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Style her love this Mother's Day Fundraiser - support your community with a chance to win a Louis Vuitton Graceful MM hobo bag. Your ticket purchase directly benefits scholarships and community initiatives, like the Promise Scholarship and our Empowering Your Financial Life youth financial literacy program.

Purchase a ticket and impact a youth's life today!

Foodies and book lovers alike, join us for this delicious event! Stop by Midtown Reader to meet local Chef Fe as she takes us through some of the flavors of her cookbook, Cooking With Fe.

About the Book:

Embark on a culinary journey filled with love, flavor, and simplicity with Chef Fe's latest masterpiece, "Cooking with Fe: Delicious Food Made with Love."

As a self-taught home chef, Chef Fe has crafted a collection of recipes that reflect her lifelong passion for cooking. From comforting classics to innovative culinary creations, each dish is infused with Chef Fe's unwavering love for the art of cooking.

In " Cooking with Fe: Delicious Food Made with Love," Chef Fe invites you into her kitchen, where she shares her favorite quick, easy, and fun recipes that anyone can cook. Whether you're a seasoned chef or a novice in the kitchen, Chef Fe's approachable recipes will inspire you to unleash your inner culinary artist.

With a focus on fresh ingredients and straightforward techniques, Chef Fe proves that delicious meals don't have to be complicated. From hearty breakfasts to satisfying dinners, each recipe is carefully crafted to bring joy to your table and warmth to your heart.

But " Cooking with Fe: Delicious Food Made with Love " is more than just a collection of recipes—it's a celebration of the joy found in cooking for others. Chef Fe believes that food is a universal language that brings people together, and she infuses each recipe with a generous helping of love and care.

Join Chef Fe on a culinary adventure as she explores flavors worldwide and shares her love for cooking with you. Whether you're cooking for yourself, your family, or your friends, " Cooking with Fe: Delicious Food Made with Love " will surely become a cherished companion in your culinary journey.

About Chef Fe:

Chef Fe, a native of Tallahassee, Florida, is a self-taught home chef whose culinary journey began at an early age. With an unwavering passion for cooking, she views the kitchen as a sanctuary for creative expression and a platform for cultural exploration.

Driven by a profound love for global cuisine, Chef Fe embarked on a quest to immerse herself in diverse culinary traditions, constantly seeking to broaden her culinary horizons. In 2020, amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, she seized the opportunity to share her culinary expertise by founding "The FE-Nomenal Experience, LLC." Specializing in in-home private dining experiences, Chef Fe and her team transformed dining into an unforgettable affair, complete with meticulously crafted meals, captivating tablescapes, and expertly documented memories through photography.

Since its inception, "The FE-Nomenal Experience, LLC" has flourished into a multifaceted enterprise. Chef Fe's repertoire extends to event catering, virtual and in-person cooking classes, and engaging cooking camps tailored for aspiring young chefs.

Supported by a network of entrepreneurial family and friends, Chef Fe's dedication to her craft has garnered acclaim. In 2022 and 2023, "The FE-Nomenal Experience, LLC," was honored as "Caterer of the Year" in the Reader’s Choice Awards for Tallahassee.

For Chef Fe, food transcends mere sustenance; it is a universal language that fosters connections and celebrates cultural diversity. With the belief that everyone shares a fundamental need to nourish both body and soul, Chef Fe's culinary mission embodies the notion that regardless of background or beliefs, food unites us all in the joy of shared experiences.

Trinity United Methodist Preschool (TUMP) is gearing up to commemorate a remarkable milestone as it celebrates 50 years of providing exceptional early childhood education to the Tallahassee community. Established in August 1973, the preschool has been a model of learning, growth, and nurturing for generations of young learners.

What began as a modest program operating three days a week for three hours a day has
evolved into a comprehensive five-day-a-week, 10-hour-a-day program, catering to the needs of families seeking high-quality childcare and education. The school serves children aged three months to five years and participates in the Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program. Since the inception of the VPK program in Florida in 2005, TUMP has been a proud provider, ensuring that children receive a strong foundation for academic success. TUMP’s commitment to excellence is evident in its recognition as a Gold Seal school and
accreditation by The Christian Preschool Association, reflecting its adherence to rigorous standards of educational quality and faith-based values.

