Tonn Pastore has lived at the beach for 28 years because that is where they keep the ocean. This time has allowed him to witness many changes. The influx of culture and the migration people energized the slow pace of Jax. The ocean breezes thinned not just the air around him, but also the barriers around his heart. He married a third-generation native who showed him the joys of Jacksonville and he love of a new family. His poems pull from the pain and joy of life and loss.

Pastore will read on Saturday, December 2nd at 3 PM in the Art Gallery Auditorium E-112-F.

JaxbyJax Literary Arts Festival X, a celebration of Jacksonville Writers Writing Jacksonville, will be held on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, December 1, 2, and 3, 2023 at FSCJ’s Kent Campus, 3939 Roosevelt Blvd, Jacksonville, FL, 32205.

JaxbyJax is grateful to our generous sponsors: FSCJ, Alternate Roots, Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, 904WARD, Chamblin’s Bookmine and Uptown Café, Delegal & Poindexter, Andres Rojas, Jacksonville Literary Arts Alliance, Babs’ Lab, JaxPsychoGeo, San Marco Books and More, Scribbles, and Brad Kuhn & Associates, LLC.

After graduating from UNF in 2014 with a double major in English and Criminal Justice, Ma Bones was hired by Douglas Anderson High School to teach ninth and tenth grade creative writing and developed a playwriting class curriculum she instructed. She is a Jacksonville native and writer.

She will read from her work at 11:45 AM on Saturday, December 2nd in the Art Gallery Auditorium. Then on Sunday, December 3rd at noon, she will lead a workshop on 6×6 Words and 6×6 Sentencesin Bldg B, Room 206.

JaxbyJax Literary Arts Festival X, a celebration of Jacksonville Writers Writing Jacksonville, will be held on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, December 1, 2, and 3, 2023 at FSCJ’s Kent Campus, 3939 Roosevelt Blvd, Jacksonville, FL, 32205.

JaxbyJax is grateful to our generous sponsors: FSCJ, Alternate Roots, Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, 904WARD, Chamblin’s Bookmine and Uptown Café, Delegal & Poindexter, Andres Rojas, Jacksonville Literary Arts Alliance, Babs’ Lab, JaxPsychoGeo, San Marco Books and More, Scribbles, and Brad Kuhn & Associates, LLC.

JaxbyJax is thrilled to host award-winning writer and director, Franklin Ritch, for a workshop on Screenwriting on Sunday, December 3 at noon in Building B, Room 204 at FSCJ Kent Campus. This hosted genre workshop entails Ritch sharing expert knowledge in film development from idea to screen.

Franklin Ritch is an independent filmmaker who writes, directs, and edits with a passion for unique ideas and sharp storytelling. Collaborating with Emmy-winning cinematographer, Britt McTammany, Franklin’s early short, BEDRIDDEN (Fantastic Fest, 2018), kicked off a marathon of short film productions that included STILL LIFE (Sleeping Giant Fest 2019), POWERFUL (SERFF 2019), THE 27 DEATHS (Fantastic Fest 2021), and many more. His first feature, THE ARTIFICE GIRL, starring sci-fi legend Lance Henriksen, won the Golden Audience Award for Best International Feature during its world premiere at Fantasia International Film Festival. After its US premiere at SXSW, THE ARTIFICE GIRL released in April of 2023 and quickly became the #1 Independent Film on iTunes. The film currently holds a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes and is available to rent or buy on Amazon, iTunes, and VUDU. Franklin has since been named one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film” by Filmmaker Magazine, and his work continues to be recognized and reviewed in outlets such as The New York Times, Variety, and Screen Rant. Franklin is now developing an ambitious follow-up feature film, with several more projects and a rumored TV series on the horizon.

JaxbyJax Literary Arts Festival X, a celebration of Jacksonville Writers Writing Jacksonville, will be held on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, December 1, 2, and 3, 2023 at FSCJ’s Kent Campus, 3939 Roosevelt Blvd, Jacksonville, FL, 32205.

JaxbyJax is grateful to our generous sponsors: FSCJ, Alternate Roots, Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, 904WARD, Chamblin’s Bookmine and Uptown Café, Delegal & Poindexter, Andres Rojas, Jacksonville Literary Arts Alliance, Babs’ Lab, JaxPsychoGeo, San Marco Books and More, Scribbles, and Brad Kuhn & Associates, LLC.

Fati D. is a Ghanaian-American literary & visual artist who resides in FL. Her poem “Cape Coast” was performed in Echoes of Us, a series of curated monologues, directed by Tony Award nominee Michele Shay in 2022. D is the Editor-in-Chief for The Banyan Review and is a 2023 Best of the Net nominee, published in The Midway Journal, The Lumiere Review, and The Talon Revie. She consults & facilitates workshops for Author’s Roundtable of N FL & teaches writing at the Jacksonville Art & Music School.

Fati D. will read her work on Saturday, December 2 in the Main Auditorium F128 at 11:30 AM.

JaxbyJax Literary Arts Festival X, a celebration of Jacksonville Writers Writing Jacksonville, will be held on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, December 1, 2, and 3, 2023 at FSCJ’s Kent Campus, 3939 Roosevelt Blvd, Jacksonville, FL, 32205.

JaxbyJax is grateful to our generous sponsors: FSCJ, Alternate Roots, Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, 904WARD, Chamblin’s Bookmine and Uptown Café, Delegal & Poindexter, Andres Rojas, Jacksonville Literary Arts Alliance, Babs’ Lab, JaxPsychoGeo, San Marco Books and More, Scribbles, and Brad Kuhn & Associates, LLC.