St Petersburg is known as a haven for creative arts, and there's no shortage of opportunities to refine and celebrate work. A writing conference this weekend focuses on the business side of things.
Tiffany Razzano, the founder of the literary arts organization “Wordier Than Thou,” says the the group’s second annual publishing conference aims to help writers find a place for their work.
"There are a lot of workshops and writing conferences out there that focus on the craft of writing," Razzano says, but "not so much the business side of things which, I think, a lot of writers need the biggest help with."
Razzano says a lot of writers tend to finish their book and don’t know where to go from there.
She says the focus of the conference "is all on that self-promotion and marketing, the networking, the working within your community, working with booksellers and libraries and community organizations on ways to get your work out there."
Razzano says the arts scene in St. Petersburg is tremendous in general, with many writers viewing it as a destination.
"It’s amazing. I think you have a lot of Northerners retiring down here or just moving down here and they have a lot of stories and experiences and talent," she said. "I’ve been here about ten years and as I saw visual art start to get really built up and supported and have groups of artists come together, I didn’t see a lot going on for literary artists, and I think they go hand in hand."
Wordier Than Thou's publishing conference is Fenruary 22-24 at the Creative Pinellas campus, 12211 Walsingham Rd., Largo. You can register online here.
