Creative Loafing Tampa — April 4, 2024

Last year boasted the highest attendance in the event’s almost 30 year-old existence.

Few know the intricate history and effort that got PhilFest off the ground, p. 31.

Occupy USF

Photos by Dave Decker

Acoalition of students staged a three-day occupation of the Patel Center on the Tampa campus of the University of South Florida last week, demanding the school divest from companies and contractors they say support the Israeli government’s indiscriminate bombardments. The occupation happened at the same time as a hunger strike that was started by students nearly three weeks ago. Read an update from the actions on p. 15, and see more photos by cltampa. com/slideshows. —Ray Roa

Brothers Broadleaf, 4th Generation Tampa Cigar Legacy, to Judge the “Best Blunt of the Bay”

Suncoast NORML and Brothers Broadleaf are Looking for the “Best Blunt of the Bay”

TAMPA, FL - March 20, 2024 - Suncoast NORML, the local Tampa Bay chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, is proud to announce its upcoming 3rd annual event, “Best Blunt in the Bay,” set to be held on Saturday, April 13th, at the iconic Chillum Mushroom and Hemp Dispensary located in Historic Ybor City.

This exciting event, sponsored by historic Tampa-based companies Chillum Mushroom and Hemp Dispensary and the Brothers Broadleaf, aims to raise funds to support the legalization of adultuse marijuana in the state of Florida. Both sponsors carry rich legacies within the Tampa Bay area, with Chillum Mushroom and Hemp Dispensary being the first hemp dispensary in the region and the first mushroom dispensary in the United States. Brothers Broadleaf, a premium local blunt company, proudly carries on the tradition of cigar making in Tampa as 4th generation manufactures with 129 years of experience.

judges in the Blunt Rolling contest. Ensuring the winner will be rightfully crowned as Best Blunt in the Bay!

The 3rd annual “Best Blunt in the Bay” promises an exhilarating experience for cannabis enthusiasts and advocates alike. The event will feature a rolling competition akin to competitive eating contests, where participants will showcase their rolling skills in categories such as Best Joint, Best Blunt, and the Freestyle competition, allowing contestants to unleash their creativity. Contestants will be judged on various criteria including speed, style, and the quality of their creations, with judges having the arduous yet enjoyable task of sampling each submission.

Attendees can expect a lively atmosphere filled with music, blunts, and camaraderie, all in support of a noble cause. Judge tickets are limited, so interested individuals are encouraged to secure their spots early.

All proceeds from the event will go directly to Suncoast NORML to support their ongoing efforts to legalize adult-use cannabis in Florida, advocating for sensible and compassionate marijuana policies.

For more information about “Best Blunt in the Bay” and to purchase tickets, please visit the event page: Best Blunt in the BayRolling Competition.

Join us on April 13th for an unforgettable event, where rolling meets advocacy, and together, we strive towards a more equitable and progressive future.

tirelessly to promote sensible marijuana policies that prioritize social justice, public health, and individual freedoms.

About Chillum Mushroom and Hemp Dispensary:

Chillum Mushroom and Hemp Dispensary is a pioneering establishment in the Tampa Bay area, offering a wide range of high-quality hemp and mushroom products. As the first hemp dispensary in the region and the first mushroom dispensary in the United States, Chillum Mushroom and Hemp Dispensary remains dedicated to providing customers with premium products and exceptional service.

About Brothers Broad Leaf:

A valuable piece of experience seeing as to the fact that the Brothers Broadleaf will be

“We’re thrilled to host ‘Best Blunt in the Bay’ in support of cannabis legalization efforts in Florida,” said Christopher Cano Executive Director for Suncoast NORML. “This event not only provides a platform for individuals to showcase their rolling talents but also underscores the importance of advocacy and community involvement in driving positive change.”

About Suncoast NORML:

Suncoast NORML is the local chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) serving the Tampa Bay area. Committed to advancing cannabis reform through education, advocacy, and community engagement, Suncoast NORML works

Brothers Broadleaf is a local premium blunt company based in Tampa. Founded by two 4th generation cigar manufacturers, Brothers Broadleaf carries on the rich tradition of Tampa cigar-making excellence since 1895. Committed to quality and craftsmanship, Brothers Broadleaf offers a range of premium blunt products for discerning enthusiasts.

do this

Dirty 30

If the Skatepark of Tampa’s (SPoT) annual amateur competition makes royalty out of aspiring athletes, then its pro companion is a chance to see skateboarding nobility up-close-and-personal (the laundry list of confirmed pros coming to the Bay area this weekend includes Fabiana Delfino, pictured, Shane O’Neill, and Jagger Eaton). Action kicked off Wednesday with vert registration and practice, and does not let up until the post-finals afterparty wraps at The Bricks in Ybor City on Sunday night. In between, SPoT holds qualifiers (Thursday), vert finals (Friday), a best trick contest and concrete jam (Saturday), plus street competitions and more. And for the party people, the 30th annual Tampa Pro offers open bar all weekend, plus a heavy slate of nightlife from comedy (Taylor Clark) concerts at the park (Ray Barbee, Bad Shit!, Heaven’s Gate), and parties in Ybor City. See more about the agenda at cltampa.com/arts.

Tampa Pro 2024: Daily through Sunday, April 7. $10 & up. 4215 E. Columbus Dr., Tampa. skateparkoftampa. com —Ray Roa

Kiltin’ It

The Dunedin Scottish Arts Foundation’s annual celebration of sports, recreation and culture returns to the aptly-named Highlander Park this weekend with tons of festivities in tow. This year’s Highland Games & Festival features a variety of competitions—from the caber and sheaf toss to the hammer and stone throw—live celtic music, piping and drumming competitions, historical presentations, traditional food vendors, the 5K Kilted Trail Run and a gathering of local Scottish clans reppin’ their lineages. The Dunedin Highland Games and Festival Committee was formed in 1967 and started hosting its annual event a year later in an effort to fundraise for the newly-formed nonprofit and “entertain the public while informing them of Scottish culture.” VIP tickets come with an unlimited amount of food and drinks, free parking, beer and wine tokens and more.

56th Dunedin Highland Games & Festival: Saturday, April 6. 8 a.m.-6 p.m. $20-$225. Highlander Park, 903 Michigan Blvd., Dunedin. dunedinsafoundation.com —Kyla Fields

CHEFIRVINE.COM

Booze and bites

The second annual Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival arrives this week at various local venues in neighborhoods like Water Street Tampa, Hyde Park Village and downtown Tampa. The five-day un of “unforgettable foodie events” features a variety of programming from live music, interactive sponsor experiences and culinary demonstrations to its “Grand Tasting” event with samples from dozens of Tampa Bay restaurants and a “Chef Showdown” competition featuring celebrity chef Robert Irvine. Irvine, most known for his roles on reality shows like “Restaurant: Impossible” and “Worst Cooks in America,” will host the festival’s Chef Showdown event where 14 participants will “battle headto-head in seven unique showdowns.” TBWFF 2024 kicks off on Tuesday, April 9 with a private, invite-only ticketed experience and continues with Wednesday’s inaugural “Experience Water Street” and Thursday’s “Experience Hyde Park,” where diners can indulge in exclusive, coursed meals and celebrity chef collaborations from participating restaurants in those neighborhoods. The foodie festival’s Chef Showdown happens on Friday, while its Grand Tasting final—which features unlimited food and drink samples from 40-plus restaurants at the scenic Curtis Hixon Park (600 N Ashley Dr.)—wraps things up next Saturday.

Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival: TuesdaySaturday, April 9-13. Various times and locations throughout Tampa. $50 & up. tampabaywff.com

Kyla Fields

DUNEDINHIGHLANDGAMES/FACEBOOK

MONSTERENERGY/TWITTER

For the homies

Each spring, The Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association (stylized as “OSHNA”) invites neighbors, lovers of architecture and history buffs alike into its “tree-shaded gem nestled in the heart of Tampa” for its annual home tour, where folks can walk through a choice selection of the neighborhood’s beloved bungalows, businesses and parks. The 24th installment of the self-guided home tour includes seven homes, two local businesses and two historical sites throughout the northwest corner of Old Seminole Heights. There are three different tour times at 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. after purchasing tickets, available for pickup at will call at American Legion Seminole Post 111. And when OSHNA isn’t gearing up for its annual springtime home tour, the neighborhood association that’s billed as a “cohesive force” is organizing other events and utilizing its collective voice to shed light on a “myriad of issues affecting our community.”

OSHNA 24th Annual Home Tour: Sunday, April 7. 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. $25$30. American Legion Seminole Post 111, 6918 N Florida Ave., Tampa. oldseminoleheights.org —Kyla Fields

Stare at the sun

In case you missed it, a bunch of people across the Bay area will spend a couple hours this week staring at the sun. Florida’s not in the path of totality (the moon will block about 60% of the sun in Tampa Bay), there are still multiple eclipse parties happening across the area. Tampa’s Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) has fancy sun-safe telescopes and is set up to provide the best views of the eclipse, which peaks at 3 p.m. MOSI astronomers will be on hand to help teach the science behind the eclipse as it crosses North America, and tickets include eclipse glasses. Read more about the eclipse and get details on other parties on p. 37.

Solar Eclipse Event: Monday, April 8. 2 p.m. $14.50-$18.50. Museum of Science and Industry, 4801 E Fowler Ave., Tampa. mosi.org —Ray Roa

Walk it out

For 33 years, SPCA Tampa Bay has hosted a Pet Walk to help support the nonprofit’s mission to run an open-admission shelter program that cares for more than 8,000 animals a year (SPCA is a “for-all” program that will not limit admission or refuse to take in a pet of any type or situation). Two women—Mauren McFadden and Teressa Galloway—have participated every year, and animal lovers can join them this weekend at two different locations (North Straub Park: 400 Bayshore Dr. NE, St. Petersburg; Largo Central Park, 101 Central Park Dr., Largo). Registration is free, and participants start to earn swag once they raise at least $50.

