JaxbyJax Literary Arts Festival VII is happy to welcome the return of Johnny Masiulewicz.
Masiulewicz produced his first zine when he was in high school – a typewritten staplebound lampoon of his highschool job entitled Dear Walley. Most recently he is the creator of the Happy Tapir zine series, the sixth issue of which – On the Make at The Drake – which was released this summer . In the decades between these milestones Johnny has put out two collections of poetry, seen his journalism byline in numerous local and national periodicals including the Chicago Tribune and the Florida Times-Union, and has published fiction, poetry and nonfiction in a wide variety of literary journals, websites and anthologies including Curbside Review, The Main Street Rag, Third Wednesday, Nerve Cowboy, Ash & Bones and The Alembic.
Johnny is also the founder of Happy Tapir Press, an artisan effort which not only produces his zine but also has published literary collections by such local luminaries as Lynn Skapyak, Keri Foster and G. M. Palmer. A native Chicagoan now living in St Johns, Johnny is looking forward to perhaps meeting Happy Tapir Press’ next literary superstar at Jax X Jax.
The 2020 festival will take the form of a documentary video,
with watch parties at noon on Saturday, October 17th and 7 p.m. on Sunday,
October 18th. For details, see jaxbyjax.com.
Abel Harding is a bank executive who toils as a writer in the early morning hours between workouts and his day job. A 7th generation Floridian, Harding was raised in rural Levy County and moved to Jacksonville in the mid-1990s. Harding won three Sunshine State Awards for investigative reporting and blogging during his time as a columnist with The Florida Times-Union. His first novel, “Beulah Land,” is in search of a publisher. Harding is currently hard at work on his second novel.
JaxbyJax is pleased to welcome Harding back to the Literary Arts Festival.
The 2020 festival will take the form of a documentary video,
with watch parties at noon on Saturday, October 17th and 7 p.m. on Sunday,
October 18th. For details, see jaxbyjax.com.
Wolfe says, “We’re exploring the roots of everything this fall: community, art, writing, family, and country, but also the roots of racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, antisemitism, and anti-environmentalism—all the other social injustices we are called upon NOW to explore from a feminine perspective.
We’re offering this show in a new outdoor-indoor format to keep participants safe but still allow them to see the fabulous work of our featured artists, writers, and a community gallery of women artists sharing the roots of their own lives. Masks and tickets are required to attend.
Community members can stop by on opening weekend to enjoy some Sidewalk Hospitality as we connect (safely) with artists and writers, check out our native plant garden, and enjoy a complimentary cup of iced tea while viewing the art on display at this historic Riverside home and garden.
The community gallery (in the She Shed) will be open for free outdoor viewing (with ticket); indoor tours will highlight our featured artists: Louise Freshman Brown, Sheila Goloborotko, Marsha Glazière, Marsha Hatcher, Princess Simpson Rashid, and Kathy Stark as well as other invited artists. Indoor tours limited to three people at a time only; mask required.
Our featured writers, including Tricia Booker, Darlyn Finch Kuhn, Taryn “Love Reigns” Wharwood, and Nikesha Elise Williams, will be paired with the artists as part of our ongoing Wine, Women, and Words Speaker Series.
The first session of the Fall Speaker Series kicks off opening weekend, featuring Williams, Rashid, Hatcher, and community leader April LaNubian Roberts, speaking on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 5-7 p.m., on the Zoom platform. Separate ticket required.
The second Speaker Series session will be held on “The Roots of Environmental Activism by Women in Florida.” Speakers/artists/writers will well-known author artist Kathy Stark; Ashantae Green, a local environmentalist and a candidate for the Duval County and Water Conservation District, and Prof. Leslie Poole of Rollins College, who is the leading researcher on women-led environmental movements in Florida. Sunday, Oct. 11, from 4-6 p.m., on the Zoom platform. Ticket required.
Details:
• Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 26, 2-4 p.m. only Sunday, Sept. 27
• Must register to attend for
a time slot.
• Must wear a mask and
practice social distancing.
• Anyone can attend outdoors
with a free ticket.
• Buy a ticket for the indoor
show and help support bringing women’s voices into the world!
For this bi-annual fundraiser, we will also have journals, art, and anthologies for sale. All proceeds support our work lifting the expression of the feminine in our community, including writing circles, community events, art shows, and our annual anthology.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
Women Writing for (a) Change, Jacksonville, is a local non-profit that is part of a national, women-led organization to lift women’s voices and the feminine perspective through writing, art, community-building, and consciousness-raising. We focus primarily on women, but not exclusively, and we encourage participation by female-identifying, non cis-gender community members as well.
Women Writing for (a) Change was founded in 1991 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a number of affiliates are located around the country, including Jacksonville.
Executive Director Jennifer Wolfe is a writer-facilitator, a trained journalist, and a former corporate consultant who started the Jacksonville affiliate in 2014. Since then, she has conducted hundreds of writing circles for women — and occasionally men — around Jacksonville.
Proceeds from the sale of artwork from this show will help support our outreach programs that benefit incarcerated women, addicts in recovery, and specialized support groups like Bosom Buddies at the Women’s Center of Jacksonville.
For more information about Women Writing for (a) Change, Jacksonville, please visit our website: www.WomenWritingJacksonville.com.
Andres Rojas will return to the JaxbyJax Literary Arts Festival on the heels of the exciting announcement of the publication of his first full-length poetry collection Third Winter in Our Second Country, forthcoming from Trio House Press in Fall 2021.
Rojas is the author of the chapbook Looking for What Isn’t There (Paper Nautilus Press Debut Series Winner, 2019) and the audio-only chapbook The Season of the Dead (EAT Poems, 2016). He has served as poetry editor for Compose and Bridge Eight and is currently a poetry reader at New England Review. His work has been featured in the Best New Poets anthology and has appeared in, among others, AGNI, Barrow Street, Colorado Review, Diode Poetry Journal, Massachusetts Review, New England Review, and Poetry Northwest.
The 2020 festival will take the form of a documentary video,
with watch parties at noon on Saturday, October 17th and 7 p.m. on Sunday,
October 18th. For details, see jaxbyjax.com.
