ST. PETERSBURG — St. Petersburg is a literature lover’s haven, blossoming with independent bookstores (Tombolo, Book + Bottle), writing workshops around town (Kerry Kriseman’s memoir classes), pop-up author events (the Jack Kerouac House), Studio @620 open mic and book clubs.

Now there’s another reason to celebrate reading and authors. Those who remember the Times Festival of Reading will enjoy the debut of University of South Florida’s Florida Studies Book Festival on Saturday, April 5, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Nelson Poynter Memorial Library. It’s free.

The event’s organizer, USF’s Chris Meindl, describes this first year festival as simple.

“The festival will feature Florida authors, many local, who will speak about their books, and writing, with ongoing opportunities to buy and sign books throughout the day,” he said. “We will have food trucks in the parking area. Miami Book Fair this is not. Our goal is to start relatively small and hopefully build.”

The festival highlights the USF Florida Studies program and Florida experience. Says the program synopsis: “If the humanities wrestle with the human experience in myriad ways, Florida Studies is about the human experience in the Sunshine State. The Florida Studies Book Festival will provide an opportunity for the public to encounter writers and books that address the Florida experience.”

Some of Florida’s best authors will speak, answer questions and sign books available via the USF St. Petersburg Bookstore. The lineup includes literary luminaries, award-winning USF St. Petersburg professors, Florida Studies alumni, former Tampa Bay Times reporters and experts in Florida’s history, environment, politics and culture. USF St. Petersburg and Florida Humanities co-host the event.

Featured speakers include Craig Pittman, Meindl, Cynthia Barnett, Gary Mormino, Debbie Carson, Andy Huse, Julie Armstrong, Thomas Hallock, Taylor Hagood, Roy Gardner and Kimball Love. Doors open at 9 a.m. with a lunch break from noon to 1 p.m. and food trucks in the parking lot.

MORNING PROGRAM

Opening the festival 9:30-10 a.m. is Craig Pittman, a native Floridian and best-selling author (“Oh, Florida!”). He also has a new book “Welcome to Florida: True Tales from America’s Most Interesting State,” is a podcast host and environmental columnist for the Florida Phoenix. Says Pittman: “We have 900 new people a day moving into Florida and most of them have no idea what they've gotten themselves into. With this book, I tried to clue them in on a few important things, such as the fact that we have more nudist resorts than any other state."

Florida's Defining Foods

Andrew "Andy" Huse is curator of Florida Studies in Special Collections at the University of South Florida Libraries. His books include “The Columbia Restaurant,” “From Saloons to Steakhouses: A History of Tampa,” and “The Cuban Sandwich: A History in Layers,” with Barbara Cruz and Jeff Houck.

Florida's Climate and Environment

Cynthia Barnett is an environmental journalist and author of four books including “Rain: A Natural and Cultural History” and “The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans.” She directs Climate and Environment Reporting initiatives at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications.

The Florida Learning Experience

Deb Carson and Gary Mormino share the stage. Carson completed her masters in Florida Studies from USF and studied with accoladed author and historian Mormino, the Frank E. Duckwall professor emeritus at USF St. Petersburg. His books include “The Immigrant World of Ybor City,” “Land of Sunshine State of Dreams: A Social History of Modern Florida,” and “Dreams in a New Century: Florida’s Turning Point.” Carson’s master’s thesis became the book, “Becoming FLO, A Mostly True Story.”

AFTERNOON PROGRAM

Following the lunch break, there are five sessions and a 4 p.m. wrap-up with the festival speakers, ending at 4:30 p.m.

Florida Teaching and Writing Reflections

USF English professors Julie Buckner Armstrong and Thomas Hallock will share their creative process. Armstrong edits and writes publications related to civil rights and racial justice, including “Learning from Birmingham: A Journey into History and Home.” (University of Alabama Press, 2023). She is currently co-editing, with Thomas Hallock and Benjamin Brothers, a two-volume anthology of Florida literature. Hallock has authored several books about Florida, early America, and the environment. His most recent publication is “Happy Neighborhood: Essays and Poems.”

The Always Bizarre Florida Crime Fiction Tradition

Taylor Hagood writes about music, Florida crime and teaches American literature.

Florida Is Not For Sissies

Kimball Love is a seventh-generation Floridian who has worked at the National Geographic Society, the state of Florida and several counties in education, disaster recovery, and economic development with a focus on natural resource protection and restoration.

Protecting Florida's Wetlands

Royal C. Gardner, professor at Stetson University College of Law, is an internationally recognized expert in wetland law and policy.

Florida's Springs

Meindl has directed the Florida Studies Program for over 10 years and authored “Florida Springs: From Geography to Politics.”