33rd Annual SPCA Tampa Bay Pet Walk: Saturday, April 6. 8:30 a.m.-noon. spcatampabay.org —Ray Roa

OSHNA/FACEBOOK

SPONSORED CONTENT PRESENTED BY PIONEERING PSYCHEDELICS SCHOOL

Learn Euphoria: Pioneering Psychedelics School Revolutionizes Education in Tampa

Florida’s first Psychedelics School Opens in St Petersburg

St. Petersburg, Florida – Learn Euphoria, a groundbreaking institution dedicated to the responsible and legal exploration of psychedelics, is has opened its doors in St. Pete this past January. Positioned as the first of its kind in the state of Florida, Learn Euphoria provides a unique and transformative educational experience.

Nestled within downtown’s Chillum Mushroom and Hemp Dispensary at 1916 Central Ave, Learn Euphoria distinguishes itself by fostering an atmosphere of education

and community engagement. The school’s inperson classes, covering a diverse array of subjects including “How to Grow Mushrooms,” “How to Microdose,” “How to Trip Sit,” and “Intro to Psychedelics,” offer participants an in-depth understanding of the historical, legal, and pharmacological aspects of psychedelics.

Founder and educator Carlos Hermida emphasizes that Learn Euphoria strictly adheres to a safe, responsible, and legal approach, with absolutely no illegal substances allowed or used on the premises. The courses

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focus on history, usage, FAQs, and legal mushroom cultivation – such as Lions Mane and Cordyceps – reflecting a commitment to harm reduction, legal considerations, and ethical practices.

Hermida states, “We believe that education could lead to legalization,” underscoring the school’s mission to contribute to the broader understanding of psychedelics. Priced at $50 per class, Learn Euphoria aims to make valuable information accessible while ensuring a commitment to legality and safety.

Expressing optimism about the potential for change, Learn Euphoria references Rep. Michael Grieco’s 2021 proposal to legalize psilocybin therapy in Florida. As Learn Euphoria looks ahead, plans are already underway to expand accessibility through online courses this month, making invaluable psychedelic knowledge available to a broader audience.

To enroll in classes or learn more about Learn Euphoria, visit LearnEuphoria.com. Join the journey of unlocking the future with psychedelics, taking euphoria into your own hands.

“I believe, and I know that they will divest.”

Strike on USF students demanding Israeli divestment stage Patel Center occupation.

By Ray Roa and Dave Decker

As he began a hunger strike last month, University of South Florida student Will Mleczko told fellow activists that he would continue the action until the school divests from all companies and defense contractors, which Mleczko’s fellow strikers say support the Israeli government’s indiscriminate bombardments.

The students have organized in the wake of Israel’s now nearly-200-day assault on Gaza, following an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that killed 1,200 people. Displaced Palestinians are currently staring famine in the face, according to the United Nations.

“This is the highest number of people facing catastrophic hunger ever recorded by the Integrated Food Security Classification system – anywhere, anytime,” U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said. “This is an entirely man-made disaster, and the report makes clear that it can be halted.”

“We are gonna be marching across campus to make our demands heard,” said Mleczko.

Mleczko’s efforts took a drastic turn last week during an occupation of the school’s Patel Center when he fell to his knees and required medical attention.

From its @usfhungerstrike social media account last Tuesday, USF’s hunger strikers said that Mlezcko felt his arm and chest go slack before being advised by medical workers to end his strike.

“But the remaining strikers are adamant that they will not give in until USF concedes to our demands. We beseech USF admin to take action and prioritize the lives of their students over profit once and for all. You must divest now for the sake of your students,” organizers wrote on March 27. “It has been ten days now with no food and no concession — enough is enough.”

But Kevin Watler, Media Relations Manager for USF’s University Communications and Marketing department, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, “The university will not be taking action on any of the group’s demands.”

Watler added that USF attempts to communicate with students about guidelines for planned protest or demonstration, and said that the presence of any school officials or officers “is to help ensure a peaceful event.”

The school immediately became concerned about the well-being of hunger strikers when it learned about the action, according to Walter.

“The University of South Florida’s highest priority is the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff,” he said. “Our staff members, including a representative from Student Health Services, initiated a meeting with the organizers to better understand whether the activity would put students at risk. Following the meeting, the USF Dean of Students Office sent the attached letter to the student organization.”

The letter appears to be directed at USF’s Students for Socialism organization. In part, it says that the hunger strike could

jeopardize the health of students and violate USF standards of behavior—and directs the organization to immediately cease its “passive support, coordination, and publication of the Hunger Strike.” The @studentsforsocialismusf Instagram account currently makes no mention of the hunger strike.

Students say that the school has a precedent for divesting companies that support controversial social policies. In 1987, students demanded that USF completely divest from companies with connections to South Africa, which was wrestling with apartheid at the time. The USF Foundation did not completely divest, but did sell the securities of 18 of the 24 firms with operations in South Africa, according to the Tampa Tribune.

Walter said, “We don’t have any information about events in the 1980’s immediately available.”

Last week as students are wrapped up their three-day occupation of USF’s Patel Center, they continued leaning on supporters who’ve coalesced around their movement.

LOCAL NEWS

“With the community that we have around us it is very helpful. It gives me hope and since USF has divested in the past with South African apartheid,” EJ one of seven remaining hunger strikers who would not share their last name, citing fear of retribution, told CL.

“I believe, and I know that they will divest. It’s just a matter of when.”

See more photos from the USF hunger strike on p. 6 and at cltampa.com/slideshows.

CAMP SITE: Students say USF has divested from other companies in the past.

DAVE DECKER

WATER YOU DOING?

Sen. Nick DiCeglie disagreed with some local leaders.

Getting salty

Pinellas mayors, Sen. Nick DiCeglie, spar over controversial vacation rental bill.

By Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix

Pinellas County Republican Sen. Nick DiCeglie gave a brief presentation about a controversial vacation rental bill when he went before a group of mayors, vice mayors and other elected officials in the Tampa Bay area on Wednesday.

He was immediately challenged by Redington Beach Mayor David Will, who said the legislation removes the ability of residents in his city to have any discussion about how to regulate short-term vacation rentals.

LOCAL NEWS

“The actual voice of the residents to go to their townhall, and have a discussion — pros, cons, whatever — to shape their community, to force that direction, has been removed,” he said. “So to me, whatever their position is, having that discussion is incredibly important.”

But DiCeglie pushed back immediately.

The discussion comes at a time when Gov. Ron DeSantis has to make a decision on a shortterm vacation rental bill that will give state government more control over the regulation of rentals such as Airbnb and Vrbo. The bill has yet to be sent to DeSantis for his consideration. Once it gets there, he’ll have 15 days to sign it or veto it or allow it to become law without his signature

Among the provisions in the legislation, local governments can now impose occupancy limits, but they “must be uniformly applied without regard to whether the residential property is used as a vacation rental.”

Will said that means that local governments won’t have the ability to distinguish

“I’m not really sure I understand where this bill, Senate bill 280, removes anybody’s voice,” DiCeglie said. “So I’m not sure that I fully understand how this bill or any other preemption takes away the voice of the people to elect their local representatives, their ability to go to City Hall, express their views, or participate in our democratic process.”

between a single-family house and a vacation rental.

DiCeglie disagreed, noting how the bill requires the Division of Business and Professional Regulations (DBPR) to assign a unique identifier for each individual vacation rental dwelling or unit which can be coordinated with local governments if they create their own local registration system.

Indian Rocks Beach Mayor Cookie Kennedy told DiCeglie that she was disappointed that he hadn’t attended any local community meetings on the issue. “As your mayor, I invited you multiple times,” she said. “My feelings were very hurt.”

Kennedy recently sent a letter to DeSantis urging him to veto the legislation. Among her criticisms is that the occupancy limits are “unenforceable” and that it imposes a requirement of five or more violations by a vacation rental owner during a 60-day period before any suspensions can be imposed by a local government.

But not all of the mayors were critical of the bill.

Treasure Island Mayor Tyler Payne said that he appreciates that the legislation does not cap the amount that local governments can charge to register new short-term vacation rentals in their communities. The bills says that those governments must charge what they consider to be a “reasonable fee.”

“I can do the math with my city staff to calculate how much revenue I need to have for a registration program,” Payne said, “so we can pay for additional code enforcement officers, and I can pay for the additional software that we need to have to track these vacation rentals and enforce our rules that are in place.”

Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Diane Rado for questions: info@ floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter.

“This is devastating news for access to abortion care in the state and the entire South.”

It’s on Florida Supreme court effectively offers split decision on abortion rights.

By Michael Moline/Florida Phoenix

The Florida Supreme Court released two blockbuster rulings on abortion rights on Monday — one that within a few weeks will allow a ban on the procedure after six weeks’ gestation to take effect, and another allowing the voters to decide in November whether to amend the Florida Constitution to protect access to the procedure.

In the first ruling, the court voted to overrule its 1989 precedent holding that the Florida Constitution’s Privacy Clause protects the right to abortion. That protection was among the strongest for the procedure in the country, going beyond what the U.S. Supreme Court allowed in its 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.

The court’s majority noted that the six-week ban, which the Legislature adopted last year, was contingent on one of four things happening: that the court overturned its privacy protection for abortion; that it uphold the ban after 15-weeks’ gestation that the Legislature imposed in 2022; that a state constitutional amendment clarify that the Privacy Clause does not protect the procedure; or that the court recede from others of its earlier rulings protecting abortion rights.

“Today’s decision implicates three of these four events, meaning that the act’s six-week ban will take effect in thirty days,” Justice Jamie Grosshans wrote.

Only Justice Jorge Labarga dissented.

Ballot language

However, in a 4-3 ruling the majority found that the proposed ballot language describing the amendment would not in any way mislead voters, break the single-subject rule for initiatives, or violate the U.S. Constitution. “Accordingly, we approve the proposed amendment for placement on the ballot,” that unsigned opinion reads.

Floridians Protecting Freedom, organized following the Dodd v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling overturning Roe in 2022, collected close to 1 million petition signatures to place the Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion on the ballot. Citizens’ initiatives need at least 60% of the votes cast to pass.

The issue before the court was whether the measure’s ballot summary fairly describes what it would do without ambiguity or logrolling,

meaning sweeping more than one constitutional change under one banner. The court heard oral arguments on Feb. 7.

