“The State You’re In” with author Craig Pittman

In his latest book, The State You’re In: Florida Men, Florida Women, and Other Wildlife, award-winning author Craig Pittman draws on his work over 30 years in journalism to celebrate our state’s glorious weirdness with his trademark perception and wit. Some topics fit right in with the History Center’s current “World of Mythic Creatures” exhibition, as Pittman introduces readers to a Florida creature of myth that turned out to be real and a group of real people who dress up as mythic creatures, along with other, varied tales about life in Florida. From a ballpark organist ejected for his song selection to the violent history of a cowtown told through its rodeo, Pittman will paint a multifaceted portrait of what it’s like to live in what ought to be declared “The Most Interesting State.” A native Floridian, Craig Pittman won numerous state and national awards for his environmental reporting during 30 years at the Tampa Bay Times. His six books include the New York Times bestseller Oh, Florida! How America’s Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country. In 2020 the Florida Heritage Book Festival named him a Florida Literary Legend. Funding for this program is provided in part through a Florida Humanities Community Project Grant in partnership with the Historical Society of Central Florida.