Bravo to Wordier Than Thou. This literary institution continues to actively engage the book-loving community in Tampa Bay. In October, the group presented exceptional events such as Banned Books are a Drag at St. Pete Shuffle, and Read No More: Gulfport Murder House (which is already announced for 2020!). The sold out Read No More event enlisted local writers and performers to act out original horror stories for a captive audience.

Did you know scary stories are a Christmas tradition, too? Yea, it wasn’t just Dickens, folks. Read No More: Haunted Holidays will once again take place in a spooky home. You’re not just sitting idle in one room either. Guests will enjoy a tour of several scary rooms in a unique Gulfport home.

Scary plays produced and performed by local creatives 

Short plays will be produced and performed by a troupe of local creatives. This year’s authors include Deborah Frethem, Erika Lance, Brandy Stark and Ross Tarr.

Performances run from December 19-21 at 6pm, 7pm, 8pm, and 9pm. Tickets to the event are just $14 and can be reserved online. The official location of the Gulfport home will be sent to guests after they purchase their ticket(s).

The tradition of telling ghost stories around Christmastime dates back centuries, according to The Smithsonian.

“Telling ghost stories during winter is a hallowed tradition, a folk custom stretches back centuries, when families would wile away the winter nights with tales of spooks and monsters,” wrote Colin Dickey.

A centuries-old tradition revived in the ‘Burg

I’m personally delighted to see this tradition resurrected in the Sunshine City. We may not have cold winter nights, but I believe there’s enough wild creative energy in our historic city to bring one or two ghosts back for an evening. Go ahead, say Bah Humbug and see what spirits visit you.

You can find all the details on the Read No More: Haunted Holidays’ event page.

Major props to Tiffany Razzano and the entire Wordier Than Thou team for activating and expanding the Tampa Bay region’s literary community.

More literary events on the way

Future Wordier Than Thou events include: The Literary Roast of Jim Morrison on December 7; Welcome to the Roaring ’20s: Great Gatsby Murder Mystery NYE on December 31; Eat Your Words Literary Feast at St. Pete Shuffle on January 30; and the return of Florida Bookstore Day on October 24, 2020.

Need more reason to celebrate the literary community in St. Pete?

Time to celebrate the literary arts in St. Pete

Tombolo Books, an amazing Indie Bookstore, will officially open a brick-and-mortar location in the Grand Central District this year. The shop is already 71% of the way to its overall fundraising goal!

Keep St. Pete Lit is also making major moves. The nonprofit will open its headquarters at the ambitious arts hub, The Factory St. Pete, in 2020.