Creative Loafing Welcomes New A&E Editor

Creative Loafing, Tampa Bay's alternative newsweekly, announced the hiring of a new Arts & Entertainment Editor today. Cathy Salustri, a frequent contributor to CL, was a longtime senior writer at the Gabber Newspaper in Gulfport, and has written for USA Today, Visit Florida, regional magazines and local press. Over the past year she has finished two books, created programming for the Gulfport Historical Society, and spoken across the state about Florida history and culture.

"I am thrilled to have Cathy join our edit team," said CL Editor-in-Chief David Warner. "Her strong story-telling skills and delightful sense of humor are already familiar to CL readers, and I look forward to being able to tap into her breadth of knowledge and endless curiosity as CL continues to set the standard for arts and culture coverage in Tampa Bay."

"I'm elated to join the Creative Loafing editorial team," said Salustri. "No other Tampa Bay publication, in print or online, does what CL does. I can't wait to bring Tampa Bay's stories to our readers as we explore the area's arts and culture."

As A&E Editor, Salustri will oversee CL's comprehensive arts and culture content, including features, reviews, listings and special issues, in print and online at cltampa.com/arts. She'll work with CL's award-winning writers to report on theater, dance, visual art, books, movies, media and more, and to illuminate the life and work of local artists.

Salustri studied radio and television broadcasting as an undergraduate, earning a BA in Communications from the University of Tampa. She also has an MLA in Florida Studies from the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. As a graduate student Cathy studied Florida history and culture under Drs. Gary Mormino and Ray Arsenault. Her research focused on the WPA's Federal Writer's Project Guide to the Southernmost State. Under the guidance of Gary Mormino, she traveled almost 5,000 miles retracing these depression-era Florida tours and chronicling the people and places she discovered along the roadway. She is currently under contract with the University Press of Florida for a travel narrative about her experiences, expected out in fall 2016.

Salustri is a frequent lecturer at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Eckerd College. She teaches digital photography courses at OLLI, local community centers, and at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve. Her non-writing resume includes giving tours at Walt Disney World, ground crew for an aerial banner towing company, kayak tour guide, sailboat crew, and stage managing local productions.

Salustri begins as A&E Editor on Dec. 30.

Creative Loafing is an award-winning alternative, weekly newspaper and website committed to providing Tampa Bay with an independent perspective, up-to-the-minute local news, and a comprehensive listing of local happenings. Creative Loafing offers readers' unique monthly events and CL Deals, a locally focused platform featuring dining and event experiences at half-off their regular price. For more information about Creative Loafing, visit cltampa.com and cldeals.com.

Formed in 2007, Southcomm Inc. is the nation's second-largest publisher of alternative weeklies, one of the largest publishing companies serving chambers of commerce, and with the Cygnus Business Media purchase in 2014, a significant player in the B2B publishing world. The Nashville-based company now owns more than 30 titles reaching millions of B2B professionals and consumers annually, via its diverse suite of print, digital, online and live-event products. The company has offices in Nashville, Tenn.; Fort Atkinson, Wis.; Atlanta; Washington, D.C.; Louisville, Ky.; Kansas City, Mo.; Cincinnati; Tampa, Fla.; Arlington Heights, Ill.; and Florence, Ky. For more information, visit southcomm.com.

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