Meet five St. Petersburg Press authors Thursday

Since its founding in 2019, St. Petersburg Press has published 35 books by bay area authors, including novels, short stories, poetry, graphic novels, historical fiction and history collections.

Five of the publisher’s best-selling St. Pete-centric writers will be at thestudio@620 Thursday at 7 p.m. for a holiday-season celebration. The free event, “Five From Florida,” will feature readings, conversations, a book market – and even a little musical entertainment.

Gribbin

Three of the authors – Shana Smith, Paul Wilborn and Tom Gribbin – have serious musical chops.

The idea is just to have some fun, yak a little and celebrate the books. Other than that, there’s no game plan!

As the author of the just-published Vintage St. Pete and Pinellas Volume 3, I’ll be there with both hardcover and softbound copies of the book – along with Volume 1 and Volume 2. For the first (and probably only) time, the Press will be selling a three-pack of hardcover editions of all three Vintage books.

Kriseman

Also on the schedule is Kerry Kriseman, whose memoir Accidental First Lady chronicles her years as political and personal support system to her husband, former St. Pete mayor Rick Kriseman;

Wilborn

Wilborn is the author of the comic novel Florida Hustle and the short story collection Cigar City; Gribbin’s novel The Last Florida Boy, a story of gulfside pot smuggling in the 1970s, has become one of St. Petersburg Press’ best-known books;

Smith

Smith is not only the author of the acclaimed, fact-based Islands of Cedars, set in Jim Crow-era Cedar Key and Rosewood, she is nationally known as children’s singer/songwriter Shana Banana.

Please join us. Find more information at thestudio@620 website.

St. Petersburg Press and the St. Pete Catalyst are divisions of The St. Petersburg Group.