The Legislature passed a 15-week abortion ban after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe. The next year, the Legislature approved a six-week ban that would take effect 30 days after the court issued any ruling overturning its 1989 abortion precedent.

Monday’s ruling did just that. That would have the six-week ban taking effect in early May. At six weeks, abortionrights advocates point out, many patients wouldn’t realize they are pregnant.

Politics

Both rulings could provide a powerful inducement for abortion-rights advocates to vote on a ballot that will include the presidential contest between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, plus local and state legislative seats.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed both restrictions into law as he was planning his run for president, in what was widely seen as a bid for conservative support. He had no immediate response to the rulings.

FLORIDA NEWS

As for the initiative, Attorney General Ashley Moody argued against it, as did anti-abortion groups including Liberty Counsel, Florida Voters Against Extremism, and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, insisting that the ballot language was too ambiguous.

General Election 2024

Voter registration deadline: Oct. 7 rockthevote.org

Moody filed a brief suggesting that the amendment would give health care providers the power to decide both what constitutes “viability” of a pregnancy and whether the “health” of the pregnant person justified a late term abortion without disclosing that to voters. “In essence,” providers would be “serving as their own regulators,” it asserts.

Moody did remark on X, formerly Twitter, both regarding the abortion amendment and another initiative to allow adult recreational use of cannabis. “We appreciate the court revisiting its precedent on Florida’s right to privacy and returning the meaning of that amendment to the voters’ original intention,” Moody wrote.

“That decision outlines the difficulties and divisiveness of allowing vague and misleading initiatives on the ballot. We have argued from the beginning that these two new constitutional initiatives will mislead voters. We maintain that it will be an uphill battle to educate them. However, we respect the court’s decisions,” she concluded.

continued on page 25

BAND TOGETHER: Pro-choice activists in Tampa in May 2022.

DAVE DECKER

continued from page 23

The Florida Democratic Party issued a statement attempting to link U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, a Republican up for reelection this year, to abortion restrictions. “Rick Scott can’t run from his record on abortion. This is one of the strictest bans in the country, which eliminates access to reproductive health care before most women know they’re pregnant,” the party said.

“Rick Scott’s years-long mission to restrict reproductive freedom is at odds with over 60 percent of Floridians, and his recent attacks on in vitro fertilization (IVF) and medication abortion certainly haven’t helped,” it continued.

Abortion ban merits

The 1989 decision was handed down by a more liberal court than is sitting now — when DeSantis has filled its ranks with ardent conservatives. It turned on the court’s interpretation of the Privacy Clause the voters approved in 1980, stipulating that “every natural person has the right to be let alone and free from governmental intrusion into the person’s private life except as otherwise provided herein.”

The court back then concluded that “[f]ew decisions are more personal and intimate, more properly private, or more basic to individual dignity and autonomy, than a woman’s decision … whether to end her pregnancy.”

But the present majority found fault with that on a number of grounds, including that the 1989 court didn’t rely on textualist or originalist principles of conservative jurisprudence that didn’t predominate in those days in the way they do now.

Instead, the majority undertook to discern what the voters in 1980 might have understood the clause to mean, and decided it wasn’t clear they applied it to abortion rights. In other words, the T.W. ruling was “clearly erroneous.” In part, the majority argued that the involvement of health care professions renders abortion decisions less than individually private.

In his dissent, Labarga lamented that the majority ignored reams of news coverage and legal rulings in Florida substantiating that the voters in 1980 understood that the privacy right would extend to the right to terminate a pregnancy.

“I lament that what the majority has done today supplants Florida voters’ understanding — then and now — that the right of privacy includes the right to an abortion. The majority concludes that the public understanding of the right of privacy did not encompass the right to an abortion. However, the dominance of Roe in the public discourse makes it inconceivable that in 1980, Florida voters did not associate abortion with the right of privacy,” Labarga wrote.

More on the amendment

The text of the amendment says: “Limiting government interference with abortion. — Except as provided in Article X, Section 22, no

law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”

(The cited provision allows the Legislature to require parental notification before a minor undergoes an abortion with the option of allowing the child to ask a judge for permission instead.)

The summary reads: “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider. This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.”

sweep of this proposed amendment is obvious in the language of the summary. Denying this requires a flight from reality,” the opinion reads.

More reaction

Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju released the following statement in response:

FLORIDA NEWS

Floridians Protecting Freedom insisted the meaning of “viability” has been well understood

“The Florida Supreme Court was right to let the ballot initiative go before voters — and it’s a good thing they did because voters will need to head to the polls to undo the damage the court is causing with its decision to allow an extreme ban on abortion to go into effect,” Timmaraju said in a written statement.

“This is devastating news for access to abortion care in the state and the entire South. It has never been more essential that the right to

since Roe came down in 1973, and that the court doesn’t generally require ballot language to explore the broad range of federal law, given the limit on its length.

The majority dismissed concerns raised by Moody and her organizational allies.

“That the proposed amendment’s principal goal and chief purpose is to limit government interference with abortion is plainly stated in terms that clearly and unambiguously reflect the text of the proposed amendment. And the broad

abortion be enshrined in the state constitution to protect access for Floridians and that we elect federal champions to protect the right to abortion at the national level. We’re committed to working beside our partners on the ground to ensure that happens,” Timmaraju added.

“Florida’s six-week ban goes against the will of Floridians across the political spectrum. Now, it’s up to us as, advocates and citizens, to ensure our personal medical decisions are ours and ours alone to make,” League of Women Voters

STATE OF FLORIDA

of Florida co-president Cecile M. Scoon said in her own written statement.

Andrew Shirvell, head of Florida Voice for the Unborn, saw the rulings as a compromise by the justices. “One cannot ‘compromise’ with evil — and the abortion industry is pure evil,” he said in a written statement.

“Today’s ‘compromise’ decisions are simply unacceptable when five of the current seven sitting justices on the court were appointed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Clearly, grassroots pro-life advocates have been misled by elements within the ‘pro-life, pro-family establishment’ because Florida’s highest court has now revealed itself to be a paper tiger when it comes to standing-up to the murderous abortion industry.”

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America state policy director Katie Daniel of Tampa issued a statement: “Today’s victory for unborn children who have a heartbeat and can feel pain is in line with the views of the majority of Floridians who want to protect babies and serve mothers and families. As Florida faces what may be its biggest ballot fight yet, Gov. Ron DeSantis must be at the forefront of protecting Florida from Big Abortion’s attempt to eliminate the rights of unborn children, parents, women, and girls.”

Florida House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell said in a statement: “Because of extremist politicians, the young women of Florida today have fewer freedoms than their mothers and grandmothers. In 30 days, Florida will ban abortions after six weeks. That’s before many women even know they’re pregnant, and before a lot of tests for fetal health and viability can be done.

“Out-of-touch politicians have spoken loud and clear: they think they know better than us, and they should control our personal freedoms. They want to make personal health care decisions for us that they have no business making. They don’t care what we want. They don’t care what our doctors say we need. They don’t care about what’s right for our faith or our families. They don’t care that the majority of Floridians want to secure and protect access to safe, legal abortions …

“This ruling shows how critical it is that Floridians pass Amendment 4 this November, because it will protect abortion access in Florida’s constitution. An overwhelming majority of Floridians already think we should all have the freedom to make our own health care decisions. We must take the power away from out-of-touch extremist politicians and claim our rights ourselves come November.”

Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Diane Rado for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter.

VOTE: Tampa Rep. Fentrice Driskell said, ‘This ruling shows how critical it is that Floridians pass Amendment 4 this November.’

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Bay area bayanihan

Tampa’s Philfest creates a home away from home and beyond.

By Kyla Fields

For many Filipinos in the greater Tampa Bay area, attending Philfest with their family, or even participating in its many festivities, can be as integral to their cultural experience as religious celebrations, family parties or long treks back to the motherland.

While the three-day Philfest now boasts a reputation as one of Tampa Bay’s biggest cultural festivals— perhaps only on par with the Tampa Bay Caribbean Carnival, St. Stefanos’ Greek Festival or Oktoberfest—there’s a generational shift happening behind the scenes that may affect Philfests to come.

p.m.-11 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sunday, the massive Filipino celebration is known for its nonstop schedule of parades, modern and traditional dancing, pageants, cultural activities, talent competitions, singing (and not just the Magic Mic kind), a wide range of food stalls, arts and crafts and more.

FOOD & DRINK EVENT

28th Annual Philfest

Friday-Sunday, April 5-7. $8-$10 Philippine Cultural Enrichment Complex, 14301 Nine Eagles Dr., Tampa. pcfitampa.org

The 2024 rendition of Philfest returns to the Philippine Cultural Enrichment Complex— headquarters of the Philippine Cultural Foundation, Inc. (stylized as “PCFI”)—from Friday-Sunday, April 5-7 with entry fees of $8-$10. With festivities happening from 5

Last year’s Philfest boasted the highest-ever attendance in the event’s almost 30 year-old existence with over 16,000 guests over the course of three days. Not only do Filipinos come from other cities and states to attend—a handful of the festival’s performers travel from places like California or Canada to showcase their talents at the massive event.

While many who attend Philfest may walk through the complex’s regal gates with nothing but piping hot BBQ skewers on their minds,

few may truly know of the intricate history and monumental fundraising efforts in which the organization and its annual festival were built on. The Philippine Cultural Foundation’s local roots span back three decades, and the original founders of the PCFI are in large part retired or have unfortunately passed away over the years. With the 28th annual Philfest right around the corner, original co-founder Joey Omila reflects on his many years of grassroots organizing with the foundation, the collective entity behind Tampa’s beloved Philfest and other cultural events.

“Everyone that comes here feels like they are part of something bigger.”

Omila sits inside of the complex’s enormous ballroom while folks quickly decorate around him, getting the space ready for its annual Philfest spotlight. While the festival’s food stalls, vendors and entertainment happen outside, the ballroom will be taken over by Washington D.C’s Philippine Embassy, where it will conduct a dual-citizenship ceremony for newly-appointed Filipino-Americans as a part of Philfest this weekend.