“Marking its 50th anniversary, Trinity United Methodist Preschool stands as a beacon of educational excellence in downtown Tallahassee,” said Rev. Dr. Matthew M. Williams, the senior pastor at Trinity United Methodist Church. “Through five decades of dedicated service, this esteemed institution has consistently shaped young minds and enriched the local community. The legacy of unparalleled impact and unwavering commitment of our teachers and staff foster a brighter future for our present generation and those to come.”

Over the past 50 years, TUMP has welcomed over 1,000 children into its classrooms, fostering a love for learning and a sense of community among students and families alike. At the heart of the preschool's success are its dedicated staff, with each lead teacher holding a minimum of a bachelor's degree and committed to ongoing professional development through 24 training hours annually.

The visionaries behind TUMP, co-founders Mary Blackburn and Claire Nash, laid the groundwork for its success, leaving a lasting legacy that continues to shape the lives of children and families in the community. Despite the passing of these beloved leaders, their contributions endure, and their spirit of dedication lives on in the heart of the preschool.

With only three directors in its 50-year history, TUMP has maintained a sense of continuity and stability in its leadership. From Mary Blackburn's tenure from 1973 to 1996, through Nancy Duncan's leadership from 1996 to 2004, to the current director, Stacey Duggar, who assumed the role in 2004, the preschool has remained steadfast in its mission to provide a nurturing environment where children can thrive.

“I never imagined that when I first started working here in August of 1997 as a two-year-old teacher that I would stay for the next 25+ years,” said Duggar. “It has been a joy and a privilege to develop relationships with families, staff, and of course the children!”

Duggar not only leads the school but also actively contributes to the broader early childhood education community. Serving on the Board of Directors for both the Early Learning Coalition of the Big Bend, Inc. and the Christian Preschool Association, she exemplifies the preschool's commitment to leadership and advocacy in the field of early childhood education.

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, TUMP invites all alumni, families, staff, and community members interested in learning more about the school to join in the festivities on April 27, 2024, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Attendees will have the opportunity to tour the facilities, reconnect with old friends, and learn more about the preschool's rich history and bright future.

Saturday, April 27, 2024
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
120 W. Park Ave.
Tallahassee, FL 32301

The highlight of the celebration will be the unveiling and dedication of the new Legacy Walk, a testament to the preschool's enduring impact on the lives of children and families. Festivities will also include family-friendly activities such as a bounce house, face painting, and a display of class photos from each year, providing a nostalgic journey through five decades of educational excellence and community engagement.

Join Midtown Reader and The Tallahassee Ballet for an exciting Kidtown with a mini-performance of Sleeping Beauty after storytime!

The LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library is proud to present a magical art exhibit from Floridian artist Rachel Speck. Shells is a series of silkscreened prints about connecting the Gulf of Mexico with the magic of tarot. Shells is the symbol for the cups suit. The imagery of the cards is based on the biodiversity of the plants and animals surrounding and in the Gulf of Mexico.

Artist biography: Rachel Speck was born and raised in Cocoa, Florida. She grew up in the woods: gardening, climbing trees, exploring, drawing, fishing, and raising ducks. Rachel resided not far from the Atlantic Ocean and would seek refuge at the beach. She fell in love with printmaking and photography while attending Florida State University. Rachel moved to New Orleans at the not so tender age of 23, where she worked as an art educator and print maker for ten years. In 2018, she moved to Mexico City to focus on her artwork.

Midtown Reader is excited to host Annabelle Tometich in conversation with Ann VanderMeer for the release of Tometich's memoir, The Mango Tree!

“Tometich’s measured tenderness and understanding grant complexity and authenticity to a story about finding one’s identity and owning its source. A well-paced, nuanced memoir by a practiced storyteller.”― Kirkus Review

About the Book:

This “witty, humorous, and heartfelt“ (Cinelle Barnes) memoir navigates the tangled branches of Annabelle Tometich’s life, from growing up in Florida as the child of and a Filipino mother and a deceased white father to her adult life as a med-school-reject-turned-food-critic.

