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SunLit Festival a three-week literary smorgasbord in St. Petersburg

 
Jane Hirshfield
Jane Hirshfield
Published April 3, 2017

The third annual SunLit Festival bills itself as a "literary smorgasbord," and it's not kidding. Fans of literature and other arts can devour their fill during the three-week festival.

Author talks and poetry readings are on the schedule, of course, as well as lots of fun events for young readers.

But the festival, the creation of Keep St. Pete Lit and its director, Maureen McDole, has an array of exciting and surprising "litertainment." There's Voodoo Macbeth, a production of Shakespeare's "Scottish play" with an African-American cast; Lucha Libro, pitting eight writers in a contest of under-the-gun composition; and Literary Carousel, featuring local writers responding to works of art in the Museum of Fine Arts' collection.

Film showings include Jump at the Sun, a biography of writer Zora Neale Hurston. A St. Petersburg literary festival has to honor Jack Kerouac, and this one offers two films related to the Beat writer as well as a performance and talk by one of his closest friends, jazz musician David Amram.

The festival leads up to the three-day Florida Antiquarian Book Fair and culminates with a celebration of new work by local bestselling author Lisa Unger and award-winning artist Ya La'ford.

And those are just a few highlights. Here's the complete menu. Events take place in St. Petersburg and are free unless otherwise noted.

Colette Bancroft, Times book editor

APRIL 6

SunLit Festival Kickoff Party, with guest speakers and storytellers and the presentation of the 2017 SunLit Award. 7-9 p.m., Chihuly Collection, 720 Central Ave. Tickets $30 at keepstpetelit.org/sunlit-festival.

APRIL 8

Voodoo Macbeth, inspired by Orson Welles' 1936 production and featuring an all-African American cast. Opening night 7 p.m. Saturday at the Studio@620, 620 First Ave. S, with matinees at 3 p.m. April 15-16 and April 23 and evening performances at 7 p.m. April 13-14 and April 20-22. $25, $20 students and seniors at thestudioat620.org.

April 10

An Evening With Craig Pittman (Oh Florida! How America's Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the County), author and Tampa Bay Times environmental reporter. 5:30 p.m., Mirror Lake Library (second floor), 280 Fifth St. N.

April 11

First Draft features readers and storytellers on the theme of "heat." 7 p.m., Unscripted Theater, 14 18th St. S.

Silent Read and Write-in is an hour and a half of writing and reading in silence, with devices checked at the door. 7:30 p.m., Metta Center, 4554 Central Ave., Unit F.

April 12

True Stories is a storytelling competition with participants selected at random to tell a five-minute story on the theme "goodbyes." 9 p.m., Iberian Rooster, 475 Central Ave.

April 13

Pull My Daisy (1959) and This Song for Jack (1983), two films related to Beat poet Jack Kerouac, who lived the last years of his life in St. Petersburg. Special introduction by Kerouac's friend David Amram. 6 p.m., Museum of Fine Arts, 255 Beach Drive NE. $5 or free with MFA membership.

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Poetry at the Dalí with Jane Hirshfield, right, hosted by St. Petersburg poet laureate Helen Pruitt Wallace. Hirshfield is an award-winning poet, translator and essayist whose most recent book is The Beauty. 6 p.m., Dalí Museum, 1 Dalí Blvd.

April 14

From Page to Stage @St. Pete City Theater, with teens performing spoken word poetry and theater excerpts. 6 p.m., St. Petersburg City Theater, 4025 31st St. S.

David Amram: Music, Stories, & Kerouac is a performance by the jazz musician and composer and member of the Beats. 8 p.m., the Palladium at St. Petersburg College, 253 Fifth Ave. N. Tickets $25 in advance or $30 day of show at mypalladium.org or (727) 822-3590.

April 15

Downtown Tour With a Literary Twist combines an architecture tour with readings by local writers. Starts at 10 a.m. from Mirror Lake Library, 280 Fifth St. $10, free for St. Petersburg Preservation members; stpetepreservation.org.

Lucha Libro: The Madness Returns features eight "typewriter gladiators" given five minutes to write to a randomly chosen subject and then read their work. Winner chosen by elimination. 7 p.m., Soft Water Studios, 515 22nd St. S.

April 17

Jump at the Sun (2008) is an award-winning biography of Florida-raised author Zora Neale Hurston by St. Petersburg filmmaker Kristy Andersen. Hurston's great-niece Lois Gaston will also speak. 7 p.m., Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum, 2240 Ninth Ave. S.

April 18

Fiction Live is Wordier Than Thou's fourth annual event teaming Tampa Bay area writers and actors. 7 p.m., Studio@620, 620 First Ave. S. $10 advance, $12 at the door.

April 19

City of Poets features readings by Florida poet laureate Peter Meinke, left, St. Petersburg poet laureate Helen Pruitt Wallace, Eckerd College faculty member Gloria Muñoz and Keep St. Pete Lit's 2017 LitSpace writer in residence, Alison Stone, followed by a Q&A and book signing. 7 p.m., Chihuly Collection, 720 Central Ave.

April 20

Literary Carousel at the MFA is an "Ekphrastic," in which writers interpret a work of visual art. Featured writers are Leonora LaPeter, Stephanie Hayes, Ben Montgomery, David Warner, Paul Wilborn, Sandra Gadsden, Julie Garisto and Steph Post. 6:30 p.m., Museum of Fine Arts, 255 Beach Drive NE. $5, free for members.

April 21-23

The 36th annual Florida Antiquarian Book Fair gathers more than 100 specialty booksellers from across the United States offering vintage books, maps, prints, postcards, ephemera, autographs and other paper collectibles. 5-9 p.m. April 21, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. April 22, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. April 23 at the Coliseum, 535 Fourth Ave. N. Tickets $10 for all weekend or $6 for one day Saturday or Sunday; children 12 and under and students with ID free.

April 21

Adult Spelling Bee Fundraiser for the Literacy Council of St. Petersburg pits teams of spellers against one another. 6:30 p.m. at the Sunshine Center, 330 Fifth St. N. Team entry for two to four people, $100 at universe.com/adultspellingbee. Admission $10, $7 for children 12 and under.

April 22

Mission Compostable: An Earth Day Letterpress Workshop & Brunch combines a discussion of literature and environmental awareness with a print workshop. 10:30 a.m., Calusa Commons, 2161 First Ave. S.

Writers, Winners and the Publishing World is a reading and Q&A by local authors Jackie Minniti (Jacqueline), Lori Roy (Let Me Die In His Footsteps), right, and Steph Post (Lightwood). Winners of the SunLit short story contest will be announced. 2 p.m., St. Petersburg Public Library, 3746 Ninth Ave. N.

Children's Poetry Night Hike features local poets and fun activities for kids. 7:30 p.m., Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, 1101 Country Club Way S. $5 adults, $3 kids ages 3 and up. RSVP required, (727) 893-7326.

April 23

Citywide Read and Write-in will feature free kids books donated by the Educational Book and Media Association and an appearance by bestselling children's book author Sara Pennypacker, right. Bring your picnic blankets, books or notepads and relax under the banyan trees. 2 p.m., North Straub Park next to the Museum of Fine Arts.

April 25

Lisa Unger and Ya La'ford, in Conversation: The Intersection of Art and Story presents the bestselling author and award-winning artist in an event celebrating the release of Red Hunter, the latest novel by Unger, left, and a new exhibition of La'ford's work. 6 p.m., Behar + Peteranecz Architecture, 2430 Terminal Drive S. RSVP at lisaunger.com/release-party.