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Weekly Challenger
Published February 23From beats to books, Tampa Bay hip hop emcees become authors
By J.A. Jones, Contributor Rashad “Shadcore” Harrell, aka Shadcore, is a Tampa hip hop scene staple who recently released his new book, I Left a Mess in There. Born in Lakewood, New Jersey, and raised in St. Petersburg, Harrell is a family man, “married to my lovely wife of 27…
Northeast Journal
Published January 26On the Move with the Key to Dalí
Something new is rolling out from the Dalí Museum: a 40-foot classroom art space and mobile museum. Christened the The Key to Dalí Art Mobile, this travelling surrealistic exhibition is designed to bring art to the people in classrooms around the county. Now, instead of students…
Weekly Challenger
Published January 23St. Pete’s Finest: Nàtlie Johnson
St. Pete native Nàtlie Johnson took home an Emmy Award for Outstanding Technical Team Event for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games. ST. PETERSBURG — Television graphics professional and St. Pete native Nàtlie Johnson has earned her first Emmy for Outstanding Technical Team Event…
Weekly Challenger
Published January 21The Merry Meerkats Go!! Ty Loyd-Calhoun on getting kids outside through the love of reading
BY J.A. JONES | Contributor ST. PETERSBURG – Gibbs High School grad author Ty Loyd-Calhoun was born in New Jersey and earned his undergrad degree from Tennessee State University – “the same place Wilma Rudolph and Oprah Winfrey graduated from,” he added with a hint of pride in a…
Weekly Challenger
Published January 02L.I.F.E. Celebration Anchors the 10th Anniversary of the Sunshine City Film Festival
St. Petersburg, FL — January 2026 — As the Sunshine City Film Festival marks its 10th anniversary, one of its most meaningful and anticipated events returns with renewed purpose: the L.I.F.E. (Ladies in Film & Entertainment) Celebration. Hosted at the iconic Salvador Dalí Museum…
Weekly Challenger
Published November 11St. Pete’s story of wellness adds sound healing and neuro-art on the Deuces, Nov 15
By J.A. Jones, Contributor ST. PETERSBURG — For decades, health and wellness practitioners, doctors, nurses, educators, artists, and everyday community people living, working, and playing in under-resourced communities have sought practical and innovative ways to improve their…
Weekly Challenger
Published October 21Powerstories Theatre and Studio@620 share untold Civil Rights story CADILLAC CREW, Nov 6 – 16
St. Petersburg, Fla. — This November, two of Tampa Bay’s most groundbreaking theaters join forces to spotlight the women who carried the Civil Rights Movement from behind the scenes. CADILLAC CREW by Tori Sampson runs Nov. 6–16, 2025, at The Studio@620, presented in partnership…
Weekly Challenger
Published September 03Art, mental health, and wellness – how you can help support our youth and families right now (OPINION)
By J.A. Jones | Contributor “The devastating impact of youth mental health concerns is increasingly evident on a global scale. This crisis calls for innovative solutions that are sufficiently accessible, scalable, and cost-effective to support diverse communities around the…
Weekly Challenger
Published August 06Self-Perfection is Just an Unreachable Dream
Self-Perfection is Just an Unreachable Dream A poem by Santiago De Mora Is perfection ever reached? Your dreams, desires, and thoughts create an illusion— An illusion of what you wanna be, but not what you truly are, Causing you not to improve, but to elaborate on that perfect…
Weekly Challenger
Published June 02FAT HAM at American Stage: ghetto hilarious barbecue explores coming out — with a nod to Shakespeare
Written by J.A. Jones, Staff Writer ST. PETERSBURG – The Pulitzer Prize-winning play FAT HAM, written by James Ijames and directed by Raymond O. Caldwell, brings a comedic, unexpected, no-holds-barred take on family dysfunction to American Stage. A loose take on Shakespeare’s…
Weekly Challenger
Published May 21New sci-fi from Tampa Bay author William Ricker in THE RESHIFT PULSERS SAGA
By Zermi Jenkins, Contributor TAMPA BAY – Millennial creative writer William Ricker was born and raised in Tampa, Florida — with a passion for storytelling that resonates across generations. A University of South Florida grad with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and…