Florida authors Kristen Arnett and Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya to host 'Big Gay Book Party' in St. Pete
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Arnett and Upadhyaya on Lake Virginia in Winter Park. Photo: Courtesy of Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya
Florida authors Kristen Arnett and Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya have visited Tampa Bay enough to have a favorite spot: The Dog Bar in St. Petersburg, where their French bulldog, Lola, seems to have boundless energy, even at 13.
Driving the news: The couple, who got engaged last Christmas and live in Orlando, are coming to town again this weekend for a "Big Gay Book Party" happy hour event at the St. Pete bookstore-wine bar Book + Bottle.
Why it matters: As Florida has become increasingly hostile to LGBTQ+ people, Arnett and Upadhyaya have used their platforms to foster queer community, like this weekend's event, and show that the Sunshine State is more than the politics of its leaders.
- "The Florida in me wants you to know that I'm not giving up," Arnett wrote in a recent essay for Time about planning her and Upadhyaya's wedding. "We're here, we're queer, and we're not leaving."
State of play: Arnett is a native who hasn't spent more than seven months outside the state. Her two novels, "Mostly Dead Things" and "With Teeth," are set in Florida, and her soon-to-be third novel, "Clown," will be, too.
- Upadhyaya, author of the queer horror novelette "Helen House," moved to the Sunshine State to be with Arnett.
- She was in town shopping for her wedding dress when she stopped by Book + Bottle and started chatting with employees, which led to talk of an event. "I think right away that name, 'Big Gay Book Party' was floated, and I was like, 'Sold,'" Upadhyaya told Axios.
Worthy of your time: Axios asked the authors a few questions ahead of their Tampa Bay visit. Questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity.
You have made a point of saying, "We're here, we're queer, and we're not leaving." Why is that message important right now?
Arnett: I've been trying to be mindful of the fact that, if this is a place that I write about, and it's something that I'm using for my art, then I need to be very present and live here and be part of things going on. That means I have to engage with the parts that are really hard or stressful.
- I do love Florida in the way that someone might say they love family, right? Messy and sometimes deeply problematic. It can be harmful but also a space that I love. That means continuing to work on it, and being here feels important.
Upadhyaya: It's funny how defensive I have become just as a newer person — not defending the horrible stuff that's happening here, but more so trying to explain to people that it's not a monolith.
- There's something so different and so special about the queer community that I've found here, where I do think it is kind of like this survival mentality of just like, "We have to be there for each other."
What's the importance of creating queer-friendly spaces like this weekend's event?
Arnett: I made a point early on that every time I talked about being a writer, I'm not even going to just say I'm a writer, I'm going say I'm a queer writer, and I'm a queer Florida writer.
- So saying something's queer, saying that I'm queer, and that I'm going to be attached to it, feels like an invitation to other people to feel like they can be in that space and be queer, too.
Kayla, as a relative newcomer, what surprised you about Florida?
Upadhyaya: Everything. I don't think there was anything that could have possibly prepared me to live here, other than her (Arnett's) books. I've never been this immersed in wildlife.
Arnett: There's two owls that are living right outside. We've named them Pinto Bean and Cannellini.
Did you find a wedding dress?
Upadhyaya: I did (at Devi Indian Bridal Boutique in Tampa). The third one I tried on.