FORUM, the magazine of Florida Humanities, won 24 awards at the 2023 Florida Magazine Association Charlie Awards Gala on July 21 in Sarasota. The magazine received 10 first-place “Charlies,” eight silver and six bronze — including a Charlie for Best Overall: Writing and Best Writing: In-Depth Reporting. The awards recognized outstanding writing, design and photography achievements by Florida magazines in 2022. Congratulations to the entire FORUM team and all the

As a young civil rights activist in Florida in 1964, Bill Maxwell experienced danger, despair—and hope. By Bill Maxwell I was an 18-year-old, a second-semester college freshman in 1964, arguably the most pivotal year of the civil rights movement. Race issues dominated the news, and leaders such as the Rev. Martin Luther King of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Stokely Carmichael of the Student Nonviolent Committee had become household names.

A visionary plan has long safeguarded the island’s character and beauty. But can it inspire solutions for a changing climate? By Thomas T. Ankersen In October 2022, Hurricane Ian devastated Southwest Florida, including Sanibel Island, a popular vacation destination known for its low-key charm and natural beauty. On Sanibel, a 12-foot storm surge and 130 mph winds destroyed buildings, crumpled the only bridge to the island and tossed around homes,

Even after Hurricane Ian, novelist and trailer-park resident Robert Plunket finds much to love in this iconic Florida way of life. By Robert Plunket Yes, I live in a trailer park, but don’t tell anyone. The stigma still exists. No other type of housing has received such consistently bad press. You picture men in “wifebeater” T-shirts stumbling around holding cans of beer and yelling at weathered-looking women with cigarettes dangling

In a state known for exceptional writing, the Florida Book Awards honor the very best. Here’s a guide to its distinguished history, this year’s winners, authors’ favorite Florida classics—and more. Florida’s literary history is rich with names known far beyond the borders of the state: Ernest Hemingway, Zora Neale Hurston, Jack Kerouac, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, John D. MacDonald— to name only a few. In 2006, Florida State

At 71, the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright agreed to design a little Central Florida college. The rest is architectural history. By Robert Plunket The first time I visited the Frank Lloyd Wright campus of Florida Southern College in Lakeland, I had a déjà vu feeling. Had I been here before? Why was it speaking so strongly to me? Then, as clouds rolled over the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel and a very

In Search of New Foods, David Fairchild Changed the Way America Ate. Read more in FORUM Magazine.

A food writer spotlights seven icons of Florida dining across the state.

Mangoes. One day you love them, the next you don’t. Sounds ludicrous. I mean, who wouldn’t love this sweet and tangy fruit till death do you part?

Today visitors flock to this Pinellas County city to stroll down Dodecanese Boulevard along the Anclote River waterfront and sample fresh seafood and authentic Greek fare.