“Fernando’s Footsteps” Lector Reading

The Ybor City Museum Society, in partnership with J.C. Newman Company, is hosting a Fernando’s Footsteps Lector Reading as the first of a four-part series und by a Florida Humanities Community Project Grant. Fernando’s Footsteps is a historical work of fiction by Tampa native, Tony Carreño, that follows the path of an 18-year-old Spaniard named Fernando, who immigrates to Tampa via Cuban in 1900 at the age of 18. Carreño’s story follow’s his path as he arrives in Ybor City to pursue the “American Dream”, becomes part of the cigar industry, marries and has a family, and integrates into the local community. This work serves as the inspiration and basis for a new exhibit entitled “Following Fernando’s Footsteps: A Tale of Tampa’s Invisible Immigrants” that will open November 10 at the Ybor City Museum State Park and will be on display through much of 2023. The iconic “lectores”, or readers, were an integral part of cigar factories in their early days. This event will take place in the last operating cigar factory in Tampa. Cigar rollers will be in place and making cigars by hand during the Lector Reading.