Hello Kerouacians!
Although we’ve been chilling throughout July, we are stoked about some hot events coming up in August. We will still offer Tours and Overnight Stays until July 27th through August when we will be hosting Sylvia Jones, noted poet and winner of the Orlando Kerouac Project’s writer’s residency program.
The second week in August will feature house concerts by two internationally acclaimed musicians, Jim Lauderdale and Chuck Prophet.
First, on Friday August 7th we will host two shows starring Songwriter Hall of Fame Jim Lauderdale at Jack’s House. There will be 6:45 and 9pm shows; both are selling out quickly.
Next, on Wednesday August 12th at 7pm Chuck Prophet will do a rare house concert at Jack’s. Update: this show is SOLD OUT.
On Saturday August 15 from 1-4 pm Victoria Dym will facilitate “A Short and Sweet Poetry Forms Workshop: Haiku, Haibun, Tankas, and Fibonacci.”
Saturday August from 10am to 3pm, e’Layne Kelly will hold “A Tribe Wise Women Gathering: Gaining Freedom from Punishing Thoughts.”
Later that same day, Saturday August 29th from 7-9, we will resume our monthly storytelling event, Storytelling @ the Kerouac House, this month featuring Walt Belcher.
Finally, on Sunday August 30th from 3-6pm we will have the next edition of Coffee and Poetry @ Jack’s, this month featuring local fave Tim Huff.
Of course, all of the above (and below) will be held at your friendly neighborhood Jack Kerouac House of St Petersburg at 5169 10th Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33710. Details and ticket info about each event are provided below and on our Facebook page.
Songwriter Club presents Jim Lauderdale
On Friday August 7th the Songwriter Club will present Grammy winner and Songwriter Hall of Famer Jim Lauderdale. There will be two shows - 6pm doors, 6:45 show and 9pm doors, 9 show - both of which will almost certainly sell out.There is very limited seating and capacity for this songwriter listening room series, as the artists perform in Kerouac's living room with the audience seated in the living room, and additional seating stretching out into the enclosed patio (so don’t wear a parka). Please join us for a night of songs, and stories in this historic atmosphere.
Jim Lauderdale embodies the sound of American roots music for listeners around the world. A 2025 inductee into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Lauderdale will release his 38th and 39th albums in 2026: Country Super HitsVolume 2 and a bluegrass collection, The Birds Know. His major label debut,1991’s Planet of Love, opened the door to international touring and established him as an A-list songwriter on Music Row. His songs have been recorded by George Strait, Patty Loveless, George Jones, the Chicks, Old Crow Medicine Show, Lucinda Williams, Charley Crockett, Dave Edmunds, Solomon Burke, and many others.
Between 2004 and 2013, Lauderdale wrote and recorded six albums with
Grateful Dead songwriter Robert Hunter. His many other collaborators include
Buddy Miller, Elvis Costello, Donna the Buffalo, North Mississippi Allstars, Po’
Ramblin’ Boys, and Ralph Stanley. In 2016, Lauderdale received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association; he’s also won two Grammys in the Best Bluegrass Album category.
Host & Founder of Songwriter Club, Shawn Kyle is a multiple Best of the Bay Award Winner and 14X SXSW Austin official showcasing artist; involved with both the Americana revival of the early 2000's and also the Psychedelic Rock and Garage revival of the 2010's. He has a new troubadour based EP coming out in late 2026.
A cash bar by donation will be open before and in between the performances.
Proceeds from the show support the touring artist, as well as the Kerouac House nonprofit. For tix and more info select the show you want to attend below.
Click for Jim Lauderdale EARLY show tickets
Click for Jim Lauderdale LATE show tickets
Songwriter Club Presents Chuck Prophet
Wednesday August 12th at 7pm iconic songwriter and performer Chuck Prophet will do a rare house concert. There is very limited seating and capacity for this songwriter listening room series, as the artists perform in Kerouac's living room with the audience seated in the living room, and additional seating stretching out into the enclosed patio (so don’t wear a parka). Please join us for a night of songs, and stories in this historic atmosphere.
SORRY, THIS SHOW IS SOLD OUT!
Chuck Prophet’s streak of more than a dozen critically acclaimed solo records stretches all the way back to 1990, when the California native first shifted focus from his tenure with pioneering neo-psych band Green on Red to working under his own name. Since then, his songs have appeared in a slew of films and television shows, and his work has been covered by Bruce Springsteen, Solomon Burke, Heart, and a host of others. Rolling Stone dubbed him a “streetwise city kid with an eye for the country.” Uncut proclaimed him a “renaissance-rocker.” And NPR declared that “no one can turn tales from the outer limits into catchy songs quite like Prophet does.”
Chuck Prophet’s latest record, Wake The Dead, dives headfirst into the world of Cumbia music.
A Short and Sweet Poetic Forms Workshop
On Saturday August 15 from 1-4 pm Victoria Dym will facilitate “A Short and Sweet Poetry Forms Workshop: Haiku, Haibun, Tankas, and Fibonacci.”