Omila is one of the several leaders who are accredited with the success of the Philippine Cultural Foundation and has spent countless years as its Director of Cultural Affairs before retiring a few years ago.

“When we decided to purchase land and build a Filipino cultural center, we had the goal of making it the only of its kind in the United States—and I think we’ve absolutely achieved that goal,” the 74 year-old from Cotabato City tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “A lot of our success is due to the fact that we have always opened Philfest to every Filipino whether they’re from the Tampa Bay area or not— everyone that comes here feels like they are part of something bigger.” The organization’s history dates back to the early-‘90s when leaders of multiple different Pinoy organizations in the greater Tampa Bay area realized that they had to join forces in order to achieve their goals of community building. In 1993, the umbrella organization that would later be renamed the Philippine Cultural Foundation was created, encompassing a dozen other groups like the Philippine Performing Arts Company, the Pilipino-American Political Aggregation and the Philippine Medical Society of Florida West Coast Chapter, just to name a few.

After its first few years of fundraising, organizing events and soliciting donations from the

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PINOY PRIDE: Filipinos from every corner of the state travel to Philfest for its food and entertainment.

NHICK RAMIRO PACIS

HAPPY HOUR AT AMSO

Monday - Friday, 4pm-7pm Saturday 3pm-6pm

$4, $5 & $6 Liquor, Beer & Wine

$8 Hand-Cra ed Cocktails

continued from page 31

community, the foundation purchased its first five-acre property in a rather unpopulated area near Citrus Park in 1995, which Omila describes as “cowland.” The next year, they gathered even more funds and purchased five more acres off of Nine Eagles Drive.

Through militant fundraising, events, and volunteers who donated their expertise in architecture, design work, contracting and engineering—plus a $500,000 cultural grant from the State of Florida—the newly-constructed Philippine Cultural Enrichment Complex boasted a theater and performance area, massive ballroom, a playground, a variety of pavilions and the Bayanihan Arts Center by the turn of the century.

When asked how the foundation has been so successful at fundraising over the course of its 30-year history, Omila responds by saying that he’s answered that same question many times from other Filipino organizations looking to build the same reputation as PCFI.

musician, he found himself accepting the fulltime role as its Program and Music Director, virtually taking over Omila’s responsibilities.

“Joey and his peers are passing on the torch and we’re just continuing what they started so many years ago—and a lot of the younger people have great ideas,” Pacis tells CL. “We’re definitely trying to fill this generational gap to get the younger people to see the same value in the foundation as we see, but that can be a challenge sometimes.”

FOOD & DRINK EVENT

Omila, while greatly proud of the organization’s achievements and the success of events like Philfest and the Sampaguita Ball pageant, still worries about the longevity of Tampa’s Philippine Cultural Foundation. Despite its monumental progress throughout its 30-year history, constant fundraising is still necessary to keep the nonprofit running smoothly.

“I think the secret is that you have to know the Filipinos very well, and I’m not saying I’m an expert, but I’ve seen the effects of ideas that I’ve had in the past. Once you get the community believing in you, the support can become monumental,” Omila explains. “During our first few years of fundraising we told the community exactly what their money was going towards every time we completed a project. We told them that ‘We bought this land because of you and we’re just the volunteers.’ You have to make them feel important.”

Another aspect that makes Tampa’s Philippine Cultural Foundation so unique–besides the fact that it’s completely owned by the local community, debt-free—is its focus on religious inclusivity. Although a majority of Filipinos who live in the diaspora and in the Philippines identify as Catholic, Omila says that the organization “needed to be fair to everyone because there were Protestants, other Christians and Muslims who were involved in the foundation as well.”

“Philfest and Sampaguita Ball are now both very successful, but my biggest fear is that maybe the newer generation is not so involved or committed to keep things moving in the right direction,” Omila explains. “The younger generation may do some things differently, even more efficiently, so we may see more changes to come. But that is still my worry.”

Pacis agrees with his predecessor’s sentiments, and says that his main focus as a leader within PCFI is to increase participation amongst the younger Filipinos in their teens and twenties.

Omila has seen literally hundreds of small children grow into adults throughout his time at the Philippine Cultural Foundation—kids he used to teach traditional folk dances to are now in their 20’s and 30’s having children of their own. He’s seen firsthand the communal effect of having a tight knit cultural organization like PCFI, whether it serves as a welcoming committee for newly-immigrated families or as a resource center for folks in need of socio-economic support.

“Once you get the community believing in you, the support can become monumental.”

While the influence of Omila and other OG leaders is still prevalent within the PCFI, he tells CL that there’s a generational shift happening, where younger folks are starting to take over and implement their own ideas.

Although 55 year-old Nhick Ramiro Pacis from the northern Ilocos region doesn’t identify as “the younger generation,” he still credits himself with helping the organization increase its online presence and technological abilities. After several years of visiting and performing at Philfest and other PCFI events as a traveling

Whether it’s your first Philfest or your 20th, it’s important to recognize the hundreds of leaders, philanthropists and volunteers it has taken to create the massive Philippine Cultural Enrichment Complex. These Filipinos are 8,000 miles away and a 20-something hour plane ride from their families—separated by continents and oceans—and have worked endlessly to create some semblance of home right here in Tampa. And the PCFI’s 28th Philfest happening this weekend can be considered a small slice of “home” for thousands of Filipinos in Tampa Bay and beyond.

For the latest updates on Philfest 2024, its entertainment schedule and vendor list, head to @PhilFestTampa on Facebook or pcfitampa.org.

NHICK RAMIRO PACIS

HERE TO STAY: The Philippine Cultural Foundation’s local roots span three decades, and the original founders of the PCFI are in large part retired or have unfortunately passed away.

Here comes the moon

Tampa art professor aims to collect world’s largest archive of used handmade solar eclipse viewers.

By Jennifer Ring

Ever since seeing 2017’s total solar eclipse with students, University of South Florida

Photography Professor Jason Lazarus has been obsessed with handmade eclipse viewers. This month he turns that passion into a public art project. Lazarus’ goal is to create the world’s largest archive of used handmade solar eclipse viewers.

Lazarus’ passion for eclipse viewers started small. Watching the 2017 eclipse, he was surprised to discover that his interest in students’ handmade eclipse viewers nearly equaled his interest in the eclipse itself.

“There is a certain physical dance of movements to finding just the right angle to get the moment of illumination inside,” Lazarus told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “Like a photo developing in front of you in a dark room, a jolt runs through you when a growing eclipse suddenly appears.”

Part of being an artist, Lazarus now tells audiences across the county, is acting on these moments of inspiration. For Lazarus, that meant collecting his students’ eclipse viewers, with their permission, and showing them alongside his own photography-inspired art in the 2018 Florida Prize Exhibition at the Orlando Museum of Art.

Heiress Gallery in St. Petersburg hosts Jason Lazarus this weekend to celebrate the upcoming eclipse, with a two-day exhibition of handmade solar eclipse videos and a free public workshop called “How to Make a Solar Eclipse Viewer.”

It was a passion too large to keep to himself. So he prepared a lecture that he’s been giving at colleges and universities around the country via Zoom.

In “How to View a Solar Eclipse” Lazarus shares his passion for the eclipse and its power to inspire artists. It’s about the eclipse, but it’s also not about the eclipse. At its heart, the hourlong lecture is about finding what inspires you to make your own art. With the free lecture comes

by watching YouTube videos online or following the instructions on Lazarus’s project website. But, as Lazarus will tell you, an awe-inspiring phenomenon like an eclipse is meant to be enjoyed with others as a shared cultural event.

Once you have your viewer, take it to one of the following Tampa Bay eclipse-watching parties where you can share the event with neighbors and tourists at the beach, a science museum, or a public library near you. Then send

Beach, where the Sugar Sand Festival is in full swing, is having a party. Get details on it and other local eclipse watching events below.

Eclipse on the beach with Visit St. Pete/ Clearwater, Pier 60, and the Sugar Sand Festival A two-week long Sugar Sand Festival allows for all sorts of special events, including sunset street performances at Pier 60, daily sand sculpting classes (at 2 p.m.), and free concerts. Here you can enjoy the April 8 eclipse alongside a tent full of professionally-made sand sculptures. The party starts at noon, and the first 2,500 guests to arrive get a free pair of collectible eclipse glasses. Noon. Festival admission $14. 1 Causeway Blvd., Clearwater. sugarsandfestival.com

As the 2024 eclipse approaches, Lazarus’ interest in homemade solar eclipse viewers only grew. Suddenly, every piece of cardboard that entered his life became sacred as he considered how it might be converted into a solar eclipse viewer—pizza boxes, cake boxes, COVID-19 test boxes. A small collection of student-made viewers was no longer enough. He wanted to turn the detritus of boxed mac and cheese dinners everywhere into the largest archive of handmade solar eclipse viewers.

a challenge—to take an object from your everyday life and turn it into a solar eclipse viewer. Once you’ve done that, and viewed the April 8 eclipse through it, send it to Lazarus so he can assemble the world’s largest archive of used handmade solar eclipse viewers.

You can turn almost anything into a solar eclipse viewer. All you need is a pinhole for light to enter, a viewing window, and a small square of white paper for the image to project onto, much like a camera obscura. You could easily make one

your used viewer to Jason Lazarus following the instructions on his website.

The April 8 eclipse begins at 1:43 p.m. EDT and peaks at 3 p.m. It’ll be another 20 years before the next solar eclipse hits North America. Florida isn’t in the path of totality this time, but that doesn’t mean you should sit this one out.

In Tampa Bay, the sun will be 58% obscured, and that’s worth seeing, especially when you can see it someplace breezy and beautiful like a Florida Gulf Coast beach. In fact, Clearwater

Eclipse with an astronomer at Tampa’s Museum of Science and Industry The party’s on the beach, but the fancy sun-safe telescopes are at MOSI. Equipment wise, MOSI is set up to provide the best views of the eclipse. Here you can hang out with MOSI astronomers and learn the science behind the solar eclipse as it crosses North America. 1:30 p.m.4:00 p.m. General admission $14, eclipse glasses $5. Event included with MOSI admission. 4801 E Fowler Ave., Tampa. mosi.org

Eclipse in the park If spring break traffic has you avoiding the beach in North Pinellas, Safety Harbor Library offers an alternative waterfront eclipse-viewing party. They’ll be at the Waterfront Park in Safety Harbor handing out free solar film glasses and watching the eclipse. 1:30 p.m.-4 p.m. 105 Veteran’s Memorial Lane, Safety Harbor. cityofsafetyharbor.com

Great Explorations Further south, Great Explorations Children’s Museum is setting up in St. Pete’s Crescent Lake Park. Bring your own eclipse viewer to this one. 2:45 p.m. 1320 5th St. N, St. Petersburg. greatex.org

OUT OF THE BOX: Jason Lazarus has been obsessed with eclipse viewers since 2017.

