2025 Artists – Word of South

Sophia Papuchis

admin — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 20:03:47 +0000

Sophia Papuchis is a vibrant, young teenage girl with a diverse range of passions and talents. She is an accomplished ballet dancer, dedicating months of preparation to her favorite production, The Nutcracker. She also enjoys playing piano and has a creative flair for hand crocheting. As one of five children, she cherishes family time and loves exploring new places through travel. Sophia’s adventurous spirit extends to her love for the beach and meeting new friends through pageantry.
Demonstrating remarkable compassion at a young age, Sophiabecame involved with her family’s non-profit, The 7 Hearts Project,and soon branched off to create her very own, Sophia’s Hands, which concentrates on giving back in a meaningful way to children in her community. With her unique differences she loves to share the message that we should all celebrate and love one another.

Seminole Vibes

admin — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 14:42:20 +0000

Seminole Vibes is a new Neo-Soul/Modern music group from the world-renowned Florida State University’s College of Music. Composed of talented musicians from their Jazz and Commercial Music programs, Seminole Vibes combines smooth, soulful melodies with bursts of pop overtones. The band is led by drummer Lawrence Turner and features vocalist Sarah Langdon, Pianist Ethan Broome, bassist Josh Dennis, along with saxophone players Harrison Rook and Robert Langdon.

Seminole Vibes is the winner, two years in a row, of an FSU College of Music internal competition. What do they get? Bragging rights and a spot at Word of South! We’re excited to welcome this group of vibrant musicians back to Word of South!

Skip Horack

admin — Sat, 22 Mar 2025 01:17:28 +0000

Skip Horack is author of the story collection The Southern Cross, as well as the novels The Eden Hunter and The Other Joseph. His novel Angelfish is forthcoming in spring 2028, and his fiction and nonfiction have appeared in numerous journals and magazines. He is currently director of the Creative Writing Program at Florida State [...]

Shonda Knight

admin — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 19:50:06 +0000

Shonda Knight is the visionary author and founder behind My OmniBooks, a joyful collection of children’s board books that help little readers see themselves and believe they can be anything. Drawing from her years as a television journalist and storyteller, Shonda uses her platform to uplift, educate, and inspire the next generation through positive representation and purpose-driven creativity.

Her first title, My OmniLocks, celebrates the beauty and versatility of ethnic hair, building confidence in young girls everywhere. The success of My OmniLocks led to the expansion of the brand, which now includes My OmniLife: I Can Be Anything! for boys – both designed with a unique photo insert feature that lets children literally see themselves in every story.

Rooted in faith, family, and purpose, Shonda’s mission is simple: to empower every child to embrace their God-given gifts, walk boldly in who they are, and dream without limits. Through My Omnibooks, she continues to turn affirmations into adventures and representation into reality.

Shonda Knight will be sharing her book as part of Literacy Lane. You can find her website: https://myomnibooks.com/

Chucha Barber

admin — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 19:48:33 +0000

Oscar The Oyster and Rusty The Redfish it is the first book for Chucha Barber. It was inspired by the making of UNFILTERED: The Truth About Oysters which is currently streaming on PBS Passport.

Chucha owns and operates Chucha Barber Productions, which creates television programs and documentary films. Chucha has been creating films for more than 30 years on topics as diverse as art, paleontology, high-profile murders and auto racing. She is a past chair and one of the founders of the Tallahassee Film Festival.

Chucha’s work as a producer has earned Emmy Awards, a Girl Scouts of America Women of Distinction Award, Gracie Awards from the Alliance for Women in Media and additional recognition.

Chucha’s influence and interest extends beyond filmmaking. Appointed by a former Florida governor as a Commissioner of Volunteer Florida, Chucha is a past chair of the Volunteer Florida Foundation. She has served as a board member of the Leon County Tourist Development Council, instructed students as a guest lecturer at Florida State University, co-chaired the Tallahassee Heart Ball, and founded the Florida Wine Festival. Chucha will be sharing Oscar the Oyster and Rusty the Redfish Saturday April 5 as part of Word of South’s Literacy Lane.

