At 1 p.m. Saturday, May 14, the Jacksonville Public Library will host Florida author Craig Pittman for the next installment of the Lit Chat series. Jaxson cofounder Bill Delaney will play interviewer for a chat about the weirdness of Florida and Pittman’s career as an author and journalist. The event will be held at the Beaches Branch Library in Neptune Beach and is sponsored by the Friends of the Beaches Branch Library. A book signing will follow the event, which will also be streamed live on Zoom; click here to register to come to the live event or watch on Zoom.
Craig Pittman is a native Floridian, an author, a podcaster and an award-winning environmental reporter. Born in Pensacola, he graduated from Troy State University in Alabama, where his muckraking work for the student paper prompted an agitated dean to label him “the most destructive force on campus.” In 31 years at the Tampa Bay Times, Pittman covered a variety of beats and several natural disasters, including wildfires, hurricanes and the Florida Legislature. He now writes a weekly column for the Florida Phoenix and is co-host of the popular podcast “Welcome to Florida.”
Pittman is the author of six non-fiction books about Florida, including the New York Times bestseller Oh, Florida: How America’s Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country and Cat Tale: The Wild Weird Battle to Save the Florida Panther, which Garden & Gun magazine named one of the 20 best books of 2020. His most recent one, published in September 2021, is The State You’re In: Florida Men, Florida Women, and Other Wildlife. “If you love living in Florida, and love to be annoyed at ‘Florida Man’, you will definitely want to check out our upcoming Lit Chat with New York Times bestselling author Craig Pittman,” said the Jacksonville Public Library in a press release.
Interviewer Bill Delaney is a writer, editor and higher education professional from Jacksonville whose work focuses on the culture and history of the First Coast. Delaney is the author of the book Secret Jacksonville: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure, and is co-owner and editor of the publications Modern Cities, TheJaxsonMag.com and Edible Northeast Florida Magazine. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from the University of North Florida.
Check here for more events by The Jaxson and our partners, including the upcoming Secret Jacksonville walking tour on Saturday, May 28.