Garden glass

‘Family Day’ and ‘Paradise Cities’ arrive at Chihuly this weekend.

By Jennifer Ring

Living in the Tampa Bay area, it’s easy to take downtown St. Petersburg’s Chihuly Collection for granted, but there are a couple of reasons to visit this weekend.

First, Morean Family Day is Saturday, April 6, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at the Chihuly Collection’s Garden next to BayFirst Financial. The free event includes multiple art projects for kids, including cloud slime creation and coloring pages.

Adults—or parents who’ll never take their kids to a glass museum—might be most interested in the Chihuly-Inspired Macchia Bowl project.

To truly appreciate the Macchia Bowl project, some background is in order, and it can be found at the Chihuly Collection next door.

Go behind the curtain for a short documentary introducing Dale Chihuly’s work and inspirations. This is where you’ll learn about Chihuly’s well-known Macchia series, a collection of glass bowls inspired by color itself. Chihuly challenged himself to create unique combinations from all 300 available colors in this series (“macchia” roughly translates to “spotted” in Italian). The colorful bowls with ruffled lips look like large open flowers, especially in a garden.

“It’s hard to compete with Dale’s work—it’s so big and saturated!” Cooper told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. Often, when curating the Chihuly Collection’s special exhibitions space, Cooper intentionally looks for the largest and most colorful artwork she can find.

This spring, Cooper shows work by Tampa Bay-based glass blower Benjamin Elliot alongside paintings by Sue Graef, also local, in “Paradise Cities,” the second reason to visit the Chihuly Collection this Spring.

“Paradise Cities” came together after Graef submitted to Fresh Squeezed, and Cooper realized how well her large, colorful cityscapes would pair with Chihuli’s work. Cooper also saw a connection between Graef’s cityscapes and Chihuli’s love of architecture.

A&E EVENTS

Morean Family Day

Saturday, April 6. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

No cover. Chihuly Collection. 720 Central Ave, St. Petersburg moreanartscenter.org

Seeking glassware to pair with Graef’s cityscapes, Cooper consulted with Michelle Klettke, a glass studio retail sales associate. Together, they realized that when you place Elliot’s colorful vessels in a row, they almost mirror the skylines in Graef’s cityscapes.

Afterward, cross Central Avenue and head to the Morean Glass Studio for a complimentary glass demonstration, included in the cost of Chihuly Collection admission. Watch local glass blowers roll molten glass through piles of colored glass chips, as Chihuly, an American artist, would’ve done when making his Macchia.

Chihuly’s love of color and largeness has created a challenge for Amanda Cooper, who started curating special exhibitions at the Chihuly in 2021.

Graef’s colorful paintings of Tampa’s skyline and the way to St. Armands bring a world of color to our local landscape that is fun to see alongside Elliot’s and Chihuly’s colorful glasswork.

Chihuly admission is not waived on the day of the event, so plan that into your budget if you want to see the exhibitions too, although student and children’s admission is discounted, as usual.

While Morean Family Day is a one-day event, you have until June 27 to see “Paradise Cities.” So, if you’re worried about your kids running through a room full of expensive glass art, there’s time to revisit at a later date without them.

HANDS ON: Glass art and kids meet this weekend in St. Petersburg

C/O MOREAN ARTS CENTER

THURSDAY–SUNDAY, APRIL 4–7

PRESENTED BY THE MARGARET ACHESON STUART SOCIETY AND THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, ST. PETERSBURG

PRESENTED BY THE MARGARET STUART ACHESON SOCIETY AND THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, ST. PETERSBURG

A grand Spring tradition, Art in Bloom presents floral interpretations of works in the MFA Collection. Designs are created by professional florists, talented hobbyists, and members of The Stuart Society. Join us as we celebrate Spring!

SUNDAY, APRIL 7, 2–4 PM

Be inspired and hear from talented designers who have created the floral masterpieces on view for Art in Bloom. Included with museum admission.

SATURDAY, APRIL 6 | 10 AM-12 PM

Visit mfastpete.org for tickets, RSVPs, event information, and additional programs. Events are subject to change.

I remember everything

Ahead of benefit concerts, Fiona Prine talks Bay area connections, John’s kindness and more.

By Ray Roa

John Prine’s songs beautifully catalog the lives of overlooked people. Sometimes they have names (“Donald and Lydia,” “Sam Stone”), occasionally you only know where they’re from (“Angel From Montgomery”). The tunes always open a window for listeners to ponder their own humanity, and they often remind you that paradise is wherever you call home. For Fiona Prine, a little slice of Tampa Bay is a refuge.

“I love Gulfport. My three boys love it. They go now with their wives, families,” she told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.

The Prine family’s connection to our neck of the woods goes all the way back to the ‘70s and ‘80s, but during one family stay at St. Pete Beach’s Don CeSar, John went to visit his friend, Suncoast Surf Shop founder Joe Nuzzo. Johnny Green, who was managing the Gulfport Casino, was around, and he eventually showed the songwriter a house down the street. John immediately brought it to Fiona.

“He was like, ‘Oh my god, the minute I saw it, Fi, I just knew you’d love it,’” Fiona said. One thing led to another, and they closed on the house in 2005. A few months later, the family celebrated John’s 60th birthday at the casino just a three-minute walk away.

“I’ve gone back ever since,” Fiona added. “It’s still a very special place.”

John passed away in 2020 after being diagnosed with the coronavirus; he was 73. Nuzzo, who in 2017 told CL that there was nobody more sincere and honest than “Mr. Prine,” had been diagnosed with leukemia and died a year-anda-half later in Hospice care; he was 78. “Joe became very close friends with me, John and our family. We call him family. So when Joe died, that was devastating for me because he was such a good friend,” Fiona said.

Gail Gilchrist met Nuzzo while negotiating the price of a pair of sunglasses at his surf shop—and they stayed friends until the end. A month before he passed, she took Nuzzo to see live music. Gilchrist told CL that Nuzzo wanted to go to the first celebration of John’s life. “He didn’t quite make it,” she added.

But this weekend, she knows Nuzzo would give her his trademark two thumbs up. The occasion? Three Bay area events that will celebrate

the songs of John Prine while donating 100% of proceeds to the Hello In There Foundation. Gilchrist helped connect the dots to make sure the concerts benefited Hello In There. Fiona said Gail is also family and has been pivotal in spearheading this weekend’s fundraising. “She’s given me little or nothing to do other than show up. So I’m really looking forward to it. It’s gonna be special,” Fiona added.

Thursday night’s show is near Gulfport’s North End Taphouse & Kitchen, where a mural of John is painted. On Friday, St. Petersburg’s

House, which provides specialized addiction treatment to women and their children in Middle Tennessee; The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans; The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition; Rise and Shine TN a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to building a culture of civic engagement.

“Our mission statement makes it very clear about what it is that we want to do,” Fiona told CL, adding that the nonprofit looks for organizations that are already on the ground and doing good work.

Noisemakers—owned by Prine megafan Gabe Whitney—has its benefit. Both those events are sold-out, but tickets to Safety Harbor’s 4th Annual A Crooked Piece of Time on Sunday were still available as of press time.

Founded by John’s family in 2021, Hello In There “aims to identify and collaborate with individuals and communities to offer support for people who are marginalized, discriminated against or, for any reason, are otherwise forgotten.”

Nearly three dozen organizations have been grantees of the foundation including: Renewal

Celine Thackston—a rockstar of the philanthropy sector who worked at the Nashville Symphony, Appalachian-serving Highlander Research and Education Center and elsewhere— took over as Executive Director in 2022. In less than two years she’s experienced firsthand the love for John from fans, artists and his close community of friends and family who often attend benefits and events then start their own initiatives to support foundation grantees.

“My main job has just been to help organize and support Fiona and the family in figuring out how to let all that love bloom through projects,

events, and initiatives. There is no absence in terms of ideas or help in making it all happen!,” Thackston told CL.

“We’re a good team. We work together very, very well. And I’m just so grateful to have her,” Fiona said of Thackston.

And you don’t need to look too hard to find the marginalized people Fiona’s husband wrote about. Veterans, rural communities, the lonely— they’re all in the songbook, and beyond words, they become beneficiaries of a foundation that is immortalizing John’s kindness.

John, Fiona said, never passed someone with a sign on the side of the road without stopping, talking and giving a bill. She recently did the same, knowing he would.

“And that’s ‘Hello In There,’ right?,” she said, referencing the song on her husband’s 1971 debut. “I made eye contact with him, he smiled at me, I told him, ‘Be safe,’ and that was it. It was a brief encounter, but I know it gave me food for thought for the next hour.”

Fiona can make endless sharp observations about social issues in the U.S., but always lands at the idea that we all must get busy working to fix them. After all, John’s songs, and the community of characters in them, are all but asking us to.

Kip Kelly is a songwriter and founder of Crooked Thumb Brewery, which has canned a special Bruised Orange beer for the weekend. The brewery will donate sales of it to the foundation, and Kelly told CL that he’s never met a John Prine fan that’s a jerk. “I think there’s something about the type of person that gravitates towards his music. Maybe they’re comfortable just kind of being quiet, listening and understanding,” he added.

Fiona said there’s truth there. “It’s a huge community that he kind of left for us,” she said. The cross section of John Prine fans transcends political persuasions, shapes, sizes, colors, creeds and backgrounds—the common thread is their love for his music.

“They want connection with John and they want that continuing relationship,” she added. “I would believe that. If you can love John through the words that he wrote and the empathy that he had for people then, you know, John gathered some good people around him.”

