-11 a.m. — featured author Gloria Goldreich reads to children from her book 10 Traditional Children’s Stories. Free admission.

11 a.m.-1 p.m. — Jewish Book Month brunch and book signing with Gloria Goldreich. Tickets (open seating) are $36 each. There will be a chance drawing for all brunch attendees.

In addition to the JCC annual Jewish Book Fair, Chanukah shopping bazaar and children’s storytime, there will be book discussions, hands-on kids’ activities, free digital fingerprints and photo for children of all ages (parents must be present) and complimentary gift wrapping.

If you shop at select local Barnes and Noble bookstores (Carrollwood, South Tampa and Brandon) during November 11-18 using this voucher, a portion of the proceeds will go to the Tampa JCC Book Month Program.

Reservations may be made by phone, mail or online at www.jewishtampa.com. Deadline is Wednesday, November 1.

(hat tip to local author Eric Sturm)

news and notes:deep carnivale, tolkien, local library websites

September 18, 2007 at 3:28 pm | In Events, Libraries, Bibliophile Fun, Event Reviews, Books, Tampa Bay Area | No Comments
  • TampaGold.com reports that over 600 people attended the Deep Carnivale:A Celebration of Words festival the weekend before last. (My sources say that it was more like 1,500 people.)  They’ve got pictures, too.  Check it out.
  • Some of J.R.R. Tolkien’s furniture was recently up for sale.  (How cool would it be to actually own something of his??)
  • SticksofFire.com recently posted a good list of local library resources and websites.  Check it out.

deep carnivale:a festival of words announces names of participating writers and artists

August 24, 2007 at 10:20 pm | In Local Authors, Events, Bibliophile Fun, Books, Tampa Bay Area | No Comments

Received via email:

The Artists and Writers Group, Inc. and Hillsborough Community College-Ybor announce the inauguration of an annual, family-friendly street festival for Ybor City, Tampa and surrounding communities, free and open to the public.

DEEP CARNIVALE:A CELEBRATION OF WORDS is scheduled for Saturday, September 8, 2007, on 14th Street and Palm Ave in Ybor City from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This event will be a celebration of literature and writing in its many wonderful and diverse forms. The goal is to excite our community about the joys of literature, with a special focus directed toward our younger generations of children and young adults about the pleasure of listening, learning and using the written and spoken word creatively.

Approximately 60 published authors, writers, poets, songwriters and artists are presenting work based on a diverse range of writing styles, ages, experience and cultural backgrounds.

Authors, writers, poets: Gary Bass, Lisa Birnbaum, Sally Bosco, Matthew Cowley, Silvia Curbelo, David Durney, Asia Elliot, Melissa Fair, Aubrey Hampton, Lynne Hansen, Darrell House, Susan Hussey, Venus Jones, Lori Karpay, Phyllis McEwen, Susan McClung, Don Morrill, Adrienne Nadeau, Rhonda J. Nelson, Chip Neville, Ferdie Pacheco, Joshua Pillock, Gianna Russo, Martha Serpas, Enid Shomer, Jeff Strand, James Tokley, Sr., Megan Voeller, Dave Waterman.

Singer/songwriters: Stephanie Carpenter, Maggie Council, Ronny Elliott, Papos Frassica, Harry Hayward, Darrell House, John McEwen, Chip Neville, George Pappas, Judy Tampa, Al Valentine, Ray Villadonga.

Exquisite Corpse Artists: (The Exquisite Corpse is an art concept from 1920’s Europe that allows for collaboration of any number of artists with just the slightest guidelines and the work is not realized until the actual installation. In this version, each invited artist is creating a 4’ x 8’ artwork with four lines of original poetry for one of the arches of the El Pasaje building at Republica de Cuba and 9th Avenue) David Audet, Judy Tampa, Doreen Horn, Lori Karpay, Charlotte Lee, John Reimer, Judi Jetson, Rhonda J. Nelson, Tracy Midulla Reller, Bradley Arthur, Margie Steward, Carolyn Kossar, Tyler Jopek, Lori Ballard, JoEllen Schilke, Jen Gravelle, Mic Knight, Kurt Piazza, Caesar Carbajal, Bud Lee.

One-of-a-Kind Book Artists: Susan Taylor, James Walker, Neverne Covington, Margie Steward, David Audet, Bud Lee, Charlotte Lee, Bradley Arthur, Tracy Midulla, Carolyn Kossar, Kurt Piazza, Dee Hood, Chris Weeks.

The site of the festival, from the corner of 9th Avenue along the brick-covered 14th Street (Republica de Cuba) to Palm Avenue, was chosen for its proximity to Hillsborough Community College and the historical landmarks of El Pasaje, Ybor Square and the Circulo Cubano. The lovely, tree-lined HCC patio and the HCC Ybor Room, plus the lobbies of the Cuban Club and Don Vicente de Ybor Inn will be important venues for our visiting artists and community audiences. We are excited about the numerous national and regionally respected authors, poets and playwrights reading and performing their works, along with new and emerging writers presenting work.

There will be three sound stages for readings, spoken word, original singer/songwriter performances and small theatrical performances. Areas of arts and writing activities for children and adults of all ages will add to the celebratory quality of the day. There will be visual arts components, such as the Books As Art exhibition, and the 20 arches of El Pasaje building transformed into pages by twenty artists and writers and based on an art concept from the 1920’s called the Exquisite Corpse.

Thirty vendors or so will sell books and related literature. Numerous community organizations will provide information on their activities. Coupled with interesting decorations, live music and a wide variety of scheduled readings and performances that will appeal from the youngest to the most sophisticated, this inaugural event will be well on its way to becoming a flagship event for Ybor City.

The Artists and Writers Group and Hillsborough Community College are partnering, with major sponsorship from the Ybor City Development Corporation. Supporting organizations include the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative, Tampa Review and the University of Tampa Press, the Cuban Club, Ybor City Saturday Market and Grown Man Brand.

Please contact David Audet at daudet(at)hccfl.edu for further details.

Be there or be square! The website is www.deepcarnivale.com.

ephemera:exploring the world of old paper (and good blogs)

August 24, 2007 at 9:01 pm | In Bibliophile Fun, Blogging, Books | 2 Comments

“Ephemera” is one of those words that I know the meaning of but could not define in words if pressed.  The dictionary definition is “printed matter of passing interest.” (That wasn’t so hard; why couldn’t I come up with that?)  Ephemera could be postcards, photographs, booklets, hand-written letters, newspapers, magazines, maps, promotional flyers, club membership cards, record labels, matchbook covers, playing cards and more.

Collector and author Marty Weil writes about finding, buying, selling, collecting, pricing, and most importantly, enjoying ephemera of all types at his blog Ephemera:Exploring the World of Old Paper.  Weil says “Along with posts on pop culture, history, collectibles and art, the blog often features interviews with authors who write about ephemera-related topics and themes.  The site also profiles artists who use ephemera in their work.”

Stop by www.ephemera.typepad.com and enjoy the printed matter of passing interest.  My faves (so far) are the 1969 p0rno movie waiver, the Civil War coloring book, and the Weeki Wachee Mermaid Show slide.

book binding classes in the bay area?

August 11, 2007 at 9:12 pm | In Bibliophile Fun, Books, Tampa Bay Area | No Comments

Does anyone know of any book binding classes in the Tampa Bay area? If so, please post a comment or email me at tampafilmfan(at)aol.com.  The question came from a TBB reader, but I don’t know of any local workshops or classes on book binding.  Thanks!

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