FloridaRAMA, the immersive art experience tucked into St. Petersburg's Fairfield Avenue, is branching into something new this Saturday — a six-hour literary festival running from noon to 6 p.m. at its 2606 Fairfield Ave. S. location. Admission to the festival is folded into the venue's regular general admission, so no separate ticket is needed.
More than 30 Tampa Bay authors will be on hand, with a different writer or speaker taking the stage every 30 minutes throughout the afternoon. The lineup spans children's books, romance, nonfiction and motivational speaking, and includes names like Bill DeYoung, Sally Pye, Tamara Lush, Paul Wilborn, Emilie Hernandez, Louise Harris, Kostar and Julie Rocco, among others. DeYoung plans to read from his local history books, Rocco is set to deliver a motivational talk, and Hernandez — known for her heirloom dolls — will demonstrate how she sculpts and paints each doll's face.
True to FloridaRAMA's roots in the visual arts, the festival extends well beyond the written word. Vendors and artists in attendance include Bomi Art Studio, The BookMobile, The Book Lounge, Art by Pena's stained glass work, Michelle Lopez offering build-your-own pens, and Zenna Henna providing henna art on site. Attendees can also browse local artwork, enter giveaways and take advantage of special food and drink offers during the event.
The festival grew organically out of FloridaRAMA's existing gift shop, which already stocks books by local authors. After the venue reached out to a handful of those writers about a small event, interest snowballed quickly — and FloridaRAMA has since had to rent extra tables to accommodate everyone who wanted to participate. Business development manager Jessica Baird told Patch that the response has been strong enough to make this a recurring event rather than a one-time gathering.
This story originally appeared in the St. Pete edition of Patch, written by Tiffany Razzano.
