2020 Event Guide:

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“Official history may be written after the fact by the winners of wars. Real history, however,  is chronicled, in real time, in the slivers and shards of soul songs scribbled by poets and writers. It is these upwellings that social scientists mine to find the unalloyed truth of a moment.

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Writers of Jacksonville, this is our moment, and we are writing its history.

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There is a lot to unpack in 2020: plague, isolation, fear, poverty, climate change, social injustice, and political corruption. There is also the hope for a better, brighter tomorrow, that can be found in the work of a new generation of activists who are inspiring us all with their courage and willingness to take a brutal beating and stand up, again, for a righteous cause.

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This is the story of our times, but it is playing out right here in this beautiful, ugly; broken, healing; hide-bound, evolving; inspiring, infuriating Southern Gothic mess of a city we call home.

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The Jax by Jax Literary Arts Festival was created for this moment. And even though it has been decided that we will not be able to get together in person this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the show must go on. Our voices must be heard—especially now.

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With that in mind, the festival organizers are proud to announce that Jax by Jax VII will be a virtual event, with writer performances and commentary captured on video, and presented in a two-hour documentary.

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Although it is disappointing that we will not all be able to get together in person this year, this adversity has created an incredible opportunity for us to use the technology of our time to capture our moment in the amber of digital video and create something unique and timeless.” 

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~ Brad Kuhn

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Below was the 2019 Event Guide. We hope to meet face-to-face again in 2021. Until then, stay safe, stay well, and keep scribbling!

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Wander between the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Jacksonville Public Library to hear poets, novelists, short-story writers, memoirists and student-writers read from their work highlighting Jacksonville stories and settings.

 

Chamblin's Uptown Bookstore is at 215 N. Laura Street, in the block next to the Jacksonville Public Library, right in the middle of the action, and will have a special bookshelf available for your purchase of the JaxbyJax authors' works. 

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Parking is available in the Duval Street garage at 33 West Duval Street (corner of Duval and Main). The library will validate parking at the checkout desk. There is also ample on-street parking, which is free downtown on the weekends.

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The Student Showcase will feature student-writers from the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts,
the University of North Florida, and Florida State College at Jacksonville.

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Women Writing for a Change will feature their new Rise and Shine! anthology
featuring five years of work from their members, and will provide an interactive writing experience.

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Check below for detailed author readings, venues, and times.

2019 Event Guide:

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Women Writing for a Change
 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon

 

Welcome and Introduction of Jennifer Wolfe by Brad Kuhn. Pick up your copy of the Rise & Shine! Anthology
and enjoy an interactive writing experience in the Jacksonville Public Library Conference Center Multi-Purpose Room.

 

Student Showcase

10:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon

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 Welcome and Introduction of students by Darlyn Finch Kuhn

Readings in the Jacksonville Public Library Hicks Auditorium by student writers from:

 

Douglas Anderson School of the Arts (DA)

 

Dariana Alvarez: Painting in Fajardo After Hurricane Maria

Noland Blain: Verses/Versus

Reece Braswell: Writing the Devil

Grace Brodeen: My Father's Child

Evette Davis: The Poet, Understanding Death

Myka Davis-Westbrook: Mother of the Earth

Alexa Naparstek: Homeland Burning

Thaiyana Pittman: GG Explains It All

Kat Sherman:  An aubade to Sunday's, before.

Miracle Singleton: The Muslim Woman I Know

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(directed by Tiffany Melanson)

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Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ)

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Kayla Bell

Justice Brammiann

Carlos Martin: "Miss Mischief" and "Mercurial of the Moon"

Shaun McCurdy: "LJY" and "Shadows on the Street"

Hannah Trull

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University of North Florida (UNF)

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Kadeem Locke

Christyn Kelly

Carissa Marques

Rebecca Hewett

Seth Gozar: "Nightly Rituals" and "Mutt"

Gracie Wilkinson

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 JaxbyJax Literary Arts Festival

31 Jacksonville Writers read at the Venues and Times posted below:

 

NOTE: Writers will read for 15 minutes, then chat with fans and sell books for 15 minutes.

