Florida Spectacular

Send us your Florida questions!

Today "The Florida Spectacular" welcomes Jim Ross, Florida author and the managing editor of the Ocala Star Banner. Jim edited and contributed to In Season: Stories of Discovery, Loss, Home, and Places in Between (University Press of Florida, 2018.

Get the book here.

Find Jim on Twitter, Facebook, or at [email protected].

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

Meet William McKeen, who shows us the bookish history of Key West in his book, Mile Marker Zero. He's written a bunch of other stuff, too:  Everybody Had an Ocean, a nonfiction narrative; Asshole: A Memoir, a blog; Homegrown in Florida, an anthology; Outlaw Journalist, a biography; Highway 61, a memoir; and Rock and Roll is Here to Stay, an anthology. He lives in Boston but we love this book enough that we'll forgive him. He's written nine books, two more than he has children.  

williammckeen.com

Twitter & Insta: @wmckeen

Facebook: William McKeen

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

When the Florida bug bites you, you'll know. Andrew Furman, this week's guest on The Florida Spectacular, knows. Andrew Furman wrote the novel Jewfish (Little Curlew Press, 2020.) He teaches at Florida Atlantic University's Creative Writing MFA program, and his nonfiction work, Bitten: My Unexpected Love Affair with Florida talks about falling in love with Florida. 

Another one of Andrew's books discussed on the podcast was, Goldens Are Here (Green Writers Press, 2018).

Follow Andrew online, on Instagram and on Facebook.

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

Tyler Gillespie joins the podcast this week to talk about his new book, The Thing About Florida (UPF, April 2021), growing up in Florida as a gay Christian, and other Florida stories (including how lucky he feels to be Floridian.)

To learn more about Tyler's book and his upcoming speaking events, visit his website.

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

Scott Deitche talks about the Tampa mafia and some of the key players. He also talks about what made the mafia in Florida a bit different than in the rest of the country.

Join Scott on the Tampa Mafia Tours at tampamafia.com.

scottdeitche.com

facebook.com/Scott-M-Deitche-Author-211094778568

twitter.com/Scottyyz

instagram.com/scottdeitche/

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

Mary Szaroleta, director of OLLI at Eckerd, joins the podcast to talk about the Explore Florida program at Eckerd, which is open to anyone, as well as her favorite Florida places, and what it's like being the daughter of a Weeki Wachee mermaid. 

Learn more about OLLI at Eckerd's Explore Florida program and their all-access Zoom pass at eckerd.edu/olli.

If you want to try out an Explore Florida class for free, email [email protected] for more information. 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

Today, Amanda Hagood talks about Cli-Fi, which stands for Climate Fiction. She talks about why these books are gaining momentum, and offers some examples you have to add to your nightstand.

Links from the podcast:

Orange World and Other Stories, by Karen Russell

Florida, by Lauren Groff

Mr. Eternity, by Aron Thier

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

Today, Florida writer Nikesha Williams joins us to talk about how her fiction writing career morphed into a full-time publishing career. Her press focuses on "publishing great writers who weave compelling narratives that intrigue, foster great conversation and debate, and urge people to action" much like Nikesha's first book, Four Women, did. 

At the end of the podcast, we talk about American Beach and what it means for the Black community – and Florida's history.

Links we mentioned:

Four Women: newreadspub.com/books/four-women

Nikesha's website: newwrites.com

Nikesha's publishing website: newreadspub.com

The Spirits of American Beach: bittersoutherner.com/2020/the-spirits-of-american-beach-florida

Beans and Rice: bittersoutherner.com/southern-perspective/2020/beans-and-rice-more-than-a-poor-mans-meal

Ax Handle Saturday: bittersoutherner.com/southern-perspective/2020/ax-handle-saturday-60th-anniversary-jacksonville-florida-civil-rights

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

Jon Kile talks about RVing through Florida with his kids and wife, and how his travels in a Dodge Ram turned Florida travel into a way of life for his family. 

dontmakemeturnthisvanaround.com

The Grandfather Clock by Jon Kile

VEDS

Fort De Soto Campground

Chassahowitzka River Campground

Suwannee River State Park Campground

John Pennekamp State Park

Bahia Honda State Park

Long Key State Park

The Key Marco Cat

Goodland, Florida

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

This week we talk to Jono Miller, who has written a delightful book about the cabbage palm. Join us as we talk about mob stories and cabbage palms, conquistadors and cabbage palms, and the war between the states (no, not that one) to get the cabbage palm as the official tree.

You can pre-order Jono's book from the University Press of Florida. 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!