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Colette Bancroft - Copy Desk Chief and Books Critic

Copy Desk Chief and Books Critic

I was the kid whose mother said, “Put down that book, go outside and play.” I grew up in Tampa, earned degrees in English at the University of South Florida and University of Florida, and taught literature and writing for more than a decade. Then I switched to journalism, working for the Arizona Daily Star and, since 1997, for the Tampa Bay Times as an editor, reporter and critic. In 2007, I became the Times’ book editor, writing reviews, interviewing authors and helping to direct the annual Times Festival of Reading. I served two terms on the board of the National Book Critics Circle. I live in St. Petersburg with my dog, Marlowe, and cat, Isabel. When I’m not reading, I’m traveling or painting.

  1. "The London Seance Society" is the second novel by Tampa Bay area resident Sarah Penner.
  2. Poet Ross Gay
  3. "The Cuban Sandwich" by Andrew Huse, Barbara Cruz and Jeff Houck won the 2022 Florida Book Awards gold medal for cooking.
  4. Rebecca Makkai's new novel is "I Have Some Questions for You."
  5. Poet Billy Collins will speak at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg on March 23.
  6. Jennifer Egan's new novel is "The Candy House."
  7. Former Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon's new book is “The Book of Joe: Trying Not to Suck at Baseball and Life."
  8. Sarah Penner will launch her new novel, "The London Seance Society," at the Oxford Exchange in Tampa.
  9. Tim Dorsey's new book is "The Maltese Iguana."
  10. Author Michael Connelly
  11. Dominique Richardson and Sorboni Banerjee are the co-authors of "Red as Blood."
  12. Cheryl Head's new historical novel is "Time's Undoing."
  13. Veronica Roth's new novel is "Arch-Conspirator."
  14. Author Michael Connelly's upcoming novel is "Resurrection Walk."
  15. Keven Renken's new book is "Graphic: The Novel."
  16. Brian Broome is the author of the memoir "Punch Me Up to the Gods."
  17. Paul Wilborn will talk about his novel "Florida Hustle" at the Studio@620 on Feb. 7.
  18. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform the first concert of their 2023 tour at Amalie Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023 in Tampa.
  19. Salman Rushdie is the author of "Victory City."
  20. Peter Kageyama
  21. Journalist Philip Bump's first book is "The Aftermath."
  22. Bill Maxwell's new book, "Maximum Vantage," is a collection of some of his columns for the Tampa Bay Times.
  23. Witness for My Father cover