Associate Professor Gianna Russo To Pen Poem For Tampa Mayor’s State Of City
The Saint Leo University faculty member was asked by Tampa Mayor Jane Castor to write a poem for her April 28 address.
Poet, editor, author, and associate professor Gianna Russo is writing “a love letter” to her city. The Saint Leo University faculty member was asked by Tampa Mayor Jane Castor to write and perform a new poem for the 2025 State of the City address, which Castor will deliver on Monday, April 28.
Castor was re-elected to her second term as mayor in 2023. A supporter of improving residents’ quality of life through the enrichment of the arts, Castor named Russo the city of Tampa's first Wordsmith in 2020. The two-year appointment was an outgrowth of Castor’s plan to bring more arts programs, workshops, and artists into city neighborhoods.
Russo is a Tampa native and third generation Floridian, and in 2011, she joined the faculty at Saint Leo, where she now is an associate professor of English and creative writing in the undergraduate and graduate programs, and is the editor of the university's literary and arts review magazine, Sandhill Review.
An anthology that also examines Tampa is Chasing Light, which Russo edited. She contributed the forward and a poem to the work, which includes poems from authors who were inspired by specific black-and-white photographs from a collection of works by Tampa's leading commercial photographic firm from 1917 to the early 1960s, the Burgert Brothers Inc. Russo collaborated on the project with the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library, which now owns the images.
To find out more about Russo, her love of her hometown, her writing process, and more, read the question-and-answers below.
Q&A with Gianna Russo
Q: What can you say about being selected to write and perform a poem at the 2025 State of the City address?
A: It’s a huge honor. When I served as Wordsmith for the city, (2020-2022), I wrote several poems for community projects. Then I was asked to write and read a poem for the mayor’s second inauguration. That poem is called Glorious. That occasion and this upcoming one are certainly crowning events for me as a native and lifelong resident of Tampa, and, of course, as a poet.
Q: Do you consider this a love letter to Tampa?
A: Absolutely! I love that concept. The themes for the mayor’s speech are “resilience, rising up from the storm (2024 hurricane season), and the rise/growth of our city.” This is a poem that acknowledges how our community comes together to rise above adversity.
Q: How do you go about writing a poem? Is this one different?
A: Generating occasional poems [those written for specific occasions] is definitely different than writing those that arise more organically. I have to think about the moment and the audience in a more inclusive way than I otherwise might.
To write, I typically cast about for a “trigger” that will get me brainstorming and freewriting — that might be a word, a phrase, an image, a piece of music, an experience or a memory. For this poem, I am looking over some of the events and images of the past year to be my triggers.
Q: You are a third-generation Tampanian. How are your roots woven in the city?
A: I and my family have probably had some kind of firsthand experience in every corner of this city. We’ve watched people, ideas, structures and even whole communities come and go. For example, the little town where my mom grew up, Gary, was decades ago subsumed into Ybor City. Most people have never even heard of Gary. But I spent many days in my childhood there.
Over my lifetime, I’ve witnessed Tampa rise from a rough-and-tumble, multicultural, but segregated town to the vibrant, inviting international city it is today. It’s been thrilling to be a part of Tampa’s maturation and successes.
Q: What are your favorite parts of and things about Tampa?
A: These days, I love the Riverwalk. It is truly the heart of Tampa, and I think it is our signature space. I remember many decades of talk about transforming the industrial banks of the river into an exciting public space that everyone could enjoy. Now we have that, and it is a huge draw for residents and visitors. I love that I’ve been here to watch it come to fruition.
Q: Do you have a favorite place to write?
A: I love to write in class with my students. I set a timer, and we just free write for a few minutes with no expectations. It’s fun! They and I are often surprised by what makes it onto the page.
Q: What are you reading now?
A: My book club and I recently finished our 200th book — James, by Percival Everett. It is the story of the enslaved person, Jim, from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. But Jim, who prefers to be called “James,” tells his own story of escaping enslavement and floating down the river with Huck. It is an adventure story and a thriller, and I recommend it to everyone, even if you haven’t read “Huck Finn.”
As for poetry, I am sampling works from Chameleon Chimera: An Anthology of Florida Poets, a new anthology that just came out last year and was edited by Saint Leo alumna and English major Madison Whatley [Class of 2020]. It’s a terrific collection of poems by dozens of well-known poets living in Florida right now. Way to go, Madison! I’m loving it!
State of the City
The event will be held at 11 a.m., Monday, April 28, and it can be viewed live at the City of Tampa YouTube page.