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November 8 & 9, 2024
Jacksonville Public Library - Main Branch
303 N. Laura St.
Jacksonville, FL 32202
Meet the 2024 writers below.
(Click on photo to see writer's name and bio.)
 Tia LevingsTia Levings writes stories that shine light on the abuses of Christian fundamentalism and offers insight into the true horrors of religious trauma. Her videos on social media have millions of views. Through the lens of her personal experience, she connects entertainment, news headlines, and current events to fundamentalist influences and strategy. Her memoir is A Well-Trained Wife. |  Michael WileyMichael Wiley is the Shamus Award-winning author of 12 novels in 4 series. Michael’s short stories appear often in magazines and anthologies, including Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2022. He has written two books of literary criticism and over forty critical reviews and articles. Under the pen name Michael George, he is the author of the Changing Light Prize-winning verse novel Find Your Own Way Home. |
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 Jenn ChaseJennifer Chase is an American singer/songwriter, playwright/performer and producer. Her 30 years of experience creating and collaborating have taken her performances of origingal songs from Jax to NYC, to Nantes; France, to Dakar; Senegal and back. Her works include dramas, musicals, comedies, a one-woman show, six original albums of music, and a new memoir. She’s opened for The Doobie Brothers, The Rippingtons, and Lisa Loeb. |  Tricia Booker-Memoir/CNF-Workshop Leader-Room HostTricia Booker is an award-winning journalist who has written for Folio Weekly, Southern Living, Notre Dame Magazine, and other publications around the country. She currently teaches journalism at the University of North Florida and writes a popular blog about topics ranging from politics and literature to adoption and manners. Her first book is a memoir about how Tricia and her former husband adopted three children. |
 Sohrab Homi Fracis-Fiction Workshop LeaderSohrab Homi Fracis’s book of stories, True Fiction, won the 2023 International Book Award. Ticket to Minto won the Iowa Short Fiction Award, described by the NY Times as "among the most prestigious literary prizes America offers." Stanford shortlisted his novel, Go Home, for the William Saroyan International Prize. He was Twin Cities Visiting Writer in Residence at Augsburg College and Artist in Residence at Yaddo. He received the South Asian Literary Assoc.'s Distinguished Achievement Award. |  Princess Simpson RashidPrincess Simpson Rashid is a Gen X writer, designer and visual artist. She was raised in New Jersey with roots in Georgia and Florida. A member of Ancient City Poets, she has read for Jax by Jax Literary Arts Festival, Sing Out Loud Festival, and St. Augustine Poet Fest. Her work has been published in The Banyan Review, AC Papa Literary Journal, Moss Gossamer zine and (a) River Rising-Anthology of Women’s Voices. She is currently working on her debut poetry collection, All is Not What it Seems. |
 Jeff WhippleJeff Whipple’s visual art has been in hundreds of art exhibitions and he’s written dozens of plays and five books. He’s had 18 play productions and won several playwriting awards. He received four Florida artist fellowships and two from Illinois. He won a $10,000 Fulton Ross Artist Grant and two Community Foundation of NE Florida Art Ventures artist grants. In 2018, he won a $25,000 Pollock-Krasner grant. He has an MFA from the University of South Florida and has taught at several colleges. |  Jennifer Wolfe - WWFAC Anthology Launch & Workshop LeaderExecutive Director Jennifer Wolfe established the Jacksonville affiliate of Women Writing for (a) Change® in 2013, adding a non-profit foundation in 2018. A writer, facilitator, business owner, and community leader, she’s helped facilitate change for people and organizations for the past 25 years. She is a journalist by training, a licensed affiliate owner for Women Writing for (a) Change®, and a certified instructor for The Center for Journal Therapy. |
 Tim GilmoreTim Gilmore is the author of The Wilderness and Willie Browne (2024) and 23 other books, including The Mad Atlas of Virginia King and Devil in the Baptist Church: Bob Gray’s Unholy Trinity. He’s the creator of jaxpsychogeo.com, a project that tells nearly 800 “true story portraits” of his hometown. He holds a Ph.D. from UF and teaches writing at FSCJ, where four of his plays have been staged. He writes about the haunted South & how the South haunts America. |  Shutta CrumShutta Crum is a Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation honoree poet. Publications include poems in Nostos, Acumen, Calyx, Boulevard and Mom Egg Review. She is a Pushcart nominee and the author of 3 chapbooks, including When You Get Here (Kelsay Books) a Royal Palm Literary Award winner. She’s authored 18 books, including Thunder-Boomer! a Smithsonian Magazine and American Library Association notable book of the year. |
