St. Pete celebrates City of Writers Poetry Festival
ST. PETERSBURG — In celebration of National Poetry Month this April, the city of St. Petersburg’s new poet laureate, Denzel Johnson-Green, and several partners are presenting the fourth annual City of Writers Poetry Festival. All month, the festival will bring a wide range of events to the community, from thought provoking discussions with acclaimed poets to hands-on writing workshops and inspiring live readings.
The City of Writers Poetry Festival includes partnerships with local organizations and businesses, including Black Crow Coffee, The Studio@620, Book+Bottle, Culture Creative, Tombolo Books, and many more.
“The City of Writers Poetry Festival is back, and St. Pete is ready to showcase all we have to offer,” said Johnson-Green. “This festival is where our city’s voices, businesses, and performers come together to remind residents and visitors what makes this place so special when it comes to the written word.”
Following is a look at some of the events featuring local and national poets and authors:
• Doodads and Shim Shams: Show-n-Tell Style Poetry — Sunday, April 12, 3-5 p.m., at Black Crow Coffee in Grand Central, 2157 First Ave. S.
• “Speaking in Italics” with Gregg Shapiro, Rick Karlin, and Tyler Gillespie — Thursday, April 16, 7 p.m., at Tombolo Books, 2153 First Ave. S.
• Speak Easy: Words That Breathe Poetry Show — Saturday, April 18, 8 p.m., at Culture Creative, 2108 34th St. S.
• Mangrove Poems: A Weedon Island Poetry Walk — Sunday, April 19, 9 a.m., at Weedon Island, 1800 Weedon Drive NE, at the parking lot.
• Book + Bottle Poetry Reading with poets Alexandra Morgan, Unspoken, and Jamaal Rocke — Wednesday, April 22, 6-8 p.m., at Book + Bottle, 17 Sixth St. N.
• Moonrise Poetry: Who Are We? Why Do We Create? — Thursday, April 23, 7-9 p.m., at Lassing Park, 2042 Beach Drive SE.
• Blackberry Poetry Jam — Friday, April 24, 6-9 p.m., at Black Crow Coffee, 722 Second St. N.
• Launch event for “Mending the Nets” with Maureen McDole and Helen French — Friday, April 24, 7 p.m., at Tombolo Books, 2153 First Ave. S.
• Distant Worlds: Writing Poems to the Sounds of a Cello and a Lush Colorscape, with Cellist Cori Lint — Sunday, April 26, 3-5 p.m., at Museum of Fine Arts, 255 Beach Drive NE.
For more information and the full event list, visit stpete.org/cityofwriters.
Events are free and open to the public unless stated otherwise. Some events require advance registration.
GCAA Artworks announces new exhibit
ST. PETERSBURG — The Gulf Coast Artists’ Alliance will present “Vernal Equinox 2026” by the Muzicianist. An opening reception will take place on Saturday, April 11, 5 to 9 p.m., at GCAA Artworks, 5546 First Ave. N., St. Petersburg.
The artists’ work is a multi-sensory exploration of light and sound, manifested through fluorescent and LED instrumentation, UV-reactive materials, and digital videography. His creation begins with the auditory, then construction of a physical stage using UV-reactive backgrounds and light-based costumes. The artist then applies global light-painting filters, visual effects and then deconstructs the video into still images for a physical print.
The exhibition will run through April 25. It is free and open to the public. Visit www.gcaa-artworks.com.
Creative Pinellas announces Arts Tourism Funding Program
Creative Pinellas is spearheading a transformative new arts tourism funding program designed to position Pinellas County as a premier cultural destination while strengthening its creative economy.
On March 24, the Pinellas Board of County Commissioners approved the $500,000 program by unanimous vote. Creative Pinellas will direct the program, which is funded by Visit St. Pete-Clearwater (VSPC) with support provided by St. Petersburg Arts Alliance and Clearwater Arts Alliance.
The inaugural program will fund a wide range of experiences created by artists and arts organizations selected through a competitive process. The experiences will shape into a countywide, multi-week festival of the arts during fall 2026 featuring performances, exhibitions, workshops, public art, and immersive cultural experiences across beaches, parks, downtown districts, and cultural venues. It is expected to reach an estimated 2.5 million visitors during that time. This marks the first time Creative Pinellas has distributed arts funding to support not only individual artists and nonprofits, but also for-profit arts organizations.
Funding opportunities range from $5,000 to $15,000 for individual artists; and $15,000 to $50,000 for arts and culture nonprofits and for-profit arts organizations. Applications are due by May 31, 2026.
For information on how to apply, visit creativepinellas.org.
Tarpon Art Guild to present April exhibition
TARPON SPRINGS — An exhibition featuring the work of artist “Lori” Dolores Puterbough will be on display through the month of April at Tarpon Art Guild’s gallery, 161 E. Tarpon Ave., Tarpon Springs.
A reception is scheduled for Saturday, April 11, from 5 to 7 p.m. The public is welcome.
Puterbough is a Florida-based artist, working primarily in pastels. Her objective is to capture the feeling of a place or the unique character of a particular animal; to express the awe she feels at the beauty of God’s creation, and to share that with you. Her landscape paintings are primarily of Florida, New England, and places she has hiked and camped: Georgia, Montana, South Carolina, Utah and Wyoming, with more adventures anticipated.
Puterbough paints in nature and in the studio from her snapshots, or a combination of an outdoor start and studio finish. She works freehand — no projectors or AI — although the occasional straight edge, most often a scrap of paper, is used for the occasional building. Her work has won awards in the past few years, including shows at the Dunedin Fine Art Center, Beach Art Center and Pastel Society of Tampa Bay.
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