Hello Kerouacians!
We’ve got a ton of stuff happening at the Kerouac House this month.
On Friday 03/06 from 8:30-10:30 pm our Craftsman House concert series will welcome internationally recognized recording artist Michele Shocked to Jack’s family room.
The very next night, Saturday 03/07 from 6:30-9pm we will present a unique event: The Windup: A Baseball-themed Evening of Film and Song.
On Thursday 03/12 at 6pm Songwriter Club brings you internationally touring artists Maggie Koerner and Olivia Barnes.
Thursday 03/19 at 6pm we are hosting this month’s version of Dharma Jams Open Mic, our monthly gathering of and performances by local musicians.
Saturday 03/21 is particularly chock full of good stuff. First, from 1-4pm, we will have our first ever Storytelling Workshop hosted by our Storyteller in Residence, Victoria Dym. Next, stick around for a Craftsman House Presents concert featuring beloved songwriter Chuck Brodsky from 6-9pm.
As usual, we are psyched about this month’s poetry reading and storytelling events. Coffee and Poetry at Jack’s (Sun 03/22 @ 3pm) will feature newly anointed St. Petersburg Poet Laureate Denzel Johnson-Green.
Storytelling @ the Kerouac House will feature Jack Kerouac Estate literary executer Jim Sampas, 7-10pm. Our in-house ring mistress, Victoria Dym, will emcee and perform at both events this month.
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.
Craftsman House Presents Michelle Shocked in Concert
On Friday 03/06 from 8:30 - 10:30pm (doors 8) the Craftsman House Presents concert series will welcome internationally recognized recording artist Michelle Shocked to Jack’s House.
After a 13-year hiatus, activist & musician Michelle Shocked has emerged with the release of her audio memoir, “Bootleg This: Truth vs Reality v2.0”. 40 years after her legendary bootleg album, The Texas Campfire Tapes, snuck into the world, the Grammy-nominee returns with a vengeance. Shocked will perform solo acoustic & is touring alongside Cintra Wilson who will present a short solo drama of Samuel Beckett’s one man show, “Krapp’s Last Tape”. Experience this rare & intimate evening brought to you by “Craftsman House Presents” - call (727) 424-5245 for tickets.
“Michelle Shocked is a true trailblazer who knows how to play with fire” — Rolling Stone
The Windup: A Baseball themed Evening of Film and Song
On Sat 03/07 from 6:30 - 9pm The Craftsman House and Jack Kerouac House are co-hosting a special night of baseball oriented fun, The Windup: A Baseball themed Evening of Film and Song.
We will be screening a comedic silent short film Day of the Catch, which tells the wild but true baseball story from 1915 spring-training in Florida, when Casey Stengel, then a player for the Brooklyn Robins, dropped a grapefruit from a biplane to his manager, Wilbert Robinson, who was on the ground expecting to catch a baseball. The grapefruit splattered on impact, leading the manager to briefly believe his hand had been pulverized. Legend has it this very mishap inspired the name the "Grapefruit League," Florida’s annual spring-training league.
In addition to the film, Brooklyn United Musicians will perform live to the film as it's screened (banjo, accordion,...). Tickets $15. Call (727) 424-5245 for tickets.
Songwriter Club presents Maggie Koerner
Our popular house concert series Songwriter Club will returns Thursday 03/12 at 7pm (6pm doors) with an exclusive show featuring Maggie Koerner(Galactic alumni) and emerging Louisiana songstress Olivia Barnes. Our musical mentor Shawn Kyle will emcee and perform.
Maggie Koerner is a singer, songwriter & actress from New Orleans by way of Shreveport, Louisiana. Self producing music in 2013 in New Orleans, Koerner had the opportunity to take over as the front-woman for legendary touring artists Galactic, gaining international attention for her fiery performances and commanding presence touring alongside Widespread Panic, Charles Bradley and Dr. John. Her songwriting and vocals are featured on Galactic’s albums Carnivale Electricos (2012) and Into The Deep (2015), both of which feature singles she co-wrote with Shaw, “Hey Na Na” and “Dolla Diva."
The host of Songwriter Club, Shawn Kyle, is a multiple Best of the Bay Award Winner and 14x SXSW Austin official showcasing artist. Shawn has been a journeyman musician, a singer, writer, touring nationally fronting indie groups the Beauvilles, AMFMS, and many others. Kyle is currently working on an EP of new songs co written with Grammy Award winner Jim Lauderdale.
Don’t miss this night of great music in the historic setting of Jack Kerouac’s last home. 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. Tickets are $45 and will almost certainly sell out.