 Schynell WalkerSchynell Walker is a spoken word artist, event curator, host and writer. Her work is published in “Black Heart Healing” with Pulse Poetry Magazine, Lucid Publications, and BluntSpace. She has competed in As She Speaks National Poetry Slam, and performed at DTL Poetry in Philadelphia. She has hosted “Artistry on the Flow" music showcases and The Prescription & Goddess Thoughts radio shows. She owns Sparks of Allure Production Company. |  Rebecca CraigRebecca J. Craig is an author, artist, and pastor. She holds a degree in journalism from the UN-Lincoln, and a Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary. She worked at Disney Feature Animation in story development for several years. Her memoir is “Once Upon a Nightmare: Through the Looking Glass of Narcissistic Abuse.” She writes speculative historical fiction and fantasy and has produced several video-based Christian studies. She illustrated the children’s book, “Monty: A Tale of No Tail.” |
 Nicole ZwolinskiNicole earned her BA in Creative Writing at St. Cloud State University. She took courses through The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis and attended the Mississippi River Creative Writing Workshop at SCSU. She’s had poems and short stories published in Firewords Quarterly, Flash Fiction Magazine, NEAT, Bare Hands, Fish Food magazine, Feminine Collective, and Alternate Routes No.2. Her collection of poems titled "The minor inconveniences of infidelities" is forthcoming from Happy Tapir Press. |  Phoebe MullisPhoebe Mullis, a second-generation Jacksonville native and proud Filipina, lives and works in Downtown Jacksonville. She holds a B.S. in Communication with a focus in Public Relations and a Creative Writing minor from the University of North Florida. Prior to UNF, she studied at Florida State College at Jacksonville, where she was selected for a Writers Retreat Workshop. Phoebe is currently working on her first chapbook and writes poetry, literary fiction, and short stories. |
 Michael WalshMichael Walsh has a degree in journalism from Boston University, but always dreamed of being a fiction writer. GE Aerospace hired him to edit jet engine manuals, and he continued his fiction writing hobby when he was relocated to Cincinnati and Naval Air Station Jacksonville. He was a student of the late Frank Green, founder of the long-running Bard Society workshop, and won the First Coast Writers’ Festival short story contest. All 3 of Michael’s Ocean Park Mystery Series have 5 stars on Amazon |  Maxwell CarrilloMaxwell is a poet and long time Jacksonville resident. He began writing poetry in 2022 and has since been cultivated, supported and inspired by our local poetry and writing community. Maxwell has been a featured in City Bus Print’s Alternate Routes zine and released several poems as self-published zines. Maxwell has aspirations to publish a collection of poetry. |
 Lynn Skapyak HarlinLynn Skapyak Harlin is a poet, writer and editor. Her first published oem, “War Waste,” appeared in Time, (December 7,1970). Her poems have appeared in Moss Gossamer, The Jacksonvillian and AC PAPA vol.1,2,3&4 . Two chapbooks of Lynn's poetry, Real Women Drive Trucks (1997) and Press One for More Options (1997), were published by Closet Books. Her chapbook, Age Changes (2017), was published by Happy Tapir Press. Twists and Turns (2019) & All Shapes and Sizes (2022) were published by Hidden Owl. |  Jim DraperJim Draper was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi. He attended Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi then received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Mississippi in 1974. In 1978 he completed his MFA at the University of Georgia. He has worked as an artist, curator and writer splitting his time between northeast Florida and North Carolina. His latest work, Shantyboat Stories, edited by Lynn Skapyak Harlin,will be published Fall of 2024 by Horse and Buggy press of Durham, NC. |
 Jenny Noble AndersonJenny Noble Anderson is the award-winning author of But Still She Flies: Poems and Paintings and Can Buddhists Wear Mascara (and Other Things I’ve Googled). Her work has been featured in The Breakwater Review, (a) river rising: Anthology of Women’s Voices, Moss Gossamer Anthology, and The Eunoia Review. Jenny completed a B.A. in English and then shifted direction to pursue her Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work. After 15 years as a therapist and sobriety coach, she now focuses on writing. |  James GreeneJames Greene is a public librarian in Jacksonville, crafting public arts programs and events, drawing from his 18 years of teaching studio art. In June 2024, his team hosted the third annual Duval Comics and Zines (DCAZ) Fest, featuring 75 tabling creators, a live RISO press jam, and a Lit Chat with graphic novelist Nate Powell. In 2023 he served as a jurist for the Florida Department of State Division of Arts and Culture grants. Greene is the creator of Larry Loathman comics & a graphic novel. |
