{"id":363707,"date":"2026-08-05T20:42:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T20:42:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/363707\/"},"modified":"2026-08-05T20:42:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T20:42:14","slug":"gig-from-stand-up-comic-and-novelist-sam-tallent-tops-list-of-best-things-to-do-in-tampa-bay-this-week-august-6-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/363707\/","title":{"rendered":"Gig from stand-up comic and novelist Sam Tallent tops list of best things to do in Tampa Bay this week [August 6-13]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ASam Tallent Credit: samtallentcomedy \/ Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a whole heck of a lot going on inside Sam Tallent<\/a>\u2019s egg of a skull.<\/p>\n

In 2024, the 39-year-old told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that he was excited to head to Paris and get to work on a follow-up to his critically-acclaimed debut novel \u201cRunning The Light.\u201d<\/a> On Sept. 22, \u201cBrut,\u201d his 368-page thriller<\/a> hits shelves.<\/p>\n

Tallent recently told WDET<\/a> that the novel centers on a contract killer doing one last hit, but that it\u2019s really about two Marines who fall in love but then find themselves unable to deal with their toxic masculinity and the fact they\u2019ve fallen in love with a man. It\u2019s pulp fiction, he added, and it\u2019s a boy beach read that\u2019s lyrical and full of prose describing people getting pummeled to death.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fun to have the people who come to my shows and tell them, \u201c\u2018Oh, it\u2019s a hitman,\u2019 and then they\u2019re reading a book about two gay men desperately in love,\u201d he told the radio station. \u201cI like pulling that little switch on, the young men in their white hats and polo shirts.\u201d<\/p>\n

A true rare, um, talent, Tallent returns to Tampa for five shows next Thursday-Saturday, Aug. 13-15. Tickets start at $25.<\/a><\/p>\n

This listing is maintained by CL staffers and contributors, who also keep a close eye on the publication\u2019s user-submitted events calendar. Please help us out by submitting yours at community.cltampa.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A&E<\/p>\n

GrowHouse\u2019s 1st Mondays Open Mic and Poetry Workshop Every first Monday. 7 p.m. No cover. The Backroom, Tampa<\/p>\n

The Art of Banksy On view through Aug. 30. $29.99 & up. Morsani Hall at David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa<\/p>\n

Oh, Cuore Mia Through Sept. 17. No cover. Tempus Projects, Ybor City<\/p>\n

Jun Kaneko: Silence Before Sound<\/a> Through Aug. 23. $5 & up. Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa. tampamuseum.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Art After Dark: Summer Sessions Thursday, Aug. 6. 5 p.m. No cover for members and under 18; $16 for everyone else. Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg. mfast.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Dani Lewis: Apricity (Opening reception) Saturday, Aug. 8. 5 p.m. No cover. Morean Center for Clay, St. Petersburg moreanartscenter.org<\/a><\/p>\n

The Art of Flight: Birds in Helping Hands Fundraiser w\/Sasha Tuck Friday, Aug. 7. 6-9 p.m. No cover. Brenda McMahon Gallery, Gulfport<\/p>\n

Ernesto Maranje: To the Edge of the Wild (Opening Reception) Saturday, Aug. 8 (on view through Sept. 19). 5 p.m.-9 p.m. No cover. Wild Space Gallery at The Factory, St. Petersburg<\/p>\n

Still Forces: Browne Art Salon Grand Opening w\/Paul Tilton Saturday, Aug. 8. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. No cover (RSVP). Browne Art Gallery, St. Petersburg<\/p>\n

Theatre Kids Broadway Dance Party Saturday, Aug. 8. 8 p.m. $20.97. Orpheum, Tampa<\/p>\n

New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations Thursday, Aug. 13 through Jan. 3, 2027. 5-8 p.m. Museum admission $12-$24. Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg<\/p>\n

Asian Summer Food & Music Festival Friday-Sunday, Aug. 21-23. 12 p.m.; 5 p.m. Friday. No cover. Coachman Park, Clearwater<\/p>\n

Coffee and Poetry featuring Tim Huff Sunday, Aug. 30. 3 p.m. $12.51. Kerouac House, St. Petersburg. stpetekerouachouse.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue Saturday, Oct. 24. 7 p.m. $57.50 & up. Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater<\/p>\n

An Evening with the Celebrity Housewives Wednesday, Nov. 11. 7:30 p.m. $72.80 & up. Ferguson Hall at Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa<\/p>\n

Dante Gebel Tuesday, Nov. 17. 8 p.m. $69.09 & up. Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Tampa<\/p>\n

Cirque du Soleil: \u2018Twas The Night Before Select times and dates from Wednesday-Sunday, Nov. 18-29. Prices TBA. Morsani Hall at Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa<\/p>\n

Jonathan Van Ness Thursday, Nov. 19. 8 p.m. $81 & up. Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Tampa<\/p>\n