When journalist Annabelle Tometich picks up the phone one June morning, she isn’t expecting a collect call from an inmate at the Lee County Jail. And when she accepts, she certainly isn’t prepared to hear her mother’s voice on the other end of the line. However, explaining the situation to her younger siblings afterwards was easy; all she had to say was, “Mom shot at some guy. He was messing with her mangoes.” They immediately understood. Answering the questions of the breaking-news reporter—at the same newspaper where Annabelle worked as a restaurant critic––proved more difficult. Annabelle decided to go with a variation of the truth: it was complicated.

So begins The Mango Tree, a poignant and deceptively entertaining memoir of growing up as a mixed-race Filipina “nobody” in suburban Florida as Annabelle traces the roots of her upbringing—all the while reckoning with her erratic father’s untimely death in a Fort Myers motel, her fiery mother’s bitter yearning for the country she left behind, and her own journey in the pursuit of belonging.

With clear-eyed compassion and piercing honesty, The Mango Tree is a family saga that navigates the tangled branches of Annabelle’s life, from her childhood days in an overflowing house flooded by balikbayan boxes, vegetation, and juicy mangoes, to her winding path from medical school hopeful to restaurant critic. It is a love letter to her fellow Filipino Americans, her lost younger self, and the beloved fruit tree at the heart of her family. But above all, it is an ode to Annabelle’s hot-blooded, whip-smart mother Josefina, a woman who made a life and a home of her own, and without whom Annabelle would not have herself.

About Annabelle Tometich:

Annabelle Tometich went from medical-school flunky to line cook to journalist to author. She spent eighteen years as a food writer, editor, and restaurant critic for The News-Press in her hometown of Fort Myers, Florida. Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, USA Today, Catapult, the Tampa Bay Times, and many more publications. Tometich has won more than a dozen awards for her stories, including first place for Features Writing from the Florida Society of News Editors in 2020. She (still) lives in Fort Myers with her husband, two children, and her ever-fiery Filipina mother. You can find her online at annabelleTM.com.

About Ann VanderMeer:

Over a 30-year career, Ann VanderMeer has won numerous awards for her editing work, including the Hugo Award and World Fantasy Award. Whether as editor-in-chief for Weird Tales for five years or in her current role as an acquiring editor for Tor.com, Ann has built her reputation on acquiring fiction from diverse and interesting new talents. As co-founder of Cheeky Frawg Books, she has helped develop a wide-ranging line of mostly translated fiction. Featuring a who’s who of world literature, Ann VanderMeer’s anthologies include the critically acclaimed Best American Fantasy series, The Weird, The Time Traveler’s Almanac, Sisters of the Revolution, and the Big Book of Modern Fantasy, the follow up to The Big Book of Classic Fantasy.

Join The Grove Museum on April 10th for children's storytime!

We will be reading “Rumble in the Jungle" by Giles Andrae on April 10th at 10:00am. Storytime will be followed by an activity, and we encourage families to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy on the museum's grounds following the program.

The program is FREE and open to the public! Storytime at The Grove is recommended for children ages 8 and younger.

Parking is located at 902 N Monroe St.

Join Midtown Reader and Young Actors Theatre for an exciting Kidtown with a mini-performance after storytime!

Join Midtown Reader for our Poetry Meet and Greet Happy Hour! Stop by to grab a drink from the Piebrary and meet poets Rick Campbell and Sean Sexton.

About Fish Streets Before Dawn:

Fish Streets Before Dawn brings us all the fabric of Rick Campbell's created worlds, and then he takes us further as his energy expands and contracts along newer avenues of thought and feeling. Campbell is one of his generation that took to America's roads and byways, old cars, hitchhiking, The Greyhound, and just plain walking. . . . Campbell's wanderings and questing are testimony to the core of his art: surviving, yes, but surviving as the step that allows us to pursue any small good we can bring along with us.