 Dimitri McCloghryDimitri McCloghry (he/him) earned an MFA in Poetry from Stetson University’s MFA of the Americas. Poems have been taken or are forthcoming from the following publications: Bayou, Common Ground Review, FLARE: The Flagler Review, OxMag, Permafrost, Potomac Review, Talon Review, Verdad, and others. He’s currently at work on a chapbook titled The Last Angels of Anaheim, which deals with various counterbalances against toxic masculinity in the 21st century. |  Andrea LeDewAndrea LeDew writes fiction and poetry. Her poetry has appeared in Moss Gossamer, Regency Reflections, Border Beats and Secrets, the Florida Writers Association’s 2023 anthology. Her novel-in-progress concerns the precarious fate of a home for developmentally disabled adults. Andrea’s copious writings since 2017 are cataloged on For Random Learning Comes (frlcnews.com). Themes include politics, disability, grief, self-determination and education. |
 Heather StaffordHeather (Knitter) Stafford has lived in Jacksonville since they were 13, which is around the same time they started writing poetry. They enjoy the rich art community in Jacksonville and feel grateful to be a part of it. |  Victoria NationsVictoria is a horror writer and poet, an eldergoth queer woman, a Florida native, and a biologist who is happiest in marshes and swamps. Her fiction appears in Dark Matter Magazine, “Dangerous Waters: Deadly Women of the Sea,” and “Fish Gather to Listen.” Her poetry appears in Magpie Messenger Literary Magazine, “Under Her Eye,” and “Mother: Tales of Love and Terror.” Victoria lives with her wife in St. Augustine, and she’s deeply fond of Florida’s wild areas and quirky communities. |
 Bill DeLaneyBill Delaney is a writer from Jacksonville whose work focuses on the history and culture of the First Coast. He is co-owner, editor and writer for the publications The Jaxson and Edible Northeast Florida Magazine, and he published his first book, Secret Jacksonville, with Reedy Press in 2021. He is a graduate of the UNF with a bachelor’s and master’s in English. In addition to writing, he has also worked in higher education and politics in Florida and is an aide to Mayor Donna Deegan. |  Damon ThomasDamon Thomas is a sixth-generation Floridian who grew up on the banks of the Suwannee in rural Dixie County, FL. Here he experienced a Southernness that included sea monsters, swamp cabbage, and makeshift graves. Damon has released 24 Spoken Word albums and 7 books on how the bookish might pass time in a Southern Gothic setting. |
 Abel HardingAbel Harding is the North Florida market president for First Horizon Bank. A former journalist, Abel is active in the Jacksonville community, currently serving as a member of JAX Chamber’s board of directors and the vice chair of the Cummer Museum’s board of trustees. Abel is the father of one son, Austin, and lives in Atlantic Beach. |  Esmé DeVriesEsmé DeVries is a senior in the Douglas Anderson Creative Writing department. She has been previously published in Élan Literary Magazine. Esmé writes primarily creative nonfiction and poetry and can be found on Instagram at @esme_devries |
 Scooter WirthScooter Wirth is a 12th grade student at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. He is the winner of a 2022 scholastic gold medal for fiction and a 2024 Extravaganza featured artist. He frequents gothic genres and writes pieces that often revolve around the comparison of humanity and the natural world. He also enjoys songwriting and intends to pursue both forms of art in the future. |  Amaria DukesAmaria Dukes is a first year student attending Florida State College at Jacksonville. They have lived in Jacksonville Florida for most of their lives, leaving for military service and returning home. They have enjoyed writing short stories and poems since childhood, along with many other hobbies. Amaria believes that creativity is an expression, utilizing their love of writing, music, and painting to manifest awareness and release their insecurities. |
