We’re thrilled to be holding our 3rd episode of Functionally Literate: a literary function at one of Orlando’s hidden gems. The White House!  The Timucua Arts White House, that is. The event is on May 11th at 7pm and will feature:

Enid Shomer (an award-winning novelist visiting from Tampa)
Philip F. Deaver (an award-winning author and poet who teaches at Rollins College)
Monica Wendel (poet extraordinaire and current Kerouac Writer-in-Residence) and
John King (writer, UCF professor, raconteur, and host of The Drunken Odyssey: a podcast about the writing life).

This event is free, by the way, but you can support us by purchasing one of our books at the event, or just handing us some money (we’re a nonprofit, so it’s tax deductible!).

>> RSVP on Facebook <<

The White House is at 2000 S. Summerlin Ave. across from Boone High School. If you’ve never been, check out what they are about.

Typically the venue hosts some amazing contemporary musical acts, so we’ve concocted a literary playlist to get you psyched up for this Saturday. These songs don’t reflect the tastes of the White House, or even BP for that matter. We’ve just gathered these lit-inspired songs for kicks, so enjoy.

5. Nabokov via The Police’s “Don’t Stand So Close To Me”
The song that begs the question, is Sting as creepy as Humbert Humbert?

4. Hemingway via Metallica‘s “For Whom The Bell Tolls”
Combining literary minimalism with guitar-shredding maximalism.

3. Orientalism via Billy Woodz
A one-two combo of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and a shout out to Edward Said. English majors swoon.

2.  Thomas Pynchon via Andrew Bird’s “Imitosis”
Is this song actually about Thomas Pynchon? Who cares.

1. Kafka via Duane’s band on the show “Home Movies”
Because this is the best thing ever. With a bonus track about Louis Pasteur.

A few months ago, Burrow Press asked Orlando high schoolers to provide their own “view” of Orlando, in the form of a short story, to be considered for our third volume of 15 Views. The winning student’s story would kick off the entire story sequence and be followed up by some very talented authors, including local high school teachers and YA novelists. Now, a few months later, after some extremely good submissions and really tough choices, we’ve finally made a decision… The winner of our contest is…

Nadia Lindsey of Lake Nona High School!

Congratulations to Nadia, and a huge thank you to all the talented high schoolers who submitted their work. Nadia’s story will appear online first, followed by our 14 other contributors, later this spring. Then, sometime toward the end of 2013/beginning of 2014, we’ll put all the stories together in print for 15 Views of Orlando Vol. III. Be sure to check it out!

This spring marks the launch of Burrow Press Writes, a series of 12 creative writing workshops we’ll hold throughout the year. Six in the spring, six in the fall, all focused on various themes and genres of creative writing, and taught by the talented locals who live in this secretly literary city. We know you aspiring writers are there, too, so we hope you decide to sign up for a few workshops, hone your skills, and support Burrow Press and the local writing community all at the same time. Here’s a quick list of what spring looks like (we’re still confirming one more workshop for April) but get the full rundown HERE.

2/2 Love Poems with Susan Lilley (click for details)
2/9 The Modern Love Essay with Vanessa Blakeslee (click for details)
3/2 Crafting Short Stories with David James Poissant (click for details)
3/30 Writing about Sports with Philip F. Deaver (click for details)
4/20 Crime Fiction with Vance Voyles (click for details)

If you weren’t aware, BP has teamed up with the Kerouac Project to start a new reading series. Functionally Literate (a literary function) is a quarterly-ish reading series that aims to connect, entertain, and possibly intoxicate, Orlando’s larger community of writers, bookworms, lit nerds, and the intellectually curious. Each event features one visiting writer, and three talented locals from all over the Central Florida lit community. Our first episode featured Don Peteroy, John Henry Fleming, Susan Lilley & Caitlin O’Sullivan.

>> CLICK HERE TO WATCH EPISODE ONE ON THE F.L. WEBSITE <<

LIT EVENTS
A very incomplete list.

6.10 ~ Parcels: MFAs in Progress Reading Series. UCF MFA Reading, 7pm @ Urban ReThink. Free.

6.12 ~ There Will Be Words, featuring Nick Brown, Bryce Emeley, Adriana Paramo & Karen Price. Readings start at 7pm @ Urban ReThink. Free.

6.16 ~ BLOOMSDAY at Urban ReThink, hosted by John King. Celebrate James Joyce’s Ulysses. Whether you love it, hate it, haven’t read it, haven’t read it but pretend you have, there’s going to be whiskey. Free.

6.17 ~ Time for Prose. Long form fiction reading series at Urban ReThink. Free.

6.19 ~ Speakeasy. Almost anything goes open mic, optional theme, imbibing guaranteed. 9-ish PM @ Will’s Pub.

OUTSIDE THE BURROW
BP authors doing awesome stuff elsewhere.

Ashley Inguanta immortalizes Big Daddy’s karaoke in a story at PANK called “It’s End of the World Karaoke.”

Jonathan Kosik’s depressing awesome “Pensacola” appears in Bartelby Snopes.

Nathan Holic’s candidate for best title (and short graphic narrative) ever–“On Seeing Yourself In A Comment Board For A Movie In Which You Starred At Age 15, Which You Had Hoped Was Forgotten But Has Now Reappeared on Netflix ‘Instant Play’”–appears in Palooka.

John King’s podcast The Drunken Odyssey sets sail soon.

GUESS WHAT?
A new Burrow Press book, a novella, due out in October, soon to be announced in our monthly email. Sign up for it, quick! And soon to be mentioned in this newsfeed.