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.
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 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:
- Wednesday, Oct. 2, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Book and Bottle, 17 Sixth Street N., Downtown Saint Petersburg. Wilborn is the special guest at Author Happy Hour, selling and signing copies of Cigar City.
- Thursday, Oct. 10, 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, Oct. 22, 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, at each story break.
- 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, at each story break.
What’s up with my famous wife?
Eugenie Bondurant was just on the red carpet at the Deauville Film Festival in Normandy (That’s France, BTW!) for her new film, School Duel. It’s an indie film shot in Florida. Her friends at Balenciaga sent a dress, a purse and shoes! And best of all, School Duel won one of the top prizes at the festival!
And finally, your moment of Groucho:
Always remember: Paul doesn’t want to buy your house for cash!!