Dharma Jams
This month’s Dharma Jams Open Mic will be on Thursday, March 19 from 6 - 9 PM in the intimate, listening environment of the family room at The Jack Kerouac House, 5169 10th Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33710. Dharma Jams is open to all musicians, musical genres, and music lovers, but due to space limitations, only solo, duos and trios please. Light drumming (cajon, congas or bongos, brushes) is great, but no full kits or sticks. A small PA, microphones, amps, DI boxes, cajon, and Jack’s piano will be provided. Spontaneous collaborations are encouraged. Doors at 5:30, music starts at 6pm. Admission is free; donations to the Jack Kerouac House non-profit are greatly appreciated.
Hosting the event will be Jack’s House Band featuring Ken Burchenal, Joe Krivanek, and Kablan. Snacks and soft drinks will be served and a cash/donation bar will be open for your drinking pleasure.
Sign up for the open mic with Joe Krivanek, our emcee, when you arrive. The show is FREE but please RSVP if you know you’re going to attend by emailing here: stpetekerouachouse@gmail.com
Victoria Dym’s Storytelling Workshop
On Saturday 03/21 from 1-4pm we are inaugurating what we hope will be an ongoing series of workshops and seminars with Victoria Dym’s Storytelling Workshop.
This workshop will focus on how to shape a true, lived moment into a compelling story you can tell out loud. Led by author and Kerouac House Storyteller-in-Residence Victoria Dym, the three-hour session will move step by step through the elements that make a personal story work. Join us for a supportive, fun, hands-on workshop shaping lived moments into compelling stories. Optional sharing.This workshop is open to writers and non-writers alike, whether you're interested in live storytelling, personal narrative, or simply want to better understand how stories work when told from memory and voice. Prerequisite: Curiosity.
Victoria Dym is a graduate of the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Clown College with a degree in Humility, a Bachelor of Arts from the University Pittsburg, and an MFA, Creative Writing from Carlow University. Her poetry chapbooks Class Clown and When the Walls Cave In, were published by Finishing Line Press in 2015 and 2018 respectively. Victoria’s chapbook Spontaneous was selected by Northwest Poet Laureate Katherine Nelson-Born as the winner of the 2021 Poem-a-Day Chapbook Challenge and subsequently was published by the West Florida Literary Foundation in 2022. Ms. Dym’s full-length manuscript The Hatchet Sun was published by Finishing Line Press in 2023, and she is currently working on book #5, Shaving the Yak.
Victoria lives in the Tampa Bay area where she teaches poetry, improv, storytelling, and facilitates Laughter Yoga workshops. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn with one of central Florida’s best artists and teachers in the inspiring environs of Jack Kerouac’s living room. $30 advanced ticketing required, limited seating.
Tickets for Storytelling Workshop
March’s Coffee and Poetry at Jack’s features newly appointed Poet Laureate of St. Petersburg Denzel Johnson-Greenon Sun 03/22 from 3-6pm. Local writer, poet, storyteller, comedian, and actor Victoria Dym will emcee and also read.
Denzel Johnson-Green is the fourth poet laureate of Saint Petersburg, Florida. He is the creator and editor of seventeen editions of the poetry journal Neptune which was nominated best literary journal by Creative Loafing. Denzel is the recipient of the Roy Peter Clark Literary Prize and he is the creator of the free, weekly workshop/open mic, Community Poetry, founded in 2019. Since 2020 he’s created several poetry readings including Getting There, The Cavern of Dancing Lights, Moonflower, Slam Sandwich, and Bonfire Poems. His poetry can be found in Saw Palm, Oddball Magazine, The Artisan, Art Coast Journal, and The Fantastic Other. Denzel can be seen talking about anime with friends and writing poems downtown.
Don’t miss this chance to see our new Poet Laureate perform. The reading starts at 3pm (doors 2:30). So come on by and grab a cup of joe and complimentary pastries. You can sign up to recite with our resident poet and emcee Victoria Dym when you get to Jack’s house. Tickets are limited and they are $10 each plus tax and fees.For more info and tickets go to: Tickets for Coffee and Poetry
Craftsman House Presents Chuck Bodsky in Concert
Saturday 03/21 from 6:30-9pm come on out to the Craftsman House Presents production of Chuck Brodsky’s Annual Spring Training Show! Chuck’s shows are always fun, and there isn’t a songwriter in America that does baseball better, like his songs "The Ballad of Eddie Klep", "Moe Berg: The Song", and "Doc Ellis' No-No".
Chuck Brodsky is a storyteller, a songwriter, a troubadour, a modern day bard. His wit and irony, down-to-earth warmth, and quirky, rootsy, finely crafted songs, tell stories of oddball and underdog characters. His songs celebrate the goodness in people, the eccentric, the holy, the profound, the courageous, the inspiring, the beautiful. They poke fun at what needs poking, and sometimes challenge what needs to be challenged. They’re sworn to tell the truth.
