Celebrating the power of language
City of Ocala and Marion County Public Library System host inaugural literary and poetry festival.
Amelia Mozingo, 8, reads an oversized book, “Leaving The Land Of Can’t – A Nudge from a Nut,” by author Paul Kristopher during the Art Park Literary & Poetry Festival at the Tuscawilla Art Park in Ocala, Fla. on Saturday, April 11, 2026. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2026.
The inaugural Art Park Literary & Poetry Festival invited the community to celebrate the power of language through literature, poetry and the spoken word.
On a gorgeous day at the Tuscawilla Art Park, located at 213 NE 5th St., near downtown Ocala and adjacent to the sprawling Tuscawilla Park, numerous visitors enjoyed fair weather, entertainment, vendors and a variety of other activities.
Park Literary & Poetry Festival at the Tuscawilla Art Park in Ocala, Fla.
on Saturday, April 11, 2026. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2026.
The event, organized in a partnership between the city of Ocala and the Marion County Public Library System, took place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 11 as a new addition to the ongoing Tuscawilla Art Park Series.
Attendees heard live musical performances by Def-i, an Indigenous, award-winning hip-hop and spoken word artist, as well as Küf Knotz & Christine Elise, a duo blending hip-hop, soul and classical music with harp and spoken word elements. The event also featured community performances from the Marion County Public Library System, the Community Stages Trunk & Trek Troupe and Ocala Civic Theatre.
people during the Art Park Literary & Poetry Festival at the Tuscawilla
Art Park in Ocala, Fla. on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
[Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2026.
“We loved being part of the first-ever Literary & Poetry Festival. Our Trunk & Trek Troupe brought folktales to life right in the middle of one of our community’s beautiful parks. After the performance, the young actors spoke about feeling pride and joy in the energy and laughter of the audience,” said Terry LeCompte, founder and director of Community Stages.
According to officials with the city’s Cultural Arts division, the open mic poetry recital took place from 3:30 to 5 p.m. and showcased original works by student poets and professional spoken word artists featured in the “My Place, My Story: Art Park Literary and Poetry Book.”
“Wildly (re)Told: Stories for the Ages” at the Literary & Poetry Festival.
The traveling ensemble uses minimal props, with actors creating the
world of the story through movement and imagination.
[Photo Courtesy Terry LeCompte] 2026.
“The book features selected poems from North Central Florida poets and Marion County middle and high school students, who were invited to reflect on the places, memories and experiences that shape their sense of belonging, whether in physical spaces, feelings, people, a favorite corner of a home, a special spot in nature or even a secret garden,” the event recap noted.
Copies of “My Place, My Story” were available for free at the event and are available at the city of Ocala Cultural Arts Office at 201 SW 3rd St., 2nd floor, and at Marion County Public Library branches. The book also is accessible online for free through the Marion County Public Library’s Biblioboard platform at marionfl.biblioboard.com
the Art Park Literary & Poetry Festival at the Tuscawilla Art Park in Ocala,
Fla. on Saturday, April 11, 2026. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2026.
Participating poets in the festival included Alice Klaxton, Aryia Richner, Bonnie Riza Ramos, Christy House (performing a piece by Jennifer Hyde Dracos-Tice), Thomas Damon, Danielle Bryan, Frank B. Perdomo, George Naranjo, Holly Frost, Joewenna Yair, Jonathan Lithgow, Kathy Kuhns, Megan Moxon, Mica Garrett, Nikki Sterling, Raina, Shae, Tracy Lee Duffy, VW Vasquez and Rebecca Joy Ramdhan.
the Art Park Literary & Poetry Festival at the Tuscawilla Art Park in Ocala,
Fla. on Saturday, April 11, 2026. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2026.
Visitors were able to explore local and regional author showcases, food trucks, literary vendors, nonprofit organizations and interactive art-making activities for all ages, city officials noted.
To learn more, visit ocalafl.gov/poetryfest
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