Three local writers will read and discuss excerpts from their essays on the precarious beauty of North Central Florida that are included in a recently published anthology from the University of Florida (UF) Press, The Wilder Heart of Florida: More Writers Inspired by Florida Nature.
The event, co-sponsored by Our Santa Fe River and the Ichetucknee Alliance, will begin at 6:30pm on Nov. 4 at Rum 138, 2070 SW County Road 138, Fort White, Florida, northwest of Gainesville and High Springs.
The Wilder Heart of Florida is a collection of 34 original essays written by well-known and emerging writers, poets, and environmentalists from around the state. The book’s thematic focus on Florida’s varied and singular natural beauty—and the urgent need to protect and restore it—is a continuation of the 1999 classic, The Wild Heart of Florida, that was also published by UF Press.
Local writers reading from their essays at the event are Lucinda Faulkner Merritt, Lars Andersen, and Margaret Ross Tolbert. They will be joined by the book’s co-editor and Rollins College Environmental Studies Professor Leslie Kemp Poole, who will introduce the book and moderate the event. Copies of The Wilder Heart of Florida will be available for purchase, and each writer will sign copies after the readings and discussion have concluded.
The event is free and open to the public, and doors will open at 5:30pm. Masks are required, and Rum 138 follows all recommendations on social distancing and other public health guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Rum 138’s cafe will be open to purchase dinner as well as beer, wine, and nonalcoholic beverages. Copies of The Wilder Heart of Florida may be purchased between 6 and 6:30pm and after the reading.
For more information, contact David Vaina at david.vaina@gmail.com or 352.281.7132.