More than 70 writers, poets, visual artists and musicians are headed to Ybor City this weekend. Spanning six stages in the city, Deep Carnivale: A Celebration of Words will feature presentations and speeches by this collection of creators.

The second-annual event is organized by the Artists and Writers Group Inc. and hosted by the Hillsborough Community College Ybor City Campus.

“The setting for the event will give the public a sense of history in this beautiful part of the city. The brick-paved streets and greenery offer a relaxed setting for families to spend the day soaking up the Ybor culture,” said David Audet, director of Artists and Writers Group Inc. and special projects manager of HCC-Ybor.

The event aims to provide an opportunity for the community to interact with local writers in the Tampa area.

“Instead of having major names come in and steal the show, we are trying to give all of the upcoming names in the industry the same chance for exposure,” said Audet.

Deep Carnivale will cater to all age groups. The Ybor room on HCC’s campus will host “supervised literacy reading and arts activities” for children ages 2 to 12, as described on the event’s Web site. Young adult authors will have various readings, and mature content will be restricted to the basement of the historic Cuban Club Cantina.

“Deep Carnivale will host some unusual and creative work, but we don’t aim to censor anyone,” Audet said. “All we require is respect — that’s why we’ve separated the adult themes this year in a coffee house-like ambiance. There will be live music, projections and visual art.”

Live music will be a major component of the event, including acts throughout the day by original-Americana singer/songwriters in unison with displays of visual arts.

Audet said one thing that separates Carnivale from similar events is a feature called the “Authors’ Table,” where the public can hang out with the authors. This feature is an alternative to a formal autograph-signing atmosphere.

“This is an opportunity for aspiring writers to mingle with people in their field and get some exposure,” he said.

Several USF students, alumni and professors will perform in different mediums and genres.

Mary C. Madden, an English adjunct instructor, will perform original poetry.

“I have been encouraging my students to attend so they can really get to know the artistic community in Tampa,” she said. “This is an event that the whole community can benefit from — whether it’s a student in the field or those that love the arts there’s sure to be something of interest to everyone.”

The event will also feature writers’ workshops, which will include information on how to get published.

Deep Carnivale takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Cuban Club and along 14th Street between Palm Avenue and 9th Avenue in Ybor City. The event is free to the public, but some workshops have an attendance cost of $10-$20. For more information, visit the event’s Web site at deepcarnivale.com.