Orange Blossom Award: The Architect of Reading Circles

by Avery Anderson

Today’s Orange Blossom Award goes to someone whose work rarely draws attention, yet hundreds of St. Pete readers feel its ripple effects every single month — whether they realize it or not.

Before most book clubs at Tombolo Books ever meet, before the emails go out or the chairs get arranged or the reading list quietly nudges someone toward their next favorite author, Serena Utz has already been at work.

Her job title — Book Club Coordinator — doesn’t begin to cover it. What she really manages are ecosystems: ten separate clubs running year-round, each with their own rhythms, personalities, and devoted followings. They meet in cozy corners, in back rooms, in borrowed spaces around the city. And somewhere behind them all is the person making sure it feels effortless.

Tombolo owner Alsace Walentine puts it plainly:
“Serena creates welcoming spaces for new members and is always thinking of ways to support reading communities. Serena's behind-the scenes work helps people reach their reading goals and more importantly helps create spaces where people make lasting friendships.”

Serena arrived at Tombolo during the pandemic, working part-time while also serving as a literacy coach. She started by hosting a couple of clubs. But as demand swelled — more people reading, more people craving connection when the world felt unsteady — she became the store’s very first dedicated book club coordinator. She now handles everything from reading suggestions to booking meeting dates to placing orders to the occasional themed party, all while keeping ten clubs moving in sync.

If that sounds administrative, it isn’t. It’s hospitality. It’s cultural stewardship. It’s tending to the invisible scaffolding that keeps a city’s literary life alive.

And because one community isn’t enough for her, Serena also runs Trust Your Gut, her sourdough baking business that has become its own small hub of ritual and joy. It’s fitting: whether she’s nurturing a starter or nurturing a room full of readers, her work is about creating something that rises.

In a city where book clubs have become a lifeline — for connection, for curiosity, for the simple pleasure of gathering — Serena has quietly become one of the people making that possible.

Today, we honor the person behind the reminders, the reading lists, the logistics, and the laughter that bubbles up around shared stories. The person helping St. Pete read together, think together, and grow together.

The Orange Blossom Awards exist for moments like this: the steady, unglamorous work that strengthens the creative fabric around us.
Today, that honor belongs to Serena Utz.

A month-long series from The Arts Passport celebrating the people and organizations whose quiet, steady work strengthens Tampa Bay’s arts ecosystem. No applications. No campaigning. Just community-driven recognition, released daily in December.