Fifth-generation Floridan and Author, Tyler Gillespie, is no stranger to weird, wacky and wonderful Florida. In his book, The Thing About Florida, Gillespie journeys beyond “Florida Man” headlines and unearths a new way of thinking and looking at the people and stories from the Sunshine State.
It was only natural that #FLORIDARAMA Book Club celebrated this new way of thinking and looking by choosing The Thing About Florida as our most recent book club pick. Tyler Gillespie sat down virtually and chatted with Keep St. Pete Lit’s Maureen McDole about his book, his life and all things Florida.
Reading The Thing About Florida just scratches the surface of all Gillespie’s adventures, and the surface of the real stories behind the Florida Man headlines. With a background in journalism, Gillespie ventured out to find the real people behind the illustrious headlines and what he found warranted a second thought on what we thought we knew about the people in our state. In The Thing About Florida, Gillespie shows us why the real stories of these people deserve our attention, and opens our eyes to problems that affect not just our state, but our country as a whole. While a woman is getting attention for dressing up her pet alligator, she’s really dealing with grief. Where cattle roam, a love story begins. For a recap of Gillespie’s adventures and experience, you can watch our Book Club meeting below.
In collaboration with Fairgrounds St. Pete, Keep St. Pete Lit and Tombolo Books, the #FLORDIARAMA Book Club celebrates all things weird, wacky and wonderful Florida. Keep St. Pete Lit celebrates and promotes greater St. Pete’s literary community – past, present and future – through arts, education and events with a literary twist. In honor of our partnership with Keep St. Lit, Fairgrounds St. Pete donates 100% of book club profits to support their ongoing efforts in St. Pete. In addition, we’re excited to support a local business by partnering with Tombolo Books to supply FLORIDARAMA Bookclub selected books.
Stay tuned for more happenings and events from Fairgrounds St. Pete by purchasing your membership and signing up for the Insiders Club today!
And, be sure to watch Tyler Gillespie interviewed on the Tampa Bay’s Morning Blend about The Thing About Florida, and promoting the #FLORIDARAMA Fairgrounds St. Pete Book Club!
To stay up to date with Keep St. Pete see what great work they’re doing in the community, check out https://keepstpetelit.org/