St. Pete Reads! Lit Fest will return to South St. Petersburg on Saturday for its fifth year, bringing authors, illustrators, musicians and literacy organizations together for a free afternoon of book-centered programming.
The family-friendly event is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Woodson African American Museum of Florida, 2240 9th Ave. S. Organizers encourage attendees to pre-register online.
Presented by the Cultured Books Literacy Foundation, the festival grew from conversations with parents, caregivers, educators and others during the organization’s 2022 St. Pete Reads Study, founder Lorielle Holloway told Patch. Participants said they wanted more information about local literary resources and more ways to make reading enjoyable.
This year’s program includes children’s author Carole Boston Weatherford, who will share The Black Hands. Illustrator R. Gregory Christie, who illustrated that book, is also slated to read from Jazz Baby with the Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association.
Mary Corbett of the Florida Orchestra will lead a musical storytime. Other activities include creative storytelling opportunities and a literary how-to table where attendees can learn skills such as annotating a passage.
Holloway said Cultured Books aims to create literary spaces where Black children and families can see their experiences and cultures reflected. The foundation, established in 2018, also presents year-round book clubs, poetry events and activities connecting literature with art and local history. This year’s festival is supported in part by Creative Pinellas through its Arts Everywhere grant program.