Jess Bravin

admin — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 13:12:55 +0000

Jess Bravin covers the U.S. Supreme Court for The Wall Street Journal, following earlier postings as United Nations correspondent and editor of the WSJ/California weekly. His books include The Terror Courts, an account of military trials at Guantanamo Bay, and Squeaky: The Life and Times of Lynette Alice Fromme, along with contributions to Violence in America: An Encyclopedia, Crimes of War 2.0 and A Concise Introduction to Logic (2nd ed.). A regent emeritus of the University of California, Mr. Bravin has delivered the John Field Simms Sr. Memorial Lecture in Law at the University of New Mexico, served on the Berkeley, Calif., Police Review Commission, and taught at the UC Washington Center. He is a graduate of Harvard College and holds a law degree from UC Berkeley. He’ll be appearing at Word of South with the author and journalist Mollie Hemingway and singer/songwriter Del Suggs.

Ajibola Tolase

admin — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 01:48:26 +0000

Ajibola Tolase is a Nigerian poet and essayist. He is the author of 2000 Blacks, winner of the 2024 Cave Canem Poetry Prize. His writing has appeared in LitHub, New England Review, Prairie Schooner, Poetry, and elsewhere. He is a former Wallace Stegner fellow at Stanford University and has received a creative writing grant from the Elizabeth George Foundation. He is the 2023-2024 Olive B. O’Connor Fellow in Poetry at Colgate University. He is the author of 2000 Blacks, winner of the 2024 Cave Canem Poetry Prize. He teaches at the University of South Florida, and will be appearing at Word of South as part of our panel of Florida Book Award fiction and poetry winners.

BJ the Chicago Kid

admin — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 01:46:50 +0000

Grammy-nominated R&B soul singer and songwriter BJ the Chicago Kid, born Bryan Sledge, hails from Chicago, Illinois. With gospel-soaked vocals, BJ first touched hearts with his debut independent album Pineapple Now-Laters. His career continued with his appearance on SchoolBoy Q’s Grammy award-winning single “Studio” and released his fourth mixtape, The M.A.F.E. Project, which included rap assists from Q, Gibbs, and Smoke DZA. In 2016, BJ released his impressive major-label debut, In My Mind, which earned the son of the Windy City three Grammy nominations, including Best R&B album.

Across his career, BJ’s soul-stirring talent has garnered everything from cosigns and collaborations with Kanye West, Chance The Rapper, Kendrick Lamar, Solange, and Eric Bellinger. Forgot Your Name continued to accelerate BJ’s success. BJ the Chicago Kid will be joining us at Word of South as part of the Plaza Fest Saturday April 5.

Mollie Hemingway

admin — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 01:44:00 +0000

Mollie Ziegler Hemingway provides unique and thoughtful reporting and analysis of American politics and culture. She helped launch and is Editor-in-Chief of The Federalist, which has become one of the most influential voices in politics and has millions of readers. She is a Senior Journalism Fellow at Hillsdale College where she teaches journalism. A Fox News contributor, she is a regular member of the Fox News All-Stars panel on “Special Report with Bret Baier.” She has been profiled in the New York Times and her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, Claremont Review of Books, and Christianity Today. Mollie was a 2004 recipient of a Phillips Foundation Journalism Fellowship and a 2014 Lincoln Fellow of the Claremont Institute. In 2021, her distinguished reporting and commentary earned her the prestigious Bradley Prize, awarded for extraordinary contributions to American scholarship and debate, and in 2019, recognizing her “journalistic integrity and willingness to stand alone beside the truth,” the Heritage Foundation conferred on her its Salvatori Prize for American Citizenship. Hemingway holds an honorary doctorate from Concordia Theological Seminary. She is the co-author of the #1 national best seller “Justice On Trial: The Kavanaugh Confirmation and the Future of the Supreme Court” and the author of “Rigged: How the Media, Big Tech, and the Democrats Seized Our Elections.” She’ll be appearing at this year’s Word of South with the journalist and author Jess Bravin and the singer/songwriter Del Suggs.

Rachel Hillman

admin — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 16:27:23 +0000

Rachel Hillman is a Tallahassee-based guitarist, songwriter, and orchestra teacher who weaves intricate narratives of place and identity. Her sound blends folk roots with South Florida scenery, Spanglish and jazz and soul influences, creating an atmosphere that feels both grounded and otherworldly. On stage, she’s known for her easy grooves, slips and slides on the Bigsby of her red Gretsch, and a jazz informed, structured songwriting voice. Offstage, Rachel mentors young musicians, gardens and dreams up zines and botanical designs. Whether performing or teaching, she’s always guiding listeners and students toward a shared sense of curiosity and connection.

We’re excited to welcome Rachel back to Word of South, where she will appear on the Ology Troubadours stage!