Paul Wilborn’s short-story collection, Cigar City: Tales From A 1980s Creative Ghetto, turns five in 2024, and the anniversary celebration will include multiple appearances in Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Due to the double whammy of hurricanes a few of my October book events have been rescheduled into November.
Cigar City, the first book published by St. Petersburg Press, won the fiction gold medal in the 2019 Florida Book Awards. The book’s marketing was cut short by the pandemic in 2020.
“We learned about the award early in 2020 and quickly put together a much-improved “Gold Medal” edition that was released in March of 2020. I was working on a state-wide marketing push when the world shut down,” Wilborn said.
Now, at five, the book is getting a new life. Along with talks and readings, selected appearances include live music by Paul’s four-piece group, and the reading of a full story by the actor, Eugenie Bondurant.
The tour started with appearances at the Ybor City Book Festival in April and Tempus Projects in August.
Cigar City is a collection of linked short stories about the young artists, writers, poets, musicians, and actors who inhabited Tampa’s Ybor City in the 1980s. Drawn by urban authenticity and cheap rents, they created a surreal, chaotic, arts scene set against the backdrop of the empty cigar factories and shotgun shacks of Tampa’s immigrant past. The Ybor scene drew international artists like James Rosenquist and mirrored what was happening in New York’s East Village.
Upcoming appearances:
- Sunday, Nov. 10, Time 3 p.m., New Tampa Performing Arts Center, 8550 Hunters Village Rd, Tampa. Songs and a story, featuring Eugenie Bondurant reading a complete story from the book and live music by Wilborn and his band, Front Porch Picnic, plus special musical guests, at each story break.
- Thursday, Nov. 14, 5 to 6:30 at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, 1630 E. 7th Ave., Ybor City. Wilborn will do a talk about the book and Ybor City in the ‘80s and ‘90s, with readings by Wilborn and Eugenie Bondurant. For information: fmopa.org.
- Tuesday, Nov. 19, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Tombolo Books patio, 2153 1st. Ave. S. Saint Petersburg. Songs and a story, featuring Eugenie Bondurant reading a complete story from the book and live music by Wilborn and his band, Front Porch Picnic, plus special guests, at each story break.
Get Your Halloween Scream on with these scary Eugenie Bondurant films:
While not all my wife’s films are scary, she’s got plenty of horror and thriller work in her catalogue. Here’s my recommendations for your Hallow-Streaming:
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It – Eugenie in her biggest role ever, as the evil Occultist putting a spell on just about everyone, including Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. Available on Max, or for rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.
Marvel’s Werewolf By Night – Eugenie as a professional monster killer in his campy, scary and often hilarious black and white film from 2022, starring Gael Garcia Bernal, Laura Donnelly and our pal, Harriet Harris. Streaming on Disney Plus.
Fear of Rain – She’s the scary next-door-neighbor in his psychological thriller with Harry Connick Jr., Katherine Heigel, Madison Iseman, and Israel Broussard. Check Hulu or rent is on Apple TV, YouTube, and it is free with ads on Tubi TV.
AND, OF COURSE, The Hunger Games – Mockingjay 2 – Eugenie in her breakthrough role as Tigris in this finale to the original series. It’s streaming on Apple TV, YouTube and others.
There’s a new book coming in 2025!
I’m doing the final edits and revisions on a brand new novel. Still untitled, it is fact-based fantasy about a famous Tampa mobster who has outlived all his enemies — except one! The book is filled with humor, history and more than a little old-school gunplay!
Stay tuned for more news about this project!
And finally, your moment of Groucho:
Always remember: Paul doesn’t want to buy your house for cash!!