YOU GOT GOLD: Fiona Prine (center) at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

By Josh Bradley & Ray Roa

THU 04

C Tampa Jazz Club: Jack Wilkins album release The Tampa Jazz Club takes a break from holding shows at Hillsborough Community College in Ybor CIty, and is moving into New Tampa for the release of the seventh album from Jack Wilkins, a saxophonist in charge of the University of South Florida’s jazz department. Acadian Rhythms was inspired by Wilkins’ time as an artistin-residence in Maine two years ago, and an 11-piece repertoire will back him, along with Elements co-founder-slash-drummer Danny Gottlieb as a special guest. (New Tampa Performing Arts Center, Tampa)

C Madonna Amalie Arena made its announcement of this once-postponed show in January 2023 with a cool video showing someone going into Seminole Heights record store Microgroove, finding a “Madonna Celebration Tour” CD, sticking it into the stereo and playing “Like A Prayer.” In a press release, Live Nation said the tour takes fans through four decades of Madonna’s career and pays respect to New York City where her career began. “I am excited to explore as many songs as possible in hopes to give my fans the show they have been waiting for,” Madonna added. (Amalie Arena, Tampa)

C Rock The Park: Domino Pink w/Aych & Friends/MPM Aych & Friends’ Gasparilla Music Festival debut last month happened as so much other music was going on, and if you missed it, the longtime Tampa rapper— plus the local talent he thinks represents the future of the scene—take to another park for a free, family-and-pet friendly. show alongside Palmetto psych-rock band Domino Pink. (Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Tampa)

FRI 05

Alabama w/Diamond Rio Until two years ago, Diamond Rio—the Nashville-based country outfit that sent “Meet In The Middle” straight to no. 1 upon its 1991 release—hadn’t had a lineup change since the year Taylor Swift was born. Fiddler Gene Johnson and drummer Brian Pout both retired from the group in 2022, the former being replaced by Carson McKee, the first female to be given an official “band member” title in Diamond Rio. Though we’re not expecting any new material from it anytime soon, the band opens for Alabama in Coachman Park this weekend.

(The BayCare Sound, Clearwater)

C The Concert Grand: Ghadeer Abaido w/Pablo Arencibia/Svetozar Ivanov/ Simon Lasky/Jane West/Grigorios

Zamparas The New Tampa Performing Arts Center recently purchased a Steinway Model D grand piano in an effort to present a wider, more expansive selection of performances in the room. The ivories get tickled for the first time this weekend with a who’s-who of Tampa-based college music professors, from the University of South Florida’s Simon Lasky to University of Tampa’s Pablo Arencibia. Palestinian-Jordanian pianist Ghadeer Abaido, who also teaches at USF and has played in chamber orchestras in the Middle East and across the U.S., will also be in tow. (New Tampa Performing Arts Center, Tampa)

Dunedin Highland Games & Festival: Byrne Brothers w/Lucid Druid Dust off your kilt, because the annual gathering known for honoring Dunedin’s rich, Celtic heritage finally goes down this weekend. Expect to witness pipe band marches, live music from the Byrne Brothers—a family band imported directly from Ireland that regularly performs at Disney World—and Clearwater’s Lucid Druid, and of course, a kilted 5K trail run. (Highlander Park, Dunedin)

The Guess Who Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings swear that this is not the real Guess Who, and have even issued cease-and-desist letters. Original drummer Garry Peterson is the only original member still present, but this scenario has been heavily compared to Creedence Clearwater Revival members Doug Clifford and Stu Cook running Creedence Clearwater Revisited without John Fogerty. But hey, if personnel doesn’t matter to you, hang onto your life for this one. (Duke Energy Center at Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)

Live Dead & Brothers: An All-Star Celebration of Grateful Dead & Allman Brothers Friends and family members of rock’s two most pertinent jam bands (including a few collaborators who actually got to work with Gregg Allman and Jerry Garcia, respectively) head to First Avenue for what appears to be its first gig ever. Keyboardist Tom Constanten—who just turned 80 years old last month—played on two of the Dead’s records, and Les Dudek played guitar on the Allman Brothers Band’s Brothers and Sisters in 1973, so we’d be shocked if “Jessica” doesn’t make the setlist. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)

C St. Petersburg Jazz Festival: O Som Do Jazz w/Rafael Pereira & Jose Valentino Ruiz The St. Petersburg Jazz Festival kicked off last Tuesday, and while most of the shows were ticketed, this one with Brazilian jazz outfit O Som Do Jazz with Latin Grammy-winning composer Jose Valentino Ruiz and drummer Rafael Pereira has no cover. (ArtsXchange Stage at Warehouse Arts District, St. Petersburg)

C Tampa Pro: Ray Barbee Skatepark of Tampa’s annual pro competition kicked off Wednesday, and it includes a nice slate of concerts, starting with this Thursday night art show gig at The Bricks featuring skateboarding pioneer Ray Barbee who transitioned into

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a musician that plays a jazz-informed style of folky surf-punk. Tampa Pro music moves to SPoT on Saturday with Thrasher-famous skate-punk band Bad Shit! plus Florida heavy-metal supergroup Heaven’s Gate—and while Barbee’s gig is free-to-attend, you’ll need a ticket for the Saturday show. (The Bricks, Ybor City)

SAT 06

Al Jardine and his Endless Summer Band Brian Wilson has pretty much ridden off into the sunset, and Mike Love is still out there tarnishing The Beach Boys’ legacy. But Al Jardine—the other surviving member of the band’s best-known classic lineup— fronts his own “Endless Summer” band. If you close your eyes, the 81-year-old rhythm guitarist’s son Matt will make you think that a young Wilson is in the room, singing those impossible high vocals on “Don’t Worry Baby” and beyond, which he’ll probably do this weekend in Anna Maria Island. (The Center of Anna Maria Island, Anna Maria)

C Beastplague w/Migrant Fury/ Withpaperwings/Plague Spitter/more

On April Fool’s Day, Tampa promoter Locust Parade joked that moshing would no longer be allowed at its shows. Last year’s return of South Florida’s Beastplague, however, is no joke, and the grind-death-metal band’s latest LP, A Different Animal , makes for a 12-minute blast for fans of Rotten Sound, Pig Destroyer, and Misery Index. Tampa-based Latino hardcore outfit Migrant Fury comes out to support a 2023 single, “Cockfight,” along with emergent Orlando heavy hitter Withpaperwings and others. (Deviant Libation, Tampa)

Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival: Owl City Kicking off last month, the lineup for Busch Gardens’ Food & Wine Festival has been a who’s who of pop and rock from the ’90s and early-aughts. This weekend, the shindig (included with park admission) gets an emo haircut to welcome Adam Young, the 37-year-old Minnesotan producer better known for the electronic dream-pop he made under the Owl City moniker (“Fireflies” was pretty much a proto-viral single that would’ve been a TikTok smash in this day and age). Young plays Saturday while Colombian salsa favorite Grupo Niche headlines Sunday. (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Tampa)

Corner Club three-year anniversary: Suwanee Ave. Marching Band Old Seminole Heights’ annual home tour happens on Saturday (read more on p. 10), and anyone taking part should make plans to stop by the Corner Club. Once a smoky dive famous for its karaoke, the spot transformed into a cafe and neighborhood bar-hangout three years ago and hasn’t looked back. The neighborhood’s gregarious Suwanee Ave. Marching Band plays tunes while the Club’s cooks smoke ribs in the backyard. (Corner Club, Tampa)

Inzo w/Tape B/Hayz/Blookah

The up-and-coming EDM artist is pushing his upcoming EP “Visionquest,” which already has three songs released to the public. It’s hard to put a finger on Mr. “Overthinker’s” influences, but one of said new tracks, “Just A Mirage,” makes us hope that he

collaborates with electronic rock duo The Living Tombstone at some point. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)

C Josiah and the Bonnevilles w/Mon Rovîa/Abby Cates/Sydney Rose Parents

hoping their kids don’t drop out of high school might not want to tell them about Josiah Leming. The Tennesee songwriter did just that when he was 17 and has spent the last 18 years more or less on the road singing songs. The 35-year-old is among a contingent of talent that makes good country music, and he’s actually the only non-Top 24 “Idol” contestant that signed a major label record deal.

Endurance , the new album from Leming and his band the Bonnevilles, is a testament to his perseverance, and you’ll be able to feel the years in the live set. (Crowbar, Ybor City)

C Rhythm N’ BAYFest: Next w/Wayne

Wonder/more A new music festival is bringing sounds of the late-’90s and early-2000s to the St. Pete waterfront. Next, a Minnesota trio best known for its no. 1, Kurtis Blowsampling single “Too Close,” plus other hits like “Wifey,” is headliner for iHeart’s Rhythm N’ BayFest, which also features “No Letting Go” reggae songwriter Wayne Wonder and Adina Howard (“Freak Like Me”). More dancehall is on the bill courtesy of Tanto Metro and Devonte (“Everyone Falls In Love”), while

of Florida this weekend alongside another Golden State band, Knumears, which arrives with a much heavier sound. Texas’ Party Hats plays a hybrid of the two sounds, as evidenced on a mathy, scream-heavy soldout cassette, Autobiographic Autopsy, that would’ve been a gem in Jade Tree records era. (Hooch and Hive, Tampa)

SUN 07

C 4th Annual A Crooked Piece of Time: Have Gun, Will Travel/more Unfortunately, it took John Prine dying of COVID at the height of the pandemic to get some people to really understand how serious a situation we were in. Four years later, we’re still hurting (especially for his wife Fiona, who posted an emotional video of her getting the vaccine in March 2021), and the Safety Harbor brewery will hold an afternoon-long event with local singer-songwriters playing selections from Mr. “Christmas In Prison’s” catalog. The day ends with an set from our beloved Have Gun, Will Travel, which will probably feature at least a few Prine selections. Read more on p. 43. (Crooked Thumb Brewery, Safety Harbor) -JB

C Fil Pate House shows are a force to be reckoned with, and following a ravishing side stage set at Gasparilla Music Festival,

Sunshine Anderson and Rupee round out the bill. (Spa Beach at St. Pete Pier, St. Petersburg)