 Lea McMahanLea McMahan is a queer poet and a current full-time student of creative writing and ceramics at the University of North Florida. He’s been published in several literary magazines and is currently drafting his first chapbook! When he’s not writing, he’s working in the studio or sketching various animals. He eventually wants to teach poetry. |  Oona KeleherOona Keleher is a young artist and poet from Florida. Currently, she is a student in Douglas Anderson School of the Arts’ Creative Writing program and is the Senior Marketing Editor for Élan: An International Student Literary Magazine. She has been previously featured in indie publications such as ad infinitum lit and more. When she’s not off writing somewhere, you can find her writing her own webcomic. |
 Emerson FlanaganEmerson Flanagan is a senior in the Creative Writing department at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. Her work has previously been recognized by Élan: An International Student Literary Magazine and the 2024 First Coast Young Poets Contest. She frequently writes poetry and fantasy-based fiction. |  Clover AnglinClover Anglin is an emerging writer in his senior year at Douglas Anderson. His short story, “Colder Still,” has been published in Élan: An International Student Literary Magazine. He writes poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, though poetry is his preference. He often explores relationships, especially familial ones, in his writing. In his free time he engages in other art forms such as visual art and music. |
 Kinsey GabreeKinsey Gabree is a senior studying Philosophy at UNF. She has completed her creative writing minor there and continues to write as an abstract form of expression. She was a valued member of the literary magazine at Bishop Kenny High School, and graduated magna cum laude with an award in Excellence of Philosophy. Her primary goal in her work is to tug at the reader's heartstrings. Writing has always been one of her greatest passions in life. She primarily writes creative fiction and poetry. |  Layla Stalford.Layla Stalford is a senior studying creative writing at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. She is a lover of art, language and music. Other than writing, her hobbies include photography, filmmaking and sketching. |
 Faith EvansMy name is Faith Evans. I'm a student at FSCJ. Over the summer, I took an English class, and one of my assignments was a definition essay. For my word, I decided to write about love and my view on the beautiful meaning. I've always enjoyed writing, but I have struggled with it because of my learning disability. Sometimes that makes it very difficult, but just because something is difficult doesn't mean you should stop doing what you love. If anything, it should keep you going. |
Kathleen Shelton-Gilmore - 2024 Director
One thing to love about the Jacksonville writing community is the way its members step up to serve the community when needed. Life happens, and recently Brooks Decker (after working hard to make sure the applications for the 2024 JaxbyJax Literary Arts Festival were solicited, received, and in the hands of capable anonymous judges, plus coordinating the venue location plans) has made the difficult decision to pass the torch to another young, energetic Jacksonville writer – Kathleen Shelton-Gilmore.
Kathleen Shelton Gilmore began hosting and organizing poetry open mics in the spring of 2017. She has been an active member of the literary community, hosting events at venues such as Chamblin’s Uptown Books and Rain Dogs. She is the founder of the spoken word poetry open mic What’s in a Verse (formerly Kes Poetry Night) and the creator of Blue Monday Literary Zine. She worked for Hope at Hand facilitating workshops for teens, and assisted in the 2019 Jax Poetry Festival. Kathleen studied English and Creative Writing at the University of North Florida. She is an avid reader of poetry, inspired by Anne Sexton, bell hooks, and Denise Levertov. She is happiest rummaging thrift stores, estate sales, and hanging out with her family. Kathleen just completed her first chapbook titled Sticks, Stones, and Charlatans, which is set to release at the beginning of October 2024 by local independent publisher, City Bus Print.
With many thanks to prior directors Tim Gilmore, Jo Carlisle, Brad Kuhn, Darlyn Kuhn, Erica Saffer, and Brooks Decker, Kathleen Shelton is eager to make the 11th annual festival fresh and exciting for writers, readers, and lovers of literature alike. Stay tuned for updates as they happen.
Kathleen can be reached via email at jaxbyjax@yahoo.com
See the Event Guide Tab above for the JaxbyJax XI schedule for 2024.
Readers for JaxbyJax XI have been announced! See the Writers tab above for the list.
Student Showcase Readers have also been announced! See the Student Showcase tab above for the list of students and their work.
Jacksonville Public Library
Chamblin's Bookmine and Chamblin's Uptown Cafe
JaxPsychoGeo
Brad Kuhn & Associates, LLC
904WARD
Scribbles
San Marco Books and More
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