GULFPORT, FLORIDA: The Second Annual Gulfport ReadOut is just around the corner, Friday through Sunday, Feb 15-17, 2019. Online registration is now open! The event features three days of books for lesbians (and everyone else!) including a keynote address, book readings and signings, writer’s workshop and plenty of time to schmooze, including the popular meet the author events. Go to: https://gulfportreadout.brownpapertickets.com/ for a full schedule, more details and to register. All events are free, except for the Sunday workshop and Saturday evening show.
We are proud to announce that this year’s keynote speaker and workshop leader is Lesléa Newman, author of 70 books for readers of all ages, including A Letter to Harvey Milk; October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard; I Carry My Mother; The Boy Who Cried Fabulous; and the groundbreaking children’s book Heather Has Two Mommies. Ms. Newman has received numerous literary awards, including two American Library Association Stonewall Honors, the Massachusetts Book Award, and the James Baldwin Award for Cultural Achievement. Nine of her books have been Lambda Literary Award Finalists.
We also have an outstanding roster of authors including Tampa Bay author S.J. Sindu, whose debut novel, Marriage of a Thousand Lies, won the Publishing Triangle Award, was an American Library Association Stonewall Honor Book, a Lambda Literary Award Finalist and was longlisted for the DSC South Asian Literature Prize. Several of this year’s participating authors have been award-winners or short-listed for awards. Some are popular local authors while others are from states across the country.
Nationally known lesbian comic Poppy Champlin will be performing on Saturday evening as part of the weekend of events. Her performance benefits the LGBTQ Resource Center at Gulfport Public Library, which is sponsoring ReadOut. Her 2018 performance in Gulfport was a sold-out hit! Tickets for her February 16 show are available here: https://poppychamplingulfport.brownpapertickets.com/.
All events at ReadOut are free (apart from the workshop and Poppy Champlin show). However, sponsors help us defray costs. This year there will be two levels of sponsorship: SAPPHO LEVEL: $100 or More – The first eight Sappho Sponsors will receive a first edition book by May Sarton, the noted lesbian poet, novelist, journalist, and autobiographer. Your name also will be listed as a Sappho Sponsor in the ReadOut program and other media promoting the event. BOOKWORM LEVEL: $25 to $99 – Bookworm Sponsors will be listed in the ReadOut program and other media promoting the event. Donations can be made online here: https://gulfportreadout.brownpapertickets.com/.
Last year’s First Annual ReadOut was a stunning success and this year we hope to draw even more attendees from across the Tampa Bay region and beyond. Mark your calendars and invite your out-of-town guests for this fabulous weekend. For more information, contact Alison Solomon by email to GulfportReadOut@gmail.com.
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