Category Archives: Celebrations

Memoirs with Melissa

Up-and-coming memoirist Melissa Gopp-Warner announces a new project called Memoirs with Melissa, wherein she posts bimonthly memoir reviews intended to expose readers to diverse authors and life experiences they may not find on their own.

Melissa writes, “I started reading memoir because I wanted to write memoir. But reading memoir, even more than making me a better writer, is making me a better human—one who is interested in knowing the world and the people in it. One who is casting off false identities and moving into more authentic ways of being. One who believes every person under the sun has a story to tell that I need to hear. One who is willing to reconsider what makes a story good.”

She says, “My reviews are less about critiquing and more about reflecting on and engaging with each story.” Her first review, of In the Dream House, by Carmen Marie Machado came out on August 15, and here next, What I Talk abot When I Talk About Running, by Haruki Murakami, is due September 1.

Check them out here: https://memoirswithmelissa.substack.com/.

Arguably Tim Gilmore’s Greatest Story Ever Told

Yes, Tim Gilmore HAS written almost 30 riveting books and 700 fascinating jaxpsychogeo blogs, mostly set in or around Jacksonville, Florida. But few will argue that THIS blog is not his absolute masterpiece. Not that I’m partial about the subject matter, or anything. Drop the mic, Tim. It will never get any better than this.

ENJOY! https://jaxpsychogeo.com/north/tarzan-and-darlyn-on-trout-river-or-dee-dee-and-the-florida-monkeys/

Announcing JaxNEXT100 Writing Contest Winners

JaxbyJax Literary Arts Festival, 904WARD, and The Jessie wish to congratulate the winners of the We Have the WRITE to Our Futures Writing Contest and Celebration. We also wish to thank everyone who submitted an entry to the contest. All submissions will be preserved in a digital time capsule for the edification and enjoyment of present and future generations.

Page Poetry
Honorable Mention:
Ebony Payne English
Rashad Hawkins
Ashley Gilbert
Jalicia Lewis
Julie Delegal
Student Winner:
Phillip Simmons, Jr.
Runner Up:
Michael G. O’Connell
First Place:
Valerie Esguerra

Prose (Essay or Story)
Honorable Mention:
Karen Johnson Rieley
Anna K. Jacobson
Nick Blank
Linda O’Connell
Melissa Gopp-Warner
Student Winner:
Dana Aljubouri
Runner Up:
Gary Sass
First Place:
Valerie Esguerra

Spoken Word
Honorable Mention:
Jalicia Lewis
Yvette Angelique
Tricia Booker
True Aris Renato (Sergio Dixon)
Love Reigns (Taryn Wharwood)
Student Winner:
Zuri Jendayi Randolph
Runner-Up:
B. Neal Jefferson
First Place:
Valerie Esguerra