'Alaska's Fiddling Poet' Headed to Carrollwood

When Ken Waldman, Alaska’s Fiddling Poet, comes to the Carrollwood Cultural Center later this month, it will mark Waldman's first public Tampa Bay area appearance in more than four years.

Waldman will give a free noon performance on March 22 at the Center,  4537 Lowell Road in Tampa. The performance will combine old-time Appalachian-style fiddling, poetry, and Alaska-set storytelling. He will also perform at the Center’s outdoor festival on March 24.  

The poet is also scheduled to present his versatile educational workshop at two local elementary schools, combining original poetry (and poetry written by other elementary-school-age children), old-time Appalachian-style fiddling, and Alaska-set storytelling for an interdisciplinary and interactive educational experience. 

Waldman’s appearances are co-sponsored by the Carrollwood Cultural Center, South Arts, The National Endowment for The Arts, and the State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs.

A former college professor with an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Waldman has six full-length collections of poetry, a memoir, and a book of acrostic poetry for children, as well as nine CDs that combine original poetry with traditional string-band music.

More than 400 of his poems and stories have appeared in literary journals. Since 1995, he's performed throughout North America at leading performing arts centers, theaters, festivals, concert series, and clubs. He's been a visiting artist at more than 160 schools in 31 states and a visiting writer at over 80 colleges and universities. 

No stranger to the Bay Area, Waldman has appeared at the Florida Suncoast Writers' Conference in St. Petersburg, WMNF, and has performed in Stuart, Gainesville and Tallahassee. His memoir, Are You Famous?, details his many tours across the country.

Waldman's Carrollwood appearances include:

Thursday, March 22

• 8:15-9:45 a.m., Essrig Elementary, 13131 Lynn Road, for an educational workshop

Saturday, March 24

• 4-5 p.m., Carrollwood Cultural Center, 4537 Lowell Road, for

For more information, visit CarrollwoodCenter.org, or call (813) 269-1310.