Tampa Punk Rock Karaoke: 3Dot Dash fifth anniversary w/Bad, Bad Things

Seminole Heights has a lot going on this Saturday between the OSHNA home tour and Corner Club anniversary. Make a little time, however, to get on the mic at vegan foot hotspot 3 Dot Dash (not affiliated with Chicago’s Three Dots and a Dash), which celebrates five years in business with a no-cover set by Tampa rock band Bad, Bad Things and punk karaoke facilitated by a real band made up of members from local scene legends Down By Law and Pink Lincolns). (3 Dot Dash, Tampa)

C Vs Self w/Party Hats/Knumears Any self-respecting emo kid knows about the Midwestern strain of the rock subgenre, but Vs Self slings the “farwest” variation. The California outfit is on the west coast

fusion guitarist Fil Pate—known to have tackled Americana, jazz, blues, and even bluegrass—will put on one of the most indepth gigs of his career. Pate’s performance will take patrons throughout his entire career, while shining a light on an all-star lineup of locals at the same time. Dani Jaye and George Pennington are on that list, as well as Joe Grady on bowed bass and Casey Otto on keyboards. In short, if you’ve ever wanted to indulge in collaborative musical autobiographies, the Ybor Bungalow (located at 2312 E 10th Ave.) is where you’ll want to end your weekend. Food and drink will be available, but if you have your mind made up on what to drink, just BYOB. (Ybor Bungalow, Ybor City)

C Flatland Cavalry Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson and Willie Nelson have all shared stages with Flatland Cavalry, but the Texas purveyor of honky-tonk-ready red dirt country music made its Ryman debut last month.

This month the sextet gets to headline a tour supporting the band’s Interscope debut, Wandering Stars . (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)

L8 Night Flights: Side Trip w/Beach Terror/Earthgirl/Curtis James/Jason Kitchen/more St. Petersburg doesn’t get many chances to engage with the L8 Night Flights crew in the daytime, but the collective rolls out of bed a little early this weekend for an eight-hour takeover at Bayboro which features a handful of DJs appearing alongside a full lineup of rock and rap acts, and more. (Bayboro Brewing Co., St. Petersburg)

TUE 09

Wind Rose w/Xandria It would not shock me in the least if Wind Rose inspired the mighty Sir Christopher Lee—who portrayed Saruman in the “Lord of the Rings” films—to spend his twilight years making symphonic metal albums. The Italian “dwarven-metal” band’s material, including its latest album Warfront , will make you want to mute one of the war scenes in Peter Jackson’s films and overdub over Howard Shore’s intense, Oscar-winning score. Feel free to dress as a member of Thorin and Company (jeez, go read “The Hobbit,” willya?!), but leave your ax at home, OK? (Orpheum, Tampa)

WED 10

C Abstract Citizen w/La Lucha Far Forest is Tampa’s go-to spot for IRL NPR Tiny Desk vibes, and this midweek treat of a lineup features jazz-centric visitors from Miami (Abstract Citizen), plus legendary Bay area jazz trio La Lucha. (The Far Forest, Tampa)

THU 11

C Fastball w/FayRoy Thirty years following the band’s formation, Fastball guitarist Miles Zuniga recently stated that in the ‘90s, he used to be able to cover his $150/month rent by playing three gigs. He feels bad for young, up-and-coming musicians that are struggling, but says that he undoubtedly still has fun doing what he does and that he doesn’t feel his city’s music scene is on life support, in terms of quantity. The Austinbased rock band hits downtown St. Pete with a career retrospective, and possibly even a few Patreon-exclusive tracks. A young and handsome staple of the Bay area surf-rock scene, Fayroy, opens the show. (Floridian Social, St. Petersburg)

Melissa Etheridge The All-American Girl is already slated to return to town later this year, for a co-headlining gig with Jewel at downtown Clearwater’s BayCare Sound. But first, Etheridge—who has been playing a different setlist most every night—starts to wind down her “I’m Not Broken” tour at the Tampa Hard Rock, following a 2023 full of touring and even a limited, one-woman engagement on Broadway last fall. (Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa)

See an extended version of this listing at cltampa.com/music.

Flatland Cavalry

FERNANDO GARCIA

WHAT MAKES LOCAL CULTURE CREATIVE MARKETING DIFFERENT?

WE ARE NOT JUST MARKETERS; WE ARE CULTURAL ARCHITECTS.

We weave your unique local flavor into every social media campaign. We don’t just navigate the social media landscape; we own it! Your success is our success, and we believe in the power of community. Ready to embark on a social media journey that celebrates your local culture and propels your brand to the forefront? Let’s create, connect, and conquer together.

To an entire generation, Maxwell has been a torchbearer for modern R&B, and this fall the 50-year-old songwriter brings his legacy—and the future of the genre—to Tampa. His “Serenade” tour kicks off in Florida at the Hard Rock Hollywood and includes just one other Florida show a day later in the Bay area. Openers on the run include R&B powerhouse and Grammy-winning songwriter Jazmine Sullivan (one of Time’s most influential people of 2022), plus Indiana-born singer-songwriter October London.

Maxwell emerged from a short period of inactivity after the pandemic and has hinted at the release of his much-anticipated Night album, which will arrive nearly 30-years after an mindblowing debut record, Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite featuring the breakout single “Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder).” He cemented a place in music history shortly after that outing, after releasing an MTV Unplugged album featuring covers of Kate Bush (“This Woman’s Work”) and Nine Inch Nails (“Closer”). In 2017, Maxwell played a short, but sweet, hit-heavy set in St. Petersburg, marked by his remarkable vocal rage, emotional power and commanding technique.

Tickets to see Maxwell and Jazmine Sullivan play Tampa’s Amalie Arena on Sunday, Sept. 15 are available now and start at $46.75.

Sting w/The Florida Orchestra Friday, May 10. 8 p.m. $100 & up. Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg

The Lemon Twigs Sunday, May 12. 5:30 p.m. $22. Crowbar, Ybor City

Chat Pile w/Portrayal of Guilt/ Nightosphere Thursday, May 16. 7 p.m. $20. Crowbar, Ybor City

Grateful Shred w/Circles Around the Sun Thursday, May 16. 7:30 p.m. $29.50. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

Uptown Music Festival: DW3 w/José Valentino & Charlton Singleton/Kayla Waters/Rob Zinn/Tim George/Eric

Darius/Alex Harris/Adam Hawley/Paula

Atherton/Tim George Saturday-Sunday, May 25-26. 4 p.m. $90 & up. Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Tampa

Joyner Lucas Tuesday, May 28th. 8 p.m. $35 & up. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

Emo Nite Tampa Saturday, June 1. 9 p.m. $17.50 & up. The Ritz, Ybor City

Roar w/TBA Monday, June 3. 7 p.m. $20. Crowbar, Ybor City

Hunxho Thursday, June 6th. 8 p.m. $25 & up. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

Messer Chups w/Little Sheeba/more TBA Thursday, June 13. 7 p.m. $20. Music Hall at New World Brewery, Tampa

See Josh Bradley’s latest roundup of new concerts coming to Tampa Bay below. Ray Roa

Rachel Bochner (opening for Xana) Saturday, June 15. 8 p.m. $20 & up. Crowbar, Ybor City

AJ Mitchell Sunday, June 16. 6 p.m. $19.99. Crowbar, Ybor City

Abducted By The 80’s: Wang Chung w/ Men Without Hats/The Motels/Naked Eyes Saturday, June 22. 8 p.m. $40 & up. Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater

Little Big Sunday, June 23. 6:30 p.m. $19.50 & up. The Ritz, Ybor City

Barbie the Movie: In Concert Tuesday, July 2. 8 p.m. $35.30 & up. MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa

A.C.E. Wednesday, July 3. 7:30 p.m. $49.50 & up. Ferguson Hall at Straz Center For the Performing Arts, Tampa

Kid Cudi w/Pusha T/Earthgang Saturday, July 6. 7 p.m. $46.20 & up. Amalie Arena, Tampa

GZA and Kota The Friend Friday, July 19. 7 p.m. Prices TBA. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

Jimmie Vaughan & The Tilt-A-Whirl Band Sunday, July 21. 7:30 p.m. $39 & up. Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater

Halestorm w/I Prevail/Hollywood Undead/Fit For a King Thursday, Aug. 1. 6 p.m. $35.05 & up. MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa

WUSF’S Longest Table will be held on Thursday, April 4th. Please mark your calendars for our rain date, Friday, April 5th. Details available online at wusflongesttable.org or by calling (800) 741-9090. THANK

Cut to the chase

By Caroline DeBruhl

Dear Oracle, should I officially marry my partner? —Paper chase

Cards for keeping it as it: Seven of Swords, Ace of Wands, Ace of Cups (all reversed)

Cards for getting hitched: Ten of Pentacles (reversed), Three of Cups (reversed), Three of Pentacles

Dear Paper,

One of the things I like about being a wedding officiant is that in a very real way, it’s casting a spell. I say some words, the couple speaks, they sign their names and poof—they have tied a knot that only a judge can untie. The whole thing can be over in a matter of minutes and, rightfully, some people are weary about that kind of power. Plenty of people have committed a life to one another without that paper and plenty of people have signed that certificate three over only to have each one dissolved.

I get the feeling that you and your partner made a choice not to get married as opposed to just being together for a while and never talking about it. (Because, let’s be honest, after dating for a while, people ask “so…you think you two will get married?” We love a wedding!)

With the Ace of Wands and the Ace of Cups, I wonder if you both came to this decision as a radically conscious act of equality. You two are equal as partners, balanced in power in

the relationship. With the Seven of Swords, it might have been a very intellectualized path that, yes, this is the way forward. But, when the Seven of Swords appears, we have to ask ourselves if our plan is still working for us. Swords can make us feel boxed in but worry that any step off the path will lead to getting your head chopped off.

I don’t think that would be the case if you decided to get married. The Ten of Pentacles is the goal reached after putting in the hard work—as well as the secured family. If you made the decision to not marry because you wanted to work through some things first, I’d say evaluate and see if you’ve reached those goals. The Three of Cups too suggests a harmony in love and friendship, while the Three of Pentacles is a balance of male and female energy plus a card showing everyone is pulling their own weight. If marriage was an end goal for you two at some point, perhaps you’re at that point.

