Hit the books with Florida's Influential Authors

World Literacy Day right around the corner on Sept. 8, 2021.

Now is a great time to read one of the many books that take place in Florida.

Writers young and old have taken up a pen and written about the wildlife, scenery and people that make Florida unique, and our state parks are honored to preserve the legacy of several of our most influential authors.

Drawn here in the late 1920s, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings would come to define rural Florida in the early 1900s through her writing.

A prominent figure in the small community of Cross Creek, Marjorie often based her books and short stories on the people and places she encountered in her everyday life. Launched into stardom with her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Yearling," Marjorie spent 25 years tending to her orange grove and writing from her porch. Aug. 8, 2021, marked the author’s 125th birthday, and the occasion was celebrated at Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park, which protects her home and grounds in Cross Creek.

Marjorie also hosted fellow authors at Cross Creek from time to time, and one of those guests was another famous Floridian named Zora Neale Hurston. Growing up in Eatonville, Zora was one of Florida’s premier Black authors. She wrote about the experience of Black Americans, particularly telling folk stories and tales of life for rural Black Americans. Two of her novels, "Mules and Men" and "Seraph on the Suwanee," dealt with the experience of rural Black Floridians during the early 1900s. Witty and charming, she found success at a time when many Black Americans struggled to have their voices heard.

Farther south, a different Marjory made waves with her writing throughout the 1900s. Marjory Stoneman Douglas was one of the most vocal defenders of Florida’s environment. A talented writer and journalist, she often wrote about the Everglades and the various problems facing the vast wetland. Her books and articles encouraged people across the country to protect the unique ecosystem. She was also an ardent supporter of civil rights and women’s rights throughout her lifetime. The Florida Park Service preserves her home in Coconut Grove to honor the late memory of one of Florida’s most influential activists.

Many other authors have written about the people and places that make up our state parks. William Bartram, an author who wrote about Florida in his book "Travels," detailed his visits to many sites that would become state parks, such as Paynes Prairie and Blue Spring. Lu Vickers, whose works have featured several of Florida’s roadside attractions, has written books about Weeki Wachee Springs State Park. Born on the barrier island that would become Caladesi Island State Park, Myrtle Scharrer Betz wrote a novel about her childhood there named "Yesteryear I Lived in Paradise: The Story of Caladesi Island."

Whether our parks honor them, or they honor us in their works, think about these amazing Florida authors next time you pick up a book.

This article was published in the Real Florida ℠ Connection, the Florida State Parks e-newsletter. Sign-up to get updates and stories from your state parks the first week of every month.