July 2025

Even though we are in the mid-summer doldrums, we want to let you know about some cool events to help you make it through the July heat. The events below will be held at the Jack Kerouac House of St. Petersburg: 5169 10th Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33710

Heads Up!

Our popular, monthly poetry reading, Coffee and Poetry at Jack’s, is taking a hiatus for the month of July but will return on the 4^th Sunday in August, Sunday 08/24 from 3 – 6pm. The featured poet will be Benjamin Leslie and as always the event will be hosted by our poet in residence, Larry Jaffe.

Our inaugural edition of Storytelling at the Kerouac House on Saturday 06/28 was a sell-out success! Thanks and congrats go out to the featured storyteller Walt Belcher and our host for the series Victoria Dym.
July’s gathering on Saturday 07/26 from 7-9pm (doors 6:30) will feature Jim Kissane and our opening storyteller Rubin Drew.  Victoria Dym will emcee the event and tell as usual.
Jim Kissane is a historical author and storyteller who animates America's rich industrial heritage through research and engaging performances. A thirty year Florida resident based in Lutz, he preserves oral histories from the 1850s to the 1950s.
Raised in Elmira, New York, a railroad hub, he absorbed firsthand accounts from family employed by the Delaware Lackawanna & Western Railroad, steel mills, foundries, and oil fields. His extensive career required travel, allowing him to collaborate with most industries he now chronicles and he learned overlooked aspects of their work.
His series, The Story of Industrial America, gathers over eight hundred tales across seventeen sectors, including Railroad Stories, Mining Stories, Timber Logging and Lumber Stories and most recently Automobile Stories. Honored by the Florida Storytelling Association in 2017 and 2023, he is well known and respected in international storytelling circles.
There will also be an open mic (each story 5-7 minutes, sign up at the event), Zero Sugar Lemonade, a cheese charcuterie board, and wine ($8 per glass) at intermission. Tickets are $10 and are going fast. Come to listen and/or tell, limited seating.  For more info:
FaceBook Event Page   Eventbrite Ticket Page

Next, on Sunday 07/27 from 3-6pm we will be hosting a book signing for Michael Lucker whose debut mystery novel, RULE ONE, comes out July 8. Michael is a professional screenwriter and professor of screenwriting with fifteen years experience writing for major studios and fifteen years experience lecturing at major colleges.

Come listen to Michael read from his work, take a tour of the Kerouac House, and nosh on refreshments. Admission is free.
For More info about Michael Lucker and his work:
BOOK
https://tinyurl.com/Rule-One-Pre-Order
REVIEWS
https://michaellucker.com/reviews
AUTHOR
https://michaellucker.com/about-1
EVENTS
https://michaellucker.com/events

That’s all for now, see you at the Kerouac House!