Keep the Lights On benefit reading for Madville Publishing. Nov. 16, 7-9 PM EST:
I will be hosting an online reading for Madville poets and authors to raise money for the press
A Decade at the Table: Poetry and Dance Performance with Cynthia Hennessey Nov. 11, 2023, 1PM Kress Building Ybor City, Tampa
https://www.facebook.com/events/617461926968045
Literature for Lunch, @ Saint Leo University October. 11, 2023
Reading new work along with my colleagues; Dr. Anne Barngrover, Brooke King and Vedran Husić
Red Herring Reading, July 2023 Corner Club, Tampa
I read new work on a rainy night at this staple event of the literary community.
Judge for Blauthenticity Poetry Slam @ Growhouse Tampa Spring 2023
Place-Centered Writing @ Tombolo Books Fall 2022
The Writers Harvest @ The Corner Club Tampa Fall 2022
YellowJacket Press ReLaunch with Keep St. Pete Lit ~ 4/29/2023 at Studio@ 620, 7PM
National Poetry Month Reading for Hillsborough County Public Library ~ April 10, 2023 Register online https://hcplc.evanced.info/signup/calendar?ag=724,726
Make It Beautiful: A Poetry Conversation ~ 3/31/2022 through 4/14/2022 at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute – USF
Thursdays 1:00 – 2:30 (three Thursdays)
A Way With Words ~ University of Tampa Alumni Journal
https://www.ut.edu/alumni/ut-journal/past-articles/a-way-with-words
Celebrating Florida’s Wild Wonders at Ringling College ~ March 11, 2022
https://olliringlingcollege.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Celebrating_Floridas_Wild_Wonders.pdf
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute – USF ~ Thurs. Feb. 17, 2022
Poetry reading and question and answer session. Bring a friend!
Take a relaxing rhyming break at the Poetry Post in Tampa’s Municipal Office Building
Spartan Spotlight: Gianna Russo MFA ’17
Tampa Bay History Center ~ Thurs. Nov. 18, 2021
In conjunction with Hillsborough County’s Big Read, I’ll be talking about poetry and heritage. We love history!
Tampa Writer’s Harvest ~ Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, times TBA, date tentative, 1403 Howard Ave. Tampa, Saint Leo Education Center
As Wordsmith of Tampa, I will be hosting The Writers Harvest, a community-wide charity event to raise funds and food for the food insecure and hungry. Writers and poets from across the city will be sharing their talent and time in the former Berriman Morgan Cigar factory in West Tampa where Saint Leo is housed. Participating writers will join us from grass-roots groups, Saint Leo, USF and UT. More details coming soon!
HCPLC The Big Read kickoff ~ Nov. 6, 10AM
More details are coming, but I will be helping our wonderful library kick off this year’s Big Read. The selected book is Joy Harjo’s American Sunrise.
Cafe con Tampa, The Oxford Exchange ~ Oct. 22, 2021
From the Facebook page: “Cafe con Tampa is a group of neighborhood and community leaders who gather every Friday to discuss important issues. Everyone is welcome. Just show up.” Take a guess what I’ll be doing there.
https://www.facebook.com/cafecontampa/
FLORIDA COLLEGE ENGLISH ASSOCIATION conference ~ Oct. 14-16, 2021
I’ll be co-presenting a lecture (well, not really–it’s an entertaining talk) with Pamela Painter titled “You Don’t Own Me.” We’ll take a look at the “coming -of-age” of feminism and women’s empowerment through the pop music of the 60’s. Yeah, baby!
Community Tchin Tchin at Book & Bottle, St. Pete ~ Sept 10, 2021 6pm
So excited to sign books, read poetry and drink wine at Terra Dunham’s wonderful venue. As the mission notes, “Books expand our minds, boost our empathy, and increase our intelligence. Good wine challenges our expectations, comforts our souls, and transports us to other places.” Good coffee opens our eyes, prepares us for our day, and puts pep in our step.” I say yes to all three. Come join us!
Sandhill Writers VIRTUAL Retreat ~ May 15, 2021
A full day of 16 hands-on workshops in a variety of genres. Check the website for more details and registration.
https://www.saintleo.edu/sandhill-writers-retreat
Mouth of the Mural ~ April, 2021
This fabulous initiative by Wally and C’Maine Jennings features poets performing original ekphrastic poems written for the murals of Tampa. The mural I wrote for is located on Tampa St.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVh8RCVx1wU
Malaprops Poetrio ~ March 7, 2021
I’ll be reading virtually for one of my two favorite independent bookstores, the famed Malaprops of Asheville, NC. Please tune in!
