Tiffany Razzano was driving down Central Avenue in downtown St. Petersburg when she spotted a poster in the storefront window at Daddy Cool Records promoting Record Store Day. She then drove past Wilson’s Book World and thought, "Why is there no bookstore day?"
She did some research only to learn that California is the only state that has fully developed the concept of a bookstore day.
So why not Florida? Why not now? she thought. The result?
The inaugural
Florida Bookstore Day will take place at independent and used bookstores in cities throughout the state on November 15, concentrating on the Tampa Bay area, where Razzano runs
Wordier Than Thou, a group that supports creative writers through open mic events, a literary magazine and a radio show.
"I wanted to do something big," says Razzano. "It’s a celebration of independent bookstores and the writing community. People won’t even know they’re at a literary event."
Her goal is to showcase local bookstores and the writing community. Soon after she started talking up the concept in social media and elsewhere, Razzano connected with book lovers in Orlando who wanted to be part of the celebration. Bookstores from the Panhandle to the Florida Keys have now signed on to participate. Expect a day of book releases and author signings, open mics and workshops on literary topics
Local participants include:
Inkwood Books,
Mojo Books and Music,
Old Tampa Book Company and
Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Standup Librarians,
Wilson’s Book World and
Wings Bookstore in St. Petersburg,
Book Bank in Largo and
Back in the Day Books in Dunedin.
An after party will take place at the
Venture Compound in St. Petersburg, featuring local authors and literary organizations, the
Bluebird Books Bus, raffles and food trucks.
The event is sponsored by
Florida Antiquarian Book Fair and also received a grant from
Awesome Tampa Bay.
Writer:
Megan Hendricks
Source: Tiffany Razzano, Florida Bookstore Day
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