This is, of course, said with the caveat that it only applies if you feel 100% safe and comfortable with your partner. If you’ve avoiding the legal letter because you worry about any type of abuse or the difficulty in leaving them, then fuck the cards, trust your gut, and don’t do it. But, if this is a safe, secure relationship and marriage is something you’re both open to, why not have that conversation and see how you both feel? It might be fun to do that legally binding love spell.

Dear Oracle, what will become of my career life? —Wondering about work

Cards: Wheel of Fortune, Two of Swords (reversed), Three of Wands (reversed), Knight of Pentacles (reversed), Seven of Pentacles

Dear X,

I know that for the majority of people working, their careers are not what they imagined when they were nine years old. Maybe they started out on a surprising path and liked it, maybe they were passionate about something related to their field, or maybe they just stumbled into it.

But for some, their careers are vocations. It’s what they truly believe they are meant to do. It’s a calling.

charge of something and to help it grow. This knight is steady and calm in the face of chaos and can see things clearly when others can’t. I’m not sure if this would involve you starting your own business or moving into a leadership role in one you currently have, but you do need a challenge to put your skills to use.

To move forward, the Seven of Pentacles asks you to look at your past. What sort of skills have you gained from your old jobs? How can you share those skills in the future? What have you learned and what do you want to learn? By asking yourself these questions, you might be able to see what kind of career you want to bring your energy into.

ORACLE OF YBOR

Send your questions to oracle@cltampa.com or DM @theyboracle on Instagram

Without knowing any details about your situation, I’m going in a bit blind, but I would say that with the Wheel of Fortune looming over the spread, you are starting to hear a calling.

I don’t know what your current career looks like, but with the Two of Swords and the Three of Wands, I’d say that you’ve been feeling like you’ve outgrown it mentally for some time now and while you’re grateful for what has come before, your ready for that new journey to start.

I don’t know what career would be best for you because I don’t know your mind, your heart, or your working style. Only you can really judge that. I do think, however, with the Knight of Pentacles, that you want to be in

But this is not something to just stumble into.

Again, I want to stress the opening card: the Wheel of Fortune. Is there some sort of calling beckoning to you? Is there a dream job that you haven’t allowed yourself to think of for years? What is circling around your heart and your mind?

I know this isn’t a specific answer. (There is no tarot card for “become a cruise director”) but, with callings, a stranger isn’t going to know. Even a psychic can only guess what you keep buried from yourself.

Meditate on all this: the past, your skills, your wants, everything, and listen. What is it that you hear? What’s that challenge you want to rise to? I bet there is one already there, floating at the edge of your mind. Look at it dead on. You can handle it.

What counts

By Dan Savage

I’m involved with a guy who’s married and, yes, I’m a cliché and I know it. I don’t want him to leave his wife. I don’t even want to be involved with him physically and we aren’t doing anything physical. We’ve both been good about maintaining that boundary. But we are very involved emotionally. We like to tell ourselves that we’re not cheating but it’s definitely an emotional affair. I honestly do not want to have sex with him. I look at pictures of him and his wife and kids to remind myself that he has a family, and I don’t want to break up his family. Not that I could just by having sex with him, but you know what I mean. I don’t want to be “the other woman.” My question: Am I endangering his family just by talking to him so much, about absolutely everything (including sexual fantasies we will never act on), and treating each other as soulmates? Perhaps I’m just naïve, but I’ve convinced myself that so long as we abstain from anything physical, we’re OK. —Can’t Have Unavailable Male Partner

SAVAGE LOVE

I do have an agenda: I want imperfect-butgood relationships to survive—none are perfect, some are good—and the more sex the average couple has, the better the average couple’s relationship tends to be. And since the average couple defines cheating as unforgivable, the fewer things that count as cheating, the less likely the average couple is to break up over cheating. Which is why I’ve been on a lonely, one-man crusade against the people—the fucking idiots—out there pushing the “micro-cheating” concept on us. Instead of making relationships more resilient by defining cheating narrowly, these fucking idiots are destroying relationships by adding more things to the list. Staying in touch with an ex? Cheating! Confiding in a friend? Cheating! Following a few thotties or himbos on Instagram? Cheating!

I’ve answered a lot of questions like CHUMP’s lately, I realize, but there’s a larger point I’ve been wanting to make, and CHUMP’s question is a good jumping off point. But my apologies to regular readers who are annoyed to find another question in the column this week— yet another one—from a woman who’s fucking or about to fuck a married man.

Here’s the larger point I wanna make: I believe couples should define sex as broadly as possible and cheating as narrowly as possible. Because when a couple defines sex broadly— when more things count (not just PIV/PIA)—the more sex that couple winds up having and the more varied, interesting, and satisfying their sex life winds up being. But the fewer things that same couple counts as cheating—the more narrowly that couple defines cheating—the less likely they are to cheat on each other and, consequently, the less likely they are to break up over an infidelity. To summarize…

Define sex broadly: more and better sex. Define cheating narrowly: more resilient relationships.

Now, I realize these ideas are in conflict. I think sexting with a partner should count as sex but sexting with someone else—in the context of, say, an online flirtation that was never going to lead to anything physical—shouldn’t count as cheating. But I would argue that the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time and function is not just the sign of a first-rate intelligence, as F. Scott Fitzgerald said, but also the sign of the kind of emotional intelligence required to have a successful relationship. (Please note: successful ≠ perfect.)

These idiots listing examples of “microcheating” and “micro-infidelities” to their socials—most claiming to be relationship experts (there’s no bar exam for “relationship expert”)—are not helping and no one should listen to them. Because instead of encouraging people to define cheating as narrowly as possible and thereby making relationships more resilient, they’re encouraging people to define cheating so broadly that no relationship could ever survive.

Emotional affairs—very broadly defined— always appear on the “micro-cheating” lists pushed by these homewreckers. And while I hate to concede even an inch to these “micro” idiots, CHUMP, you leave me no choice: You are, indeed, having an emotional affair with this man. If this man and his wife haven’t redefined their relationship as companionate and he isn’t allowed to seek this kind of attention from other women, together you’re cheating his wife out of what’s rightfully hers. And since you’re investing time in this man that you could be investing in finding a guy who isn’t married, wants to fuck you, and you feel good about fucking, CHUMP, you’re cheating yourself out of the kind of relationship you want and deserve.

So, if you don’t want to blow up this man’s marriage—if you don’t want to graduate from emotional affair to affair affair—stop talking to him, stop texting with him, and stop sharing sexual fantasies with him. Just because you haven’t fucked him yet doesn’t mean you won’t succumb to the temptation. The longer someone plays in traffic, the likelier that person is to get run over. The longer you keep talking with this man and sharing sexual fantasies with this man, the likelier you are to get run through.

If you don’t wanna get run over, don’t play in traffic. If you don’t wanna fuck this married man, CHUMP, stop flirting with him.

I’m a straight cis male. When I’m having sex with my current or past monogamous partners, it will feel really good for a while, but then I’ll plateau. In order to come, I need to call up mental images of me fucking a specific past casual sex partner. (In no way is this past partner someone I’d rather be with.) It just works and works reliably. I’ve tried NOT to do this many times. I’ve tried the obvious—being in the moment and connecting with my partner—and on a few occasions I’ve been able to come without relying on my go-to, but those times are rare. Side note: I do watch porn, not excessively or compulsively, and I am able to come doing so. And sometimes I masturbate about other past experiences that don’t involve this former partner and I am able to come without calling up their mental image. I know there’s nothing wrong with this, but it does feel like a problematic fixation because it’s so specific—and because, at least for a few minutes, I’m disengaged and not present for my current partner. My shame about this issue has gotten better over the years, but it still haunts me. I’ve tried sharing this with a monogamous partner in the past when they could sense I was somewhere else, and this was DEFINITELY a bad idea. But the alternative is being stuck in this secret headspace. Please help me out! I surely am not the first listener with this issue. —Can’t Understand My Situation

Is this a problem, CUMS, or is it a superpower? Since you need to access these mental images in order to climax—since you’re not completely in the thrall of whatever physical/ emotional sensations you’re experiencing in the moment— that means you’re able to last exactly as long as your current partner

would like you to last. You never come too soon, CUMS, and you never take too long. You’re in charge of when you call up these mental images of this particular past partner, which means you never hit the point of orgasmic inevitability before you want and, perhaps more importantly, before your partner wants you to. So, maybe instead of feeling bad about this “problem” and trying to fix it on your own or—even worse—informing your

current partners of this “problem,” you should 1. accept that this is how your dick works and 2. recognize how beneficial it is for current partners.

I was supposed to see someone. I thought we had a date. We didn’t set a specific meeting place or time; it was more casual than that. I thought we had agreed to keep the evening free for each other, and I figured we’d sort out the specifics later. But he made other plans—dinner with someone else—and told me it was because he didn’t hear from me in time. Now, I thought I’d been clear that I would be in touch after I got home from work on the day we agreed to keep clear with each other. What’s the protocol? Shouldn’t he have said something like, “Hey, I haven’t heard from you, if I don’t hear from you by X time, I’m going to make other plans,” versus just him going and making other plans?

—Suddenly Unmade Plans

Do you wanna fuck this guy, SUP? If so, give him the benefit of the doubt, chalk this one missed date a misunderstanding, and make plans for another night. Because it’s possible—it’s plausible even—that he was waiting to hear from you and/or thought your plans were tentative and/or didn’t register that you said you’d call him when you got home from work that night. So, make firm, specific, and unambiguous plans for another night— ideally, SUP, the kind of plans you could describe to an advice columnist without using, “I thought,” or, “I figured,” or, “I supposed,” or all of the above. If he blows you off again, no third chance, no additional benefits of additional doubts.

HUMP! 2024 Part One is now touring the country! To find out when HUMP! is coming to a city near you, go to humpfilmfest.com! Got problems? Yes, you do. Send your question to mailbox@savage.love! Podcasts, columns and more at Savage.Love

George M. Steinbrenner Field