Tombolo Books ~ March 2, 2021
Guest Panelist for the launch of the anthology Wilder Heart of Florida, edited by Jack Davis and Leslie Poole. My poem “Raw Water” is included in this beautiful book that is a love song for Florida.
Wild Gifts: A Reading by Saint Leo Creative Writing Faculty ~ Feb. 2021
The College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Language Studies and the Arts present Wild Gifts: A Virtual Reading by Creative Writing Faculty with Anne Barngrover, Patrick Crerand, Steve Kistulentz, and Gianna Russo.
“Take a break from your busy day and enjoy some poetry and prose written by our gifted faculty. Until the next time we can safely gather in our community again, please enjoy.” – the Saint Leo Creative Writing faculty.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcgFYPt69wI.
Interview for La Gaceta ~ Jan. 2021
Typewriter Talks ~ November 2020
So thrilled to have been interviewed by the phenomenal Maureen McDole who founded Keep St. Pete Lit, for her amazing series Typewriter Talks. Hope you enjoy it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nKJj6UOXbY
Dali Poetry Series ~ September 10, 2020
In the midst, of a pandemic, what better way to connect than through poetry? Thanks to Saint Petersburg Poet Laureate Helen Wallace, for arranging another Dali Poetry Series reading to kick off the fall and give us all a little social connectedness. YOU can connect anytime on the Dali YouTube channel. https://youtu.be/esGog5WevG8
A View from this Wilderness ~ Spring, 2020
I’m so thrilled that I was invited by my friend Bob Kunzinger to make a video reading for his series A View from this Wilderness. What a wonderful gift during our pandemic stay-at-home. I hope you’re enjoying nature, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNLCPOzDHnc
AWP Conference in San Antonio, Texas ~ March 4-7, 2020
I’ll be reading with Madville Publishing at the AWP conference in San Antonio. Exact reading time will be published in the conference schedule. https://www.awpwriter.org/awp_conference/schedule_overview_offsite
Ekphrastic Poetry Interview ~ Oct. 2019
I’m so pleased to be a part of the central Florida tradition in celebration of the written word, sponsored by The Tampa Bay Times. https://www.tampabay.com/expos/festival-of-reading-authors/
BOOK LAUNCH OF ONE HOUSE DOWN ~Wed. Oct. 2, 2019 at 6:30 pm
The University of Tampa Music Room
I read for the launch of One House Down on Oct. 2, 2019. A memorable evening!
WILD GIFTS: A READING BY SAINT LEO UNIVERSITY FACULTY ~ September 18, 2019 7PM
Saint Leo in Selby Auditorium
This is the third year that my creative writing colleagues and I have gotten together to present recent work to our Saint Leo community. I’ll be joined by Patrick Crerand, Steven Kistulentz, Anne Barngrover and Brooke King.
My INTERVIEW with SWEET posted on August 29, 2019. Thanks and big sugar to our most delectable lit mag! https://sweetlit.com/blog/
OTHER WORDS CONFERENCE ~October 24-26, 2019
The University of Tampa
https://www.floridarts.org/new-page-3
The Annual Conference of the Florida Literary Arts Coalition. Madville Publishing will host a reading, I’ll participate in a panel and I’ll MC the final reading by YellowJacket Press. Wow!
PREVIOUS READINGS:
- OTHER WORDS CONFERENCE The Annual Conference of the Florida Literary Arts CoalitionOct. 11-13, 2018, The University of Tampa; I will be presenting on a panel called “Water, Wind & Weather: What It Means To Be a Florida Poet.”
Also, YellowJacket Press will be reading.
- http://www.floridarts.org/other-words-conference/
- ASSOCIATED WRITING PROGRAMS CONFERENCE (AWP) in Tampa
Off-site reading with YellowJacket Press
Sat. March 10, 4 pm at The Free Library, 102 7th Ave. Tampa
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OTHER WORDS CONFERENCE
Oct. 12-14, 2017, The University of Tampa; YellowJacket Press will be reading. Other Words
- FLORIDA COLLEGE ENGLISH ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE
Oct. 19-21, 2017; I will give a master class and serve as Poet-in-Residence. Florida College English Association
- 2nd ANNUAL CREATIVE WRITING STUDIES CONFERENCE
Nov. 10-13, Black Rock NC; I’ll be part of a panel on “Creative Writing Studies in Trump’s America.” Creative Writing Studies
gianna russo 