Are you a poet or a poet and don’t yet know it?
This generative workshop will allow you to explore four short poetry forms, Haiku, Haibun, Tanka and Fibonacci. These were some of Jack Kerouac's favorite poetic forms, and you can practice them in his living room!
Victoria Dym (The Haiku Lady) will be your guide for a fun afternoon in an historic literary house. Come join us for this workshop on Sat 08/15 from 1-4 PM (doors @ 12:30pm) at The Jack Kerouac House of St. Petersburg.
Tickets are $30 plus tax
Limited Seating. Prerequisite: Willingness
Click for Short & Sweet Poetry Workshop Tickets
Join the Tribe Wise Women Gathering with e'Layne Kelley!
Get ready for an inspiring in-person event where powerful women come together to connect, share, and grow. Together, in a supportive circle of women, you'll learn practical tools to step back from the mind's constant chatter, quiet your inner critic, and reconnect with what truly lights you up. This is your chance to recharge your spirit and celebrate your inner wise woman. Don’t miss out on this beautiful gathering!
Your wisdom has never left you. It's simply been waiting for your attention. – e’Layne
Do you find yourself speaking to yourself more harshly than you would ever speak to a friend? Do you look outside yourself for the peace, joy, or validation you long for? Do you sense there is something more waiting to be awakened within you?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you're not alone. Looking forward to our day together, you'll leave feeling more grounded, creative, and at ease—with simple practices you can take home and use every day.
Bring your lovely self and a notebook. Light lunch will be provided. For more information, contact e'Layne @ artbyelayne@gmail.com.
e'Layne Kelley’s master’s work in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology and Jungian dreamwork, her position as Florida's Disaster Mental Health Coordinator, and her life’s work as a coach and professional artist have informed all the practices she teaches. She is devoted to helping others gain distance from their thoughts and reconnect with their inner wisdom. e’Layne is the author of the Amazon #1 bestselling book Roadmap to Ease: Release What Weighs You Down—Embrace What Lights You Up.
Limited seating. Tickets are $60 and include a light lunch.
Click for Wise Women Gathering with e'Layne Kelley tickets
Storytelling @ the Kerouac House feat. Walt Belcher
Also on August 29th from 7-9pm (6:30 doors), we will resume our monthly storytelling event, Storytelling @ the Kerouac House, this month featuring the inimitable Walt Belcher, with local fave Caroline Williams opening. These great storytellers will be followed by an open mic of tellers like you.
After a 35-year career as a reporter and columnist for The Tampa Tribune, Walt Belcher discovered storytelling as performance art. He serves on the boards of the Florida Storytelling Association and the Suncoast Storytellers Inc. of St. Petersburg. He hosts a monthly storytelling Open Mic at the Safety Harbor Art and Music Center. He has told stories at storytelling festivals all over the country. He is the current state champion liar in Florida and South Carolina. He is also author of “Scallywag of the Scrubs: cowboy poetry inspired by the life of Bone Mizell, Florida’s most colorful wrangler.”
Kerouac House Storyteller-in-Residence Victoria Dym will emcee and also tell. A storytelling open mic will follow the featured stories (each story 5-7 minutes, no reading allowed, sign up at the event with Victoria).
Refreshments and snacks will be served at intermission; wine and beer available at the cash bar. Come to listen and/or tell!
There will be limited seating: tickets $10 donation plus tax.
Click for Storytelling with Walt Belcher tickets
Coffee and Poetry at Jack's feat. Tim Huff
Don’t miss this chance to hear local poet and educator Tim Huff on Sunday August 30th from 3-6pm. Writer, poet, storyteller, comedian, and actor Victoria Dym will emcee and also read. The featured poets are followed by an open mic.
Timothy Huff, a Binghamton, New York transplant, is a lover of nature and sunshine - which brought him to our beautiful 'Burg some 30+ years ago. He lives his Florida dream with his dog, Toby. A custom window treatment designer by profession, the Covid crisis brought out his inner poet, sharing haiku with online friends. Tim joyfully shares his observations of nature in his backyard, now named Haiku Garden.
Tim has two published books of haiku poetry. His first book “The View From My Deck, Haikus Inspired By Nature” came out in 2020. After having much success with his first book, he came out with his second book of haikus “Another View From My Deck, Haikus Inspired By Nature” in 2024. Tim gives talks and workshops around the Tampa Bay area.
So come on by and grab a cup of joe and complimentary pastries at the historic Jack Kerouac House. The reading starts at 3pm (doors at 2:30). You can sign up to read (limit 2 poems) with our resident poet and emcee Victoria Dym when you get to Jack’s house.
Tickets are $10 each plus tax and fees.
Click for Coffee & Poetry at Jack's featuring Tim Huff tickets
That’s it for our offerings this month. Don’t forget, the Jack Kerouac House is also available for private events, parties, tours, and overnight stays. Keep in touch by following us on Facebook and Instagram!