Setting the stage: The early Spanish Period in Florida 1565–1763
By Judith A. Bense Featured image above: An artist’s rendering of the landing of Don Tristan de Luna at present-day Pensacola in 1559. Florida was home for thousands of years to Indigenous people who hunted, fished, and raised crops and their families along its waterways. Evidence of their communities are preserved at Crystal River near Homosassa, Lake Jackson Mounds in Tallahassee, and the Bickel Mound Site near Bradenton. But the
Judi’s Journey
Through bitter times and sweet, this transplanted Floridian finds recipe for happiness in culinary traditions By Dalia Colón Featured image above: Chef Judi Gallagher educated herself on the food and growing seasons of Florida when she moved to Sarasota from New England two decades ago. Today, she is a regular presence demonstrating recipes and offering cooking tips on Tampa Bay’s NBC affiliate. Judi Gallagher was 6 when she got an
Commemorating July 17, 1821
With the 200th anniversary of Florida’s passing from Spanish to American possession, Pensacola celebrates its important role —with a look back at the people there that day. By Margo S. Stringfield Featured image above: As part of the bicentennial commemoration-day festivities on July 16–17, this reproduction keel boat will be anchored in Pensacola. Reenactors will tell the story of how important the vessels were in the years around 1821 in
10 Works that are “not to be missed”
By Dulce Román Harn Museum of Art Chief Curator and Curator of Modern Art, curator of A Florida Legacy: Gift of Samuel H. and Roberta T. Vickers. All photographs are courtesy of the Florida art collection, gift of Samuel H. And Roberta T. Vickers, Harn Museum of Art. Photography by Randy Batista. Thomas Moran (American, 1837–1926) Fort George Island, 1880 Oil on canvas 11 x 15 in. Thomas Moran became
The art of picturing Florida
How Samuel and Roberta Vickers’ transformative gift could change how generations envision our state By Jacki Levine Samuel Vickers laughs as he recounts the day his wife, Roberta, better known as Robbie, took one particular painting down from the art-filled walls of their riverside Jacksonville home and motored it over to the nearby Bolles School. Not unusual for Robbie, who regularly carted off watercolors, oils and drawings to show the
Poetry Without Pause
Be it from a live stage or a virtual one, nothing stops winner Flavia Nunez and her fellow young orators from raising their voices out loud By Elizabeth Djinis In the opening shot, Flavia Nunez stands in her family’s living room. Behind her, baby portraits of Flavia and her siblings deck the tan-colored walls above the television and couch. Flavia, dressed in a white cardigan and a red skirt, introduces
2020 Florida Book Awards Winners by Category
Submissions for the 2020 awards were read by juries of two to three members, each nominated from across the state by co-sponsoring organizations. Jurors are authorized to select up to three medalists (including one gold winner, one silver runner-up and one bronze medalist) in each of the 11 categories; jurors are also authorized to make no selections in a given year.
One for the books
Florida Book Award winners talk about inspiration, our state, and publishing in a pandemic By Colette Bancroft Featured image: “This book was inspired by one of the patients in my therapy practice from many years ago. She was one of my favorites, but I only knew her as a young child. I wanted to sit with her as she grew up, became a teenager, fell in love, etc..” – Stacie
A woman of influence who helped those in need
Eartha White
Humanitarian, educator, philanthropist (Jacksonville)
Years: 1876–1974
A progressive publisher pushed for justice
Lillian Carlisle West
Real estate, development, promotion (Miami)
Years: 1884–1970