Over the past 29 years Chuck has performed at festivals and in concerts all across the USA, Canada, Ireland, Denmark, England, Israel, Lithuania, Latvia, Wales, and the Shetland Islands of Scotland. He’s performed three times at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and 22 of his Baseball story songs have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame’s sound recording library.
Don’t miss the chance to hear what NPR calls “one of the best singer-songwriters in America” in the intimate setting of the Jack Kerouac House. Tickets $27. Call (727) 424-5245 for tickets.
Storytelling @ the Kerouac House
This month’s Storytelling @ the Kerouac House will be on Saturday 03/28from 7-9 pm featuring the Kerouac Estate's literary executor and Jack's nephew Jim Sampas. Jim is coming all the way from Lowell, Massachusetts to tell his story, so don't miss it. Our own in-house storyteller extraordinaire Victoria Dym will emcee and also tell.
Jim Sampas is the nephew of Stella (Sampas) Kerouac, and met his uncle Jack as a very young child. Sampas was born in Stoneham, MA, and raised in Lowell, the city in which his uncle also grew up and was buried when he died in 1969. Sampas is the Literary Executor of the Jack Kerouac Estate, a role he assumed in 2018. He also had earlier experience with the organization – he was the estate’s Executive Director from 1993 to 1999, when he worked closely with the previous Literary Executor, John Sampas.
Although he began an early creative career as a musician, band member and songwriter, he turned his hand to record production, building on his educational experience and time in studios, and the music industry more broadly, eventually establishing his own independent label. His first project appeared in 1997, Kerouac: Kicks Joy Darkness, a spoken word tribute album to his uncle that included tracks from a significant gathering of major cultural figures of our time, including: Joe Strummer, John Cale, William Burroughs, Warren Zevon, Patti Smith, Hunter S. Thompson, Jeff Buckley, Jim Carroll, Steven Tyler, Morphine, Juliana Hatfield, Eddie Vedder, and Michael Stipe.
Since that debut, Sampas has produced many Kerouac themed musical and film projects working with the likes of Tom Waits, David Amram, Michael Polish, Kate Bosworth, Jean-Marc Barr, Radha Mitchell, Josh Lucas, Ben Gibbard, Jay Farrar, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Sam Shepard, Patti Smith, Carolyn Cassady, Robert Hunter, Aimee Mann, Eddie Vedder, The Cowboy Junkies, Johnny Cash, Hiss Golden Messenger, Sufjan Stevens, Patti Smith, Chrissie Hynde, and Ben Harper, to name a few.
Most recently he is the co-founder, with Sylvia Cunha, of Sal Paradise Presswhich to date has released four well received new Jack Kerouac titles: The Buddhist Years: Collected Writings, Self Portrait, Desolation Peak, and a book of quotes, Truth and Beautiful Meaningful Lies. In 2025 he also executive produced several Jack Kerouac audiobooks for Blackstone Publishing, including: Scattered Poems, Book of Blues, Lonesome Travelor, Book of Blues, Visions of Gerardand others.
After the featured stories are told, there will be a storytelling open mic (sign-up with emcee Victoria Dym at the event for a 5-7 minute slot, telling, no reading) and libations and snacks for sale. Tickets are $10 plus tax, limited Seating, Advance Tickets Recommended.
Craftsman House Presents Zoe Lewis
Sunday 03/29 from 4-6pm (doors 3pm) Craftsman House Presentsacclaimed singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Zoe Lewis at the intimate setting of the Jack Kerouac House.
Affectionately known as “a band in a body” Zoë Lewis plays vintage jazz and world beat grooves on anything from the piano to the spoons! Originally from the UK, she’s called Provincetown her home for the last 28 years. She's traveled to over 70 countries picking up musical grooves and stories along the way, released ten albums of original material, toured with Judy Collins, the Indigo Girls, Richie Havens, Nanci Griffiths and has even opened for Pat Benetar on the ukulele!
Her “Small is Tremendous” CD was signed to Judy Collins’ Wildflower record label, another song was signed to Putumayo records and became #1 in the satellite radio kids charts for 18 weeks, she has won numerous songwriting awards, and her songs have appeared on Broadway, in documentaries, movie soundtracks and in commercials. She has 9 CDs of original material and has written 2 musicals; SNAIL ROAD and ACROSS THE POND which were staged in Provincetown to packed houses. She also leads a theatrical 1920's SPEAKEASY which has become a big hit with the Cape Cod summer crowds performing prohibition era jazz.
Zoë has played at numerous music festivals, teaches musical workshops, performs on Olivia cruises and takes her show to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico every winter. As much known these days for her storytelling as for her songs, her performances are upbeat and fun, almost circus-like yet poignant and oftentimes political. Zoë is an entertainer from a bygone age. This show sells out every year, so don’t miss the chance to see Zoe in Jack Kerouac’s living room!
Call (727) 424-5245 for tickets.