The Underground Book Fair (5169 10th Ave N) will return for its second installment at the house of the Beat Generation’s literary icon, Jack Kerouac. Event organizer Tiffany Razzano of Wordier Than Thou, an open mic poetry literary event, and This Book Store Kills Fascists, a pop-up bookstore, hopes to expand on the success of the first Underground Book Fair last December. The event is free, but small donations are encouraged to support preserving Kerouac’s historic home. The event will be March 8, 1 – 6 pm.
The last fair hosted four vendors and 14 authors. Razzano predicts doubling the size of the previous, accommodating eight pop-ups of booksellers, record dealers, artists, and musicians, in addition to 20-25 authors who will read and discuss their works. The vendors will occupy various rooms in Kerouac’s home, allowing you to explore the literary icon’s digs while listening to St. Pete’s local literary and musical talent.
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Organizers will finalize the vendors list closer to the event date. In the meantime, you can apply to be a vendor through this link.
Kerouac house continues to support artists and creatives
Jack Kerouac is known for his free-wheeling prose and affiliation with prominent Beat Generation writers like Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassady, and William S. Burroughs. His most famous work, On The Road, has sold over 3 million copies since its first publication in 1957. Kerouac spent the last years of his life in St. Pete. He died in 1969 at St. Anthony’s Hospital at the young age of 47 from an abdominal hemorrhage caused by a lifetime of excessive drinking.
The Jack Kerouac House of St. Petersburg, Inc., is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the last home of the writer. The house he shared with his wife Stella and mother Gabrielle stands in stark contrast to the man himself. While he lived off and on in Florida, Kerouac was a restless wanderer whose lust for exploration charged much of his most enduring writing.
Befitting his legacy, the Jack Kerouac House continues to support the arts. The space provides a meeting ground for artists, creatives, and scholars for events such as The Underground Book Fair, enriching the ever-expanding arts renaissance in St. Petersburg. Check out The Jack Kerouac House website here.
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