Winning a Florida Book Award + Upcoming April Events

In case you missed the good news...

Apr 11, 2024

Howdy Friends,

In case you missed the good news, Rebecca was awarded The Gerald Ensley Developing Writer Award. This prestigious accolade is bestowed upon a Florida author who demonstrates exceptional talent and shows promise for a bright literary future.

May be an image of 1 person and text that says '2023 Gerald Ensley Developing Writer Recipient Rebecca Renner Rebecca Renner is contributor to National Geographic, and her writing has appeared The New York Times, Outside Magazine, Tin House, The Paris Review, The Guardian, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and other publications. She holds an MFA from Stetson University. Gator Country is her debut.'

In addition to receiving The Gerald Ensley Developing Writer Award, a copy of Gator Country will be added to Florida State University's permanent collection of Florida Book Award Winners, and another copy will be housed in the Governor's Mansion Library. The book will also be featured in FORUM Magazine, the esteemed publication of Florida Humanities.

In other news, Rebecca is getting ready to finish out April with a strong lineup of events. This Friday, she will be in conversation with Annabelle Tometich at Third House Books. Tometich will be speaking on her new book, The Mango Tree, a memoir about growing up Filipina in Florida and the messiness of family. Copies of both books will be available for purchase and signing. Swing by for an evening of Florida, felony, and fruit!

Then, Rebecca will be headed to the grand opening of author Lauren Groff’s bookstore, The Lynx Books, on April 28th in Gainesville, Florida. Throughout the day, the bookstore will host author readings, live music, banned book discussions, Zine workshops, a Firefighter Storytime, and scavenger hunts! Rebecca will speak at 12:30pm if you’d like to stop by and meet her.

Shortly after visiting The Lynx Books, Rebecca will hop back in her car and drive to Tallahassee to go on at 3:00pm for her Word of South performance. All Word of South festival events and shows are free, with the exception of The Flaming Lips performance on Friday, April 26, 2024. You do not need a ticket to attend any Word of South event April 27-28, 2024. For festival attendees, Rebecca will be at the Midtown Reader Stage. She hopes to see you at either of these great events on the 28th of April.

That’s all for now, folks! Thanks for subscribing.

Yours Truly,

Team Rebecca

Rebecca recently read “Never Whistle At Night” with her friend’s book club and really enjoyed it. Check out the book description below, as well as the beautiful cover art above.

Many Indigenous people believe that one should never whistle at night. This belief takes many forms: for instance, Native Hawaiians believe it summons the Hukai’po, the spirits of ancient warriors, and Native Mexicans say it calls Lechuza, a witch that can transform into an owl. But what all these legends hold in common is the certainty that whistling at night can cause evil spirits to appear—and even follow you home.

These wholly original and shiver-inducing tales introduce readers to ghosts, curses, hauntings, monstrous creatures, complex family legacies, desperate deeds, and chilling acts of revenge. Introduced and contextualized by bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones, these stories are a celebration of Indigenous peoples’ survival and imagination, and a glorious reveling in all the things an ill-advised whistle might summon.

Would you read this book?

Jojo would like to remind you to follow Rebecca on Tik Tok, Twitter, Facebook, Threads, and Bluesky for more.

My Current Obsession

Discussion about this post