About Rick Campbell:

Rick Campbell is a poet, essayist, and editor living on Alligator Point, Florida. His collection of essays, Sometimes the Light was published by Main Street Rag Press in the Spring of 2022. His most recent collection of poems is Provenance (Blue Horse Press). He's published six other poetry books as well as poems and essays in journals including The Georgia Review, Prairie Schooner, Gargoyle, Fourth River, Kestrel, and the Alabama Literary Review. He teaches in the University of Nevada-Reno's MFA program.

About Portals:

Portals: Poems by Sean Sexton is as expansive in subject, tone, and structure as it is breathtaking in the lyrical quality of its craftsmanship and language. Reading this stunning collection is like looking inside the workings of the mind and soul and spirit of a man who has given his life to poetry but also to nature, family, friends, art, music, and-if that's not enough-the arduous life-work of a cattle rancher.

About Sean Sexton:

Sean Sexton was born in Indian River County and grew up on his family's Treasure Hammock Ranch. He divides his time between managing a 700-acre cow-calf and seed stock operation, painting, and writing. He has kept daily sketch and writing journals since 1973. He is author to three full volumes of poems including Blood Writing (Anhinga Press, 2009), May Darkness Restore (Press 53, 2019), and Portals (Press 53, 2023). He has performed at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, NV, Miami Book Fair International, Other Words Literary Conference in Tampa, FL and the High Road Poetry and Short Fiction Festival, in Winston-Salem, NC. He has garnered several nominations for Pushcart Prizes, and received a Florida Individual Artist's Fellowship in 2001.

He is a board member of the Laura Riding Jackson Foundation (LRJF.org) and founding event chair of its Annual Poetry and Barbeque held each April, now in its twelfth year. He also co-founded Advent and Lenten Poetry and Organ Concert Series at The Community Church of Vero Beach, (ccovb.org) featuring nine concerts annually, attracting poets from all over the U.S.. He became inaugural Poet Laureate of Indian River County in 2016.

More Beauty, Goodness and Truth?

There’s certainly no shortage of people to blame long distance for the tragically divisive state of our civic life in America. But if the project of human community ultimately begins where we act with respect and decency toward our fellow man, it’s possible that more of the power and responsibility for our societal fractures may be located right where we live our lives. Yet it’s easy to confuse plain old niceness with the deepest underpinnings of respect necessary to shepherd us through our divided times.

While our special guest Alexandra O. Hudson, author of “The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves,” finds the challenges to civility today dire, she thinks they’re not new — and they’re most definitely not about being more polite. Lexi brings a deep and fresh appreciation for the wisdom of the ages to the moment we’re in, froJoin us for this inspiringly heartfelt and beautifully pitched argument that civility is not a luxury: it’s necessary for the survival and flourishing of our species.m Socrates and Confucius to more contemporary thinkers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, and Henry David Thoreau. She joins forces with these heavyweights, along with a practically encyclopedic knowledge of our understanding of civility through the ages. We hope you’ll join us for this inspiringly heartfelt and beautifully pitched argument that civility is not a luxury: it’s necessary for the survival and flourishing of our species. Learn more about Lexi, at https://alexandraohudson.com/

Pick up a copy of her book at Midtown Reader at https://www.midtownreader.com/book/9781250277787

This program is presented live via Zoom and Facebook Live and made possible by Florida Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities. We’re delighted to welcome streaming partners Braver Angels, McCourtney Institute for Democracy, National Institute for Civil Discourse, BridgeUSA, Listen First Project, USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future, Common Ground Committee, Civic Health Project, TP&R podcast, YOUnify, Citizen Connect, Center for the Humanities at University of Miami, Tallahassee Democrat, WFSU Public Media, and Network for Responsible Public Policy.


Learn more about the program online at https://tlh.villagesquare.us/event/soul-of-civility/


This program is part of the UNUM: Democracy Reignited series in partnership with Florida Humanities, which explores the past, present and future of the American idea — as it exists on paper, in the hearts of our people, and as it manifests in our lives.