Driving Naked is now an audiobook read by the author, Katherine Vaccaro.
Preview and order it here – and spread the word!
It’s 1980 in Orlando, Florida.
Kathy, a recent college grad, drives to a Fourth of July barbecue. She’s scared because she won’t know anyone. Her host, Eddie, soon becomes the love of her life.
They set off on a road filled with quirky people, nude beaches and pocket-rocket cars. Along the way, they encounter plenty of twists, turns and detours.
And one big stop sign.
We’ve got news! Kathleen Shelton-Gilmore is the new Director of JaxbyJax XI.
One thing to love about the Jacksonville writing community is the way its members step up to serve the community when needed. Life happens, and recently Brooks Decker (after working hard to make sure the applications for the 2024 JaxbyJax Literary Arts Festival were solicited, received, and in the hands of capable anonymous judges, plus coordinating the venue location plans) has made the difficult decision to pass the torch to another young, energetic Jacksonville writer – Kathleen Shelton-Gilmore.
Kathleen Shelton Gilmore began hosting and organizing poetry open mics in the spring of 2017. She has been an active member of the literary community, hosting events at venues such as Chamblin’s Uptown Books and Rain Dogs. She is the founder of the spoken word poetry open mic What’s in a Verse (formerly Kes Poetry Night) and the creator of Blue Monday Literary Zine. She worked for Hope at Hand facilitating workshops for teens, and assisted in the 2019 Jax Poetry Festival. Kathleen studied English and Creative Writing at the University of North Florida. She is an avid reader of poetry, inspired by Anne Sexton, bell hooks, and Denise Levertov. She is happiest rummaging thrift stores, estate sales, and hanging out with her family. Kathleen just completed her first chapbook titled Sticks, Stones, and Charlatans, which is set to release at the beginning of October 2024 by local independent publisher, City Bus Print.
With many thanks to prior directors Tim Gilmore, Jo Carlisle, Brad Kuhn, Darlyn Kuhn, Erica Saffer, and Brooks Decker, Kathleen Shelton is eager to make the 11th annual festival fresh and exciting for writers, readers, and lovers of literature alike. Stay tuned for updates as they happen.
Kathleen can be reached via email at jaxbyjax@yahoo.com
Check the website for updates: https://www.jaxbyjax.com/
Visit Writer’s Block Bookstore at 316 N. Park Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789 on Saturday, July 6th from 4-7 PM to meet Katherine Vaccaro (Driving Naked) and four other Central Florida authors,
The JaxbyJax Literary Arts Festival turned ten years old in 2023, and we’re pleased to start our second decade in 2024 with a brilliant new Director: poet Brooks Decker.
As a writer, artist, and mental health therapist in Jacksonville, Brooks Decker has been featured in local zines and literary magazines. She published her first chapbook, Purge & Bloom, in 2023. She has spent the past seven years providing art and poetry lessons to institutionalized youth and adults with a local non-profit and is the current host of Second Sunday with Poets and Authors at Happy Medium Books in Riverside.
When she isn’t working or creating, you may find her at the thrift store, her front porch, or moseying along the St. Johns River.