Bookish<\/p>\n

Book Bedazzling Thursday, Aug. 6. 6 p.m. Sold out. The Gilded Page, Tarpon Springs. thegildedpagebookstore.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Aaron Cline Hanbury Sunday, Aug. 9. 3:30 p.m. $6.71 & up. Oxford Exchange, Hyde Park<\/p>\n

OE Book Club: On the Calculation of Volume Tuesday, Aug. 11. 6:30 p.m. $32.64. Oxford Exchange, Hyde Park<\/p>\n

H.M. Wolfe with Krystal Lang Wednesday, Aug. 12. 6:30 p.m. $39.41. Oxford Exchange, Hyde Park<\/p>\n

Bookstore Romance Day Saturday, Aug. 15. 11 a.m. No cover. The Gilded Page, Tarpon Springs. thegildedpagebookstore.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Book Club: Isola Tuesday, Aug. 18. 6 p.m. $39.23. The Library, St. Petersburg. thelibrarystpete.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Author-sponsored book club: \u201cLost and Found\u201d by Tarah DeWitt Wednesday, Aug. 19. 6 p.m. $21. The Book Lounge, St. Petersburg. thebooklounge.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Maria Fox (Book signing) Saturday, Aug. 22. 12 p.m. No cover with RSVP. The Book Lounge, St. Petersburg. thebooklounge.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Open Door\u201d by Matt Lettellier (Book signing and launch) Tuesday, Aug. 25. 5 p.m. No cover with RSVP. Book + Bottle, St. Petersburg. bookandbottlestpete.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Lunchtime Book Club: Good People Wednesday, Aug. 26. 11:30 a.m. $12.28. The Library, St. Petersburg. thelibrarystpete.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Silent Book Club Thursday, Aug. 27. 5:30 p.m. No cover. Aspirations Winery, Clearwater<\/p>\n

Kristin Harmel Sunday, Aug. 30. 3:30 p.m. No cover with RSVP. Oxford Exchange, Tampa<\/p>\n

OE Book Club: The Midnight Train Tuesday, Sept. 8. 6:30 p.m. No cover. Oxford Exchange, Hyde Park<\/p>\n

Comedy<\/p>\n

10th Annual Countdown Improv Festival Wednesday-Sunday, Aug. 5-9. 6 p.m.; 7 p.m. Wednesday & Thursday. $21.94 & up. HCC Performing Arts Building, Ybor City. countdownimprovfestival.com<\/a><\/p>\n

The Dating Detectives Live<\/a> Thursday, Aug. 6. 7 p.m. $37. Funny Bone Comedy Club, Tampa<\/p>\n

Officer Kevin Eudy Thursday, Aug. 6. 7:30 p.m. $25 & up. Side Splitters Comedy Club, Tampa<\/p>\n

Kurt Metzger Friday, Aug. 7. 8 p.m. $25 & up. Side Splitters Comedy Club, Tampa<\/p>\n

Michael Colyar Multiple times Friday-Sunday, Aug. 7-9. $27. Funny Bone Comedy Club, Tampa<\/p>\n

JustCallMoe Comedy Jam Saturday, Aug. 8. 5:30 p.m. $15 & up. Side Splitters Comedy Club, Tampa<\/p>\n

Comic\u2019s Night Out Sunday, Aug. 9. 9 p.m. $10 & up. Side Splitters Comedy Club, Tampa<\/p>\n

Porkchopz Sunday, Aug. 9. 7 p.m. $25 & up. Side Splitters Comedy Club, Tampa<\/p>\n

Laughter League (Comedy showdown)<\/a> Tuesday, Aug. 11. 6:30 p.m. $12. Imagine Museum, St. Petersburg. imaginemuseum.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Majah Hype<\/a> Thursday, Aug. 13. 7 p.m. $32. Funny Bone Comedy Club, Tampa<\/p>\n

Film & TV<\/p>\n

CatVideoFest<\/a> Multiple times Friday-Thursday, Aug. 7-13. $9 & up. John T. Taylor Screening Room at Tampa Theatre, Tampa<\/p>\n

Fiume o morte! Select dates through Aug. 6. 5:30 p.m. $10. Sun-Ray Cinema, Tampa<\/p>\n

Snatch Friday, Aug. 7. Multiple times. $5.35. Gigglewaters, Safety Harbor<\/p>\n

40 Years of Fuckin\u2019 Up: A Film by NOFX Thursday, Aug. 7. 7 p.m. $10. Sun-Ray Cinema, Tampa<\/p>\n

Remake Select dates Aug. 7-13. Various times. $10. Sun-Ray Cinema, Tampa<\/p>\n

The Black Pirate (1926)<\/a> Saturday, Aug. 8. 8 p.m. No cover. Sykes Chapel and Center for Faith and Values at University of Tampa, Tampa. tampatheatre.org<\/a><\/p>\n

