BY NANETTE WISER
VINTAGE ST. PETE
The prolific author and St. Pete Catalyst columnist Bill De Young’s newest St. Petersburg Press book debuts Dec. 2021. “Vintage St. Pete Volume II: Legends, Locations, Lifestyles” features photos and entertaining stories about Tony Jannus and His Flight Into History; The Vinoy Park Hotel; Don CeSar; George Snow Hill and Pass-a-Grille; Raising the Sunshine Skyway Bridge; Captain Mac; Abraham, Martin and John: The Local Connection; Soup, Soap and Snake Oil: John 3:16 Cook; From Bogart to Brad Pitt: St. Pete the Movie Location; Get Your Kicks on ‘Route 66’; Bob Dylan’s TV Special; Making ‘Summer Rental’; Tom Petty, MTV and the Don; Michael France and the Beach Theatre; the Playhouse Theatre; Haslam’s Books; the Florida Wild Animal Ranch; the Royal Theatre; Seminoles in Safety Harbor; The Richest Man in the World; Main Course: Celebrity Dinner Theater; Our Lady of Clearwater. Available online and Tombolo Books.
NAMASTE
In search of serenity and inspiration, I recently read five books by PN columnist Dr. Dennis Merritt Jones: The Art of Abundance, The Art of Being, The Art of Uncertainty, Encouraging Words…Proof That Who You Are Matters and Authentic Compassion available on Amazon. This bestselling author and keynote speaker will transform how you look at your life and work and help guide you through your challenges and journey. My new mantra from Your Redefining Moments? “Compassion is what we extend to others who bear the personal scars of their journey through the valley of vulnerabililty. We can all use a cheerleader at those times when we feel weakest.”
GET CREATIVE
Give the gift of learning this season with an arts class or membership (WADA, MFA, DALI). Indulge your inner artist with writing classes at Studio @620 (short story and prose open mic monthly Wednesday hosted by Keep St. Pete Lit) or Indulge Your Creative Spirit (monthly Tuesday hosted by Wordier Than Thou). Both writing ateliers host classes online as well. Morean Arts Center, Glass Studio and Hot Shop, Leepa-Ratner Museum, Dunedin Fine Arts Center and Creative Clay offer dozens of arts classes. Express yourself!
AUTHOR, AUTEUR
Times Festival of Reading is still virtual this year. The Tampa Bay Times Virtual Festival of Reading returns Nov. 8-14, and the official lineup is here. Louise Erdrich, winner of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for The Night Watchman will talk about her new novel, The Sentence. Other ticketed virtual events include Lauren Groff, Ace Atkins, Lisa Unger, Michael Connelly, Craig Pittman, Cynthia Barnett, and Honorée Fanonne Jeffers.
www.tampabay.com/2021-festival-of-reading