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Alphabetical Listing, by Writers' Last Names:

 

 

Thony Aiuppy – MOCA – 12:15

Molly Gabriel Angney - JPL Aud – 3:00

Ben Atkinson - JPL Aud – 12 noon

Ma Bones – MOCA – 11:45

Tricia Booker – JPL CC MPR – 4:30

Iman Byfield – MOCA – 1:15

Howard Denson – JPL CC MPR – 2:30

Wanda Duncan – JPL CC MPR – 3:30

Thomas Ferriello – MOCA – 11:15

Keri Foster – JPL CC MPR – 1:30

Sohrab Homi Fracis - JPL Aud – 1:30

Chris Gabbard – MOCA – 12:45

Tim Gilmore – MOCA – 4:15

Alton Gordon - - JPL Aud – 2:30

Laura Hoffman - - JPL Aud – 3:30

Arash Kamiar – JPL CC MPR – 4:00

Brad Kuhn - - JPL Aud – 2:00

Sarah Maples – MOCA – 2:45

Johnny Masiulewicz – MOCA – 1:45

Marq Mervin - - JPL Aud – 4:30

Tayve Neese – MOCA – 3:15

Bobbie O'Connor – MOCA – 2:15

Ebony Payne English – MOCA – 3:45

Shannon Pulusan – JPL CC MPR - noon

Andres Rojas - JPL Aud – 1:00

Kat Roland – JPL CC MPR – 3:00

Erica Saffer - JPL Aud – 12:30

Lynn Skapyak Harlin - JPL Aud – 4:00

Sean T. Smith – JPL CC MPR – 2:00

Damon Thomas – JPL CC MPR – 1:00

Nikesha Williams – JPL CC MPR -12:30

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List by Venue:

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Jacksonville Public Library - 303 N. Laura Street, Jacksonville, Florida 32202

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JPL - Auditorium

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12 noon – Ben Atkinson

 

12:30 p.m. – Erica Saffer

 

1:00 p.m. – Andres Rojas

 

1:30 p.m. – Sohrab Homi Fracis

 

2:00 p.m. – Brad Kuhn

 

2:30 p.m. – Alton Gordon

 

3:00 pm. – Molly Gabriel Angney

 

3:30 p.m. – Laura Hoffman

 

4:00 p.m. – Lynn Skapyak Harlin

 

4:30 p.m. – Marq Mervin

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JPL - Conference Center Multi-Purpose Room

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12 noon – Shannon Pulusan

 

12:30 p.m. – Nikesha Williams

 

1:00 p.m. – Damon Thomas

 

1:30 p.m. – Keri Foster

 

2:00 p.m. – Sean T. Smith

 

2:30 p.m. – Howard Denson

 

3:00 pm. – Kat Roland

 

3:30 p.m. – Wanda Duncan

 

4:00 p.m. – Arash Kamiar

 

4:30 p.m. – Tricia Booker

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Museum of Contemporary Art - 333 North Laura Street, Jacksonville, Florida 32202

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11 a.m. - Welcome by Director Emeritus Tim Gilmore

 

11: 15 a.m. - Thomas Ferriello

 

11:45 a.m. - Ma Bones

 

12:15 p.m. – Thony Aiuppy

 

12:45 p.m. – Chris Gabbard

 

1:15 p.m. – Iman Byfield

 

1:45 p.m. – Johnny Masiulewicz

 

2:15 p.m. – Bobbie O’Connor

 

2:45 p.m. – Sarah Maples

 

3:15 p.m. – Tayve Neese

 

3:45 p.m. – Ebony Payne English

 

4:15 p.m. – Tim Gilmore

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After-Party at MOCA, 5-7 p.m.

Meet and Mingle with your favorite writers

Cash Bar and Light Bites (courtesy of Delegal & Poindexter, P.A.)

Poetry by Teen Artists Group (TAG) of Yellow House Art (directed by Ashley Chatmon)

TAG features Brelle Burt, Luz Manunga, Olivia Meiller, and Connor Naccarto
Music by Kinney Harold

Award presentations to writers by Presenting Sponsor, Ron Chamblin

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