Write Around Tampa

Safety Harbor Library

101 2nd Street N

Safety Harbor

Aside from the Northeast Regional on Cottman in Philadelphia, this local library is the largest I’ve ever been in. This community advocates reading and supports their local authors. The library reflects that sentiment, with multiple meeting rooms, specialized book sections, a huge children’s wing and working rooms upstairs, where you can go and work in your own little cubicle with your own lunch and a nice view of Main Street.

Quality and pricing of food and drink:

Free because I brought it from home. Greek tortellini pasta salad, Gatorade Zero and a bottle of water. I packed some peanuts and Nature’s Harvest biscuits just in case.

Are there enough outlets?

Outlets aplenty and public computer stations.

How’s the wifi?

Public.

Will my muse come out?

Indeed; your muse loves libraries. She’ll want to explore every inch of this place with you.

How long can I park it?

Open to close, which during the week is 8pm, shorter hours Friday and Saturday, closed Sunday. Plan on a whole day; you’ll need time to get writing done after your muse wears you out looking at all the books.

Final rating: 5 out of 5 laptops

Rachel Remick’s fiction and non-fiction stories have appeared in various magazines, among them Rosebud, Bluestem and ellipsis . . . literature and art. A frequent contributor to women’s magazine Sasee, her writing has also been published in several volumes of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books. She lives in Tampa, Florida.