Hello Kerouacians! We’ve got some cool stuff happening as the weather heats up!
This weekend, on Saturday 05/02 from 7-10 pm (doors @6) our Songwriter Club concert series will welcome internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Steve Forbert.
On Sunday 05/17 from 3-6pm we will host a very special edition of Coffee and Poetry at Jack’s, Larry Jaffe’s Tribute Poetry Reading.
Saturday, 05/23 from 1-4pm we will host a Poetry Workshop taught by Victoria Dym.
Saturday, 05/30 from 12-4pm will be our quarterly Underground Book Fair.
Also on Saturday 05/30 from 7-9pm, this month’s Storytelling @ the Kerouac House will feature Katie Green & JD Adler will open.
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 Steve Forbert
On Sunday, 04/12 from 7-10 pm (doors @6) our Songwriter Club concert series will welcome internationally recognized singer-songwriter Steve Forbert. Don’t miss this chance to see this beloved artist up close and personal.
Steve Forbert is a true American musical treasure, underscored by his 21 studio albums. They are saturated with what venerated rock journalist Robert Christgau discerned as his "omnivorously observant" songwriting, marked by Steve's gift for finding the more profound meaning and magic within everyday moments, as well as his abundant melodic and poetic enchantment.
Steve has released 21 studio albums featuring his songwriting gifts. His live shows are genuinely of the moment, yielding four live album releases on record labels, plus 14 more concert recordings available exclusively on his website. His oeuvre is further rounded out by a tribute album to his fellow Meridian native, country music founding father Jimmie Rodgers, Any Old Time (nominated for a Best Folk Album Grammy award); Steve's 2020 LP of interpretations of favorite songs by other talents that have inspired him, Early Morning Rain; and collections of outtakes and early recordings.
There are 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. Please join us for a night of songs, and stories in this historic atmosphere. 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.
Larry Jaffe's Tribute Poetry Reading
On Sunday 05/17 from 3-6pm we will honor the memory Coffee and Poetry founder Larry Jaffe with a memorial poetry reading by a number of his friends and fellow poets.
You are all invited to join us at the Jack Kerouac House of St Pete to honor its former Poet in Residence, Larry Jaffe. There will be a curated reading and an open mic to follow.
There will cold brew, ice tea and Chef Shelley is baking something to nosh on. The open mic will be limited to one poem, 3 minutes, sign up at the event. You are invited as always to come to listen or read. If you would like to submit a poem to the forthcoming Coffee & Poetry Anthology, we are holding free submissions at the tribute.
Although the event is free to attend, please reply to this invitation through the Eventbrite ticket link below as seating is limited. Larry would want this to be a celebration, so let’s keep it light.
Storytelling Workshop @ the Kerouac House
Led by author and Kerouac House Storyteller-in-Residence Victoria Dym, the three-hour Storytelling Workshop 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
The Underground Book Fair
The Underground Book Fair will be co-hosted by the Jack Kerouac House and local literary group Wordier Than Thou on Sat 05/30 from 12 – 4pm. Meet and shop with local authors, booksellers, vinyl and collectible pop-up shops, artists, organizations and more while hanging out in Jack Kerouac's St. Petersburg home.
Local authors will read from and discuss their works, and the shops will talk about what they do and/or sell their wares. Drinks will be available for a donation and tours of the house are free. Entry is a suggested tax-deductible donation of $5 at the door, which goes directly to maintaining the Jack Kerouac House.
Info for venders: Remember, this is an atypical venue with atypical vendor spaces! There are two large indoor spaces and a large screened porch that will venders will share as well three standard bedrooms (reserved for booksellers). No tents, and there is some furniture in the small rooms, some (like beds) that can't be moved. Please bring your own table (the smallest that will suit your needs, please). Ideal for authors, artists, organizations, and small businesses. Vender registration is $10 + tax.
Vendor Registration for Underground Book Fair
Storytelling @ the Kerouac House feat. Katie Green
After the Underground Book Fair on Saturday 05/30 from 7-9pm (doors 6:30), stay at Jack’s for May’s Storytelling @ the Kerouac House which will feature storyteller Katie Green with JD Adler opening.
Katie Green has been telling stories and facilitating workshops for over thirty years. She is also a political activist, non-violence trainer, and facilitator for the Alternatives to Violence Project. Katie’s work is recognized by the Florida Storytelling Association, NorthEast Storytellers, and the National Storytelling Network. She believes that storytelling can, and does, change the world. for more info: www.katiegreenstories.com katiegreenstories@gmail.com
Kerouac House Storyteller-in-Residence Victoria Dym will emcee and tell. A storytelling open mic will follow the featured stories.There will also be an open mic (each story 5-7 minutes, sign up at the event). 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 plus tax.