Neighbor News
Write Around Tampa
* Your weekly guide to the best places to park (it) and write in the Bay Area *
Maureen B. Gauzza Public Library
11211 Countryway Boulevard
Tampa
Find out what's happening in Carrollwood-Northdalefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Did you ever read a book where the main character is in a rich but sketchy person’s house and stumbles upon their library? Yes, that is this place. The smell of it, especially. Woodsy expensive upholstered furniture that has just been polished. The chairs at the computer stations look fresh out of a Harvard library. I feel so safe I didn’t even sanitize my station with a Clorox wipe. (All who know me are now slapping their cheeks ala Macaulay Culkin).
Quality and pricing of food and drink:
Find out what's happening in Carrollwood-Northdalefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Bring your own, just don’t consume them at the computers. Oddly you won’t want to eat here; you’ll feel bad touching anything with your foody, sticky, greasy fingers.
Are there enough outlets?
Indeed.
How’s the wifi?
Public.
Will my muse come out?
Oh she will, with an affected accent, too. Although I could certainly write in here, the vibe is more research and read-y, as in, I’m looking for comps (competitive titles, which means books similar to what you’re currently querying) for my latest mid-grade manuscript. I was going to do this last week at Jimmie B. Keel, but the child’s book section looked a tad slapdash and—okay, yes—germy. No such concerns here. Here I could eat off the children’s books. Then I just might find a corner and read my research.
How long can I park it?
Open to close, M-TH 10-9, 10-6 Friday and Saturday, closed Sunday. One thing to consider: I am here at 4:00 in the afternoon and therefore there are quite a few tutors and they’re not quiet. If you’re looking for a true library atmosphere, best to come before school lets out or after dinner. Actually, it’s best to come before school lets out, then go to Sushi Alive down the street for happy hour, then come back and resume working.
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.