Home in Florida
“Shimmering and sharp, lush with laughter and lament, this multifaceted Latinx love letter to Florida reveals worlds within worlds. It teaches readers ‘how’ for us, in the words of one contributor, ‘it’s possible to dance and cry at the same time.’ Indispensable.”
—Joy Castro, author of Island of Bones: Essays
Home in Florida: Latinx Writers and the Literature of Uprootedness gathers writers from Florida's Latinx population, both established and new, in a multi-genre anthology featuring the works of inaugural poet Richard Blanco, Hemingway Fiction Award finalist Patricia Engel, Pushcart Prize winner Jaquira Diaz, and more.
In this groundbreaking literary achievement, writers explore what exactly makes Florida home for those struggling between memory and presence in what editor Anjanette Delgado calls the spectrum of belonging. Together, these writers—first- , second- , and third-generation immigrants to Florida from Cuba, Mexico, Honduras, Perú, Argentina, Chile, and other countries— reflect the diversity of Latinx experiences across the state of Florida, the place where the uprooted stop to catch their breath long enough to wonder, “What if I stayed? What if here could one day be my home?”
By thoughtfully gathering the experiences of displaced and native Latinx writers across the states, by including stories and experiences across age, gender, class, and ethnic background spectrums, and by making sure to include writers from several generations and a variety of Florida cities, Home in Florida: Latinx Writers and the Literature of Uprootedness is a great book for teaching more than a few disciplines while also inspiring students via three-dimensional storylines and multiple genres.
This resource guide suggests ways that pieces in this anthology may be combined to support a curriculum in several different areas of study.
