Wordier Than Thou

Supporting Literary Arts and Culture in the Tampa Bay Region

Storytelling open mics. Literary events. A social network for authors, readers and word enthusiasts.

Photo by james steidl/iStock / Getty Images

Our Story

Wordier Than Thou was born in 2012 after a conversation with a group of friends. The idea was simple but unique for the Tampa Bay area: a storytelling- and prose-only open mic series. At the time, there were already so many open mics out there that catered to poetry, music and spoken word. Fiction and creative non-fiction writers needed their own outlet - a place to tell their stories to other writers and for those who simply love to hear a good tale.

That night, I contacted the owner of the former L Train, a St. Petersburg venue that boasted a small black box theater perfect for what I envisioned. By the next day, I had a date and started contacting every writer I knew or wanted to know.

In just 24 hours, we were well on our way to turning Wordier Than Thou into reality.

Early on, we began branching out with different types of events. I saw that we’d often get the same crowd of talented local writers and voracious readers, excited to share their work and interact with other wordsmiths. Yet, I thought it was important to reach a larger audience, especially people who might not typically go to a book event.

Our goal is to help people engage with stories in new, fun ways and make books – especially those written by local authors – more accessible to the average person.

We eschew that stuffy, capital “L” notion of literature and welcome everyone from all backgrounds and interests. While we work with authors of literary fiction and genre writers (sci fi, fantasy, horror, romance, mystery, etc.), all are welcome. Everyone is on the same playing field when they’re at a Wordier event.

As for the events themselves, we blur the lines of what a literary event is. Stories can be celebrated and experienced in so many different ways.

Over the years, we’ve roasted dead authors, hosted literary pub crawls, written murder mystery games, hosted literary themed drag and burlesque shows and way more! We are always pushing the boundaries of where a story can take us and we aren’t shy to go in some interesting directions! 

Our latest endeavor is This Bookstore Kills Fascists, a queer and feminist pop-up bookstore setting up at markets, events and businesses throughout the Tampa Bay area.

If you're interested in partnering with us on any current or new endeavors, email us at WordierThanThou@gmail.com. Be sure to check our calendar and keep up with us on social media.

– Tiffany Razzano, Founder

Wordier Than Thou is a literary arts initiative dedicated to supporting writers and readers in the Tampa Bay area and throughout the state of Florida.

 

Email us at 
WordierThanThou@gmail.com