Professor Emeritus of Literature Peter Meinke will be honored on Saturday, March 7 during the kickoff of the SunLit Festival Celebration of Literature.
Meinke, the poet laureate of St. Petersburg, will receive the first SunLitFestival Award for Lifetime Achievement in Letters during a ceremony at 2 p.m. at the St. Petersburg Public Library, 3745 9th Ave. North.
Professor Emeritus of Creative Writing Sterling Watson, a longtime colleague who held the first Peter Meinke Endowed Professorship in Creative Writing, will introduce Meinke.
“Peter Meinke’s half century of writing and teaching exemplifies the spirit of the SunLit Award to recognize not only a substantial body of work but also significant influence in the world of letters,” said John Collins, president of the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance, which is organizing the festival. “He has sparked the flame of creative passion in countless students and colleagues.”
The SunLit Festival, which runs March 7-15, brings together various literary organizations and arts disciplines to celebrate literature, reading and writing in 14 events over nine days. Other events include The 34th Annual Florida Antiquarian Book Fair at the Coliseum, the Boyd Hill Poetry Night Hike and Jack Kerouac Night at the Flamingo Bar.