The Devil Wears Prada 2 Saturday, Aug. 8. Multiple times. $5.35. Gigglewaters, Safety Harbor<\/p>\n

2026 Cat Video Fest Select dates Aug. 8-9. 2 p.m. $10. Sun-Ray Cinema, Tampa<\/p>\n

The Seven Year Itch Sunday, Aug. 9. Multiple times. $5.35. Gigglewaters, Safety Harbor<\/p>\n

Revenge of the Nerds Monday, Aug. 10. Multiple times. $5.35. Gigglewaters, Safety Harbor<\/p>\n

A Fish Called Wanda Tuesday, Aug. 11. Multiple times. $5.35. Gigglewaters, Safety Harbor<\/p>\n

As Good As It Gets Wednesday, Aug. 12. Multiple times. $5.35. Gigglewaters, Safety Harbor<\/p>\n

Back To School Thursday, Aug. 13. Multiple times. $5.35. Gigglewaters, Safety Harbor<\/p>\n

Learn<\/p>\n

Art & Nature Sunset Tour with the MFA & Tampa Bay Watch Discovery Center Every last Sunday through Sept. 27. 3:30 p.m. $45. Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg. mfastpete.org\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cafe con Tampa<\/a> Fridays, 8 a.m. No cover. The Portico, Tampa<\/p>\n

Coffee with a Curator<\/a> Every first Wednesday. 10:30 a.m. No cover. The Dali Museum, St. Petersburg<\/p>\n

Cigar City: Bringing Industry to Tampa Thursdays through Dec. 31. 2 p.m. $18.95. Tampa Bay History Center, Tampa. tampabayhistorycenter.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Creatives Support Group<\/a> Every other Monday. 7 p.m. No cover. Suite E Studios, St. Petersburg. @suite.e.stpete on Facebook.<\/p>\n

Amplify Women Tampa Bay \u2013 Women at the Helm<\/a> Friday, Aug. 7. 9 a.m. $150 & up. The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art, St. Petersburg. amplifywomentampabay.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Revolutionary Ideas: An Introduction to AI<\/a> Friday, Aug. 7. 10:30 a.m. No cover. East Lake Community Library, Palm Harbor. eastlakelibrary.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Back To School Health Clinic<\/a> Saturday, Aug. 8. 9 a.m. $10 registration. South University, Tampa. b2sch.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Life Of A Bee<\/a> Saturday, Aug. 8. 11 a.m. No cover. Tarpon Springs Public Library, Tarpon Springs. tarponlibrary.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Community Photography Project drop-in Monday, Aug. 10. 5 p.m. No cover. Palm Harbor Library, Palm Harbor. palmharborlibrary.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Genealogy Research Group<\/a> Monday, Aug. 10. 6 p.m. No cover. Tarpon Springs Public Library, Tarpon Springs. tarponlibrary.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Coffee and Referrals Networking Event Tuesday, Aug. 11. 9 a.m. $12.51 & up. Madrinas Insurance, Tampa<\/p>\n

Markets & retail<\/p>\n

Seminole Heights Sunday Market Sunday, Aug. 9. 10 a.m. No cover. American Legion Post 111, Seminole Heights. tampabaymarkets.com<\/a><\/p>\n

813 Day Market Thursday, Aug. 13. 6 p.m. No cover. M. Bird, Tampa. mbirdtampa.com<\/a><\/p>\n

News & public affairs<\/p>\n

Pride<\/a><\/p>\n

Drag Bingo<\/a> Every first and third Wednesday. 9 p.m. No cover. American Legion Seminole Post 111, Tampa<\/p>\n

Drag Queen Bingo feat. Stephanie Stuart Every second Wednesday. 7 p.m. $10. Emerald Coast Brewing Company, New Port Richey<\/p>\n

Drag Queen Bingo with Crystal Reigns Every final Wednesday. 7:30 p.m. No cover. Corner Club, Seminole Heights<\/p>\n

Deviant Coven Every first Thursday. 6 p.m. No cover. Deviant Libation, Tampa<\/p>\n

Theater<\/p>\n

Jobsite Theater: American Idiot Select times and dates through Aug. 9. $41.40 & up. Jaeb Theater at Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa<\/p>\n

The Last Unicorn (World premiere play adaptation)<\/a> Multiple times and dates Thursday-Sunday, Aug. 13-23. $30. The Fringe Theatre, Ybor City. tampafringe.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Jobsite Theater: Penelope Select times and dates from Wednesday, Aug. 19 through Sunday, Sept. 6. $71.40 & up. Shimberg Playhouse at Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa<\/p>\n

R.U.R. (Rossum\u2019s Universal Robots) Saturday & Sunday, Aug. 22 & 23. 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. $5; no cover for members. Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa<\/p>\n

Pitch in to help make the Tampa Bay Journalism Project a success.<\/a><\/p>\n

Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n

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This article appears in Aug. 06-12, 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

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