What a delight to get to hear Lee Irby's talk on Confederate statues and their place today

Here's an unexpected treat. We were talking not long ago about one our our favorite authors, Lee Irby, who teaches history at Eckerd College and wrote an intriguing book called Unreliable, that has been gaining attention of late. Lee's book is set in Richmond, Virginia, which is where Lee is from, and where resides a statue of General Robert E. Lee. With the current discussion of Confederate statues and their place in society today, Lee Irby was asked to speak on Confederate Monuments in the South: Place, Memory  and Lingering Wounds. That was on Monday, and there was quite a crowd. What's unexpected is that if you couldn't attend Lee Irby's talk, you haven't missed out. The recording above provides great opportunity to hear what Lee Irby had to say about General Lee's statue and much more.  What a delight. Thank you, Lee, for posting the talk. Thank you, Eckerd College, for recording it.

It's always fascinating to learn about the activities of Eckerd College's fine students

Nicole Valez, who is graduating from Eckerd College next year, made this video about the summer internships Eckerd College students had at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota. Included in the video are Elizabeth Weatherup '19 (Coral Health and Disease Program), Danielle Birk '19 (Animal Rehab), and Juliet Stevenson '19 (Sarasota Dolphin Research Program).  Nicole was in the Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program. We love it when we learn about the activities of Eckerd students. They're some of our favorite people.

Favorite author Lee Irby gets a write-up and a chance to talk about Confederate statues

Here's one from the Local Boy Makes Good file. Don't know if you saw Cathy Salustri's write-up in Creative Loafing about one of our favorite writers out at Eckerd College, Lee Irby. Here's the part we like. Kathy is talking about Lee's new book, Unreliable, a murder mystery with an unreliable narrator. Her  opinion is that Lee and his book haven't gotten enough attention lately. We concur. She calls the book "witty, engaging amd utterly engrossing." But the best part: She says the book is Literature, "the kind that should have a capital L. High praise, indeed! Anyway, if you haven't read it yet, we'd encourage you to do so. Lee's going to be speaking at a special event at Eckerd Confederate Monuments in the South: Place, Memory and Lingering Wounds. It's on October 23  at 7 p.m. in the Triton Room. He's speaking on the removal of Confederate statues, which a focus on the statue of Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, which is the setting for his book.

The Swami says: "I got struck by enlightening during a brainstorm"

Not long ago, St. Petersburg College's Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions (which, we have to say, sounds awfully serious) hosted a hilarious evening dinner program featuring Swami Beyondananda, who is actually the "comic alter ego of writer, humorist, performer, and uncommontator Steve Bhaerman." The Swami says his favorite yoga pose is tongue-in-cheek. This somewhat educational and highly entertaining. It's worth your time.

At 6, is he a future chicken mogul?

Did you see Debbie Wolfe's photo in The Gabber?  This happy young man is Bryce Parzick, and at 6 years old, he's on his way to becoming a chicken mogul. At least he's learning the chicken business. Check out Debbie's picture in The Gabber. You may have to pick up the print edition. The folks a the newspaper are  in the process of converting to  new server and their website has been down, so you might not see it there. All the best to the fo;ks at Gulfport''s newspaper. Hope you're online again soon.

It's music to our ears as a new jazz club puts mellow sounds right in the neighborhood

Did you see Allen Buchanan's terrific write-up in The Weekly Challenger about the new jazz club right in our neighborhood? Doc's Place is right next door. It's the brainchild of Steve "Doc" Burt, who was looking for a place to play his glues guitar and then realized he already had a place – his space in the Skyway Mall where he used to run his liquidation business. He joined up with his friend Tony "Big T" Clark and jazz musicians to bring the lounge to live. Read the article, and stop by for some mellow sounds.

We're "barely" keeping our composure as these daring ladies promote their theater

This jaw-dropping photo didn't come to our attention until after the event it was promoting was over but we suspect the daring ladies got the attention they were hoping for. It kind of brought to mind that 2003 Helen Mirren movie Calendar Girls. The movie was based on a real-life stunt some nice ladies in Yorkshire did to raise money for leukemia research after one woman's brother died of the disease. You remember. They posed without a stitch on for a calendar, which resulted in brisk sales. Anyway, it all raises awareness of the Gulfport Community Players next production, Letting Go, which is billed as the world premiere of a musical comedy by prolific and talented Gulfport playwright Gil Perlroth, who is close to 90 years old and still writing. In the photo below, Ginny Holscher and Ron Goldstein rehearse a scene from the play, which concerns a widower who's missing his late wife and a sexy neighbor who takes an interest in him. It'll run November 2-12 at the Catherine Hickman Theatre. (So far as we know, everybody keeps their clothes on in the show.)

If you can put together a rhyme, do it now. Gulfport poets: This is your time to shine

You know him. That's Sam.
Gulfport's mayor Sam Henderson
Gulfport's poet laureate.

You could replace him.
Send your entries in today.
Or soon. Deadline's November.

Don't know if there's rules
about the rhyme schemes and such.
'Spect haiku will do.

'Twas a story in The Gabber
'Twas most certainly a grabber.
Inspired this rhyme
That, maybe, need wine.
Have another glass of caber -net

Clearly, the poets of Gulfport have nothing to fear from this corner of the world but the deadline's approaching (November 3) to submit your entry to be poet laureate of Gulfport. The position pays nothing but comes with all sorts of accolades. Just ask the poet mayor, Gulfport's second poet laureate or Peter Hargai, the first. Anyway, read the story at the link above and get your portfolio together. You may be a poet and don't know it.