Jacksonville, FL

The Lighthouse Book Awards competition is sponsored by the Northeast Florida region of the Florida Writers Association. FWA-NE placed the top three entries in each category in the hands of legitimate acquisition editors working for major publishing houses. NE Regional director Victor DiGenti invites the public to the celebration of the awards competition this Saturday, July 28, at the Ponte Vedra Library (101 Library Blvd. in Ponte Vedra Beach) at 11 a.m.

All manuscripts have been returned from the acquisition editors who ranked the finalists. Names of the winners have been a closely-held secret for the past month. DiGenti says, “Contest Chair Terri Ridgell has refused to tell even me, saying she’s keeping the names frozen in a carton of Ben & Jerry’s Berried Treasure ice cream.”

Light snacks and drinks will be served. DiGenti invites you to come and cheer on your favorite writer or just be there for the party. Finalists are:

MYSTERY/SUSPENSE
Jean Osborn
David Pereda
Mary Kilgore
FICTION-GENERAL
Bill Barbour
John Holley
Leonard Emmel
YOUNG ADULT
Karen Harvey
Gertie Poole
Suki Litchfield
Bill Dougherty

DiGenti says finalists may bring family and friends and “pose for the paparazzi on the red carpet” before the awards ceremonies if they wish. First Place winners should also be prepared to make a brief “Thank you” speech.

DiGenti credits Terri Ridgell and all of the preliminary judges for making this first contest such a success. He says a special thank you goes to the three acquisition editors — Barbara Moore/Midnight Ink, Julie Doughty/Penguin Group and Andrew Karre/Flux.

RELATED LINKS

Visit FWA Ponte Vedra group on the Web: http://www.fwapontevedra.blogspot.com/

Visit FWA state organization on the Web: http://www.floridawriters.net/dnn/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Lighthouse Book Awards celebration, Florida Writers Association, NE Florida Writers Association, writing contests, writers’ groups

Mandarin Park is a favorite place for my family; we like to go in the late afternoon. We take a cup of coffee and watch the boats come in. You can also have a lot of fun watching for Manatees here.

The Florida Times-Union features a write-up about a new report on the status of the St. Johns River. The report was furnished by the St. Johns Riverkeeper and the Public Trust Environmental Law Institute of Florida.

A total of 298 violations occurred during a 20-month study period. Sanitary Sewer Overflows totaled almost 266,000 gallons of material, with the majority relating to sewage.

Increasing development in Northeast Florida may make this problem even worse in the future. The river is our greatest asset, says the Riverkeeper Web site, with “billions of dollars realized in commerce, tourism and industry.” The site notes the unique character of the river:

The St. Johns River is the longest river in Florida at 310 miles and one of the few rivers in the United States that flows north, dropping less than 30 feet from its source to its mouth, or about 1 inch per mile.

The river is home to 183 species of fish and is designated as an American Heritage River, one of only 14 rivers in the entire United States to receive this prestigious national recognition, the site says.

Privately funded, the St. Johns Riverkeeper is an objective voice for our river. The organization depends on private donations, and different levels of membership that begin at modest rates are available. Visit the Web site to join and to learn more about the river. The full report is also posted there.

Above all the features I’ve found after moving to Jacksonville, the St. Johns is the most magnificent. We’ve been entrusted with an incredible resource. It’s up to us to see it stays healthy. (photo and text by Kay B. Day)

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, St. Johns River, report, environment, pollution, Jacksonville, stewardship, conservation, development

Literacy is a challenge for some Northeast Florida residents. This is a followup to last week’s story about Literacy Pros of Jacksonville. Volunteer Michelle Worley (center) talks with authors Victor DiGenti (left) and Dorothy K. Fletcher (right) during a recent event Worley coordinated at Barnes and Noble in St. Johns Town Center.

Literacy Pros of Jacksonville, Inc., held their very first fundraiser Saturday at Barnes and Noble in the St. Johns Town Center. Customers who picked up a book fair voucher from the organization’s display tables, or those who printed the form online, could present it to the cashier at checkout. Literacy Pros would then get a percentage of the sale.

Donations are a necessity for this all-volunteer group, whether they come as cash or time. “We don’t have any staff,” says Michelle Worley. “We’re an all-volunteer group.”

The group trains individuals to effectively teach basic literacy skills, and to prepare interested tutors to become Certified Literacy Trainers.

A 1999 study by the Jacksonville Community Council, Inc. found the literacy rate in Northeast Florida hovered at approximately 53 percent. According to LPOJ, almost 50 percent of adults on welfare lack a high school diploma or equivalency certificate.

The biggest challenge for volunteers, says Worley, is the “time commitment.” Worley works full-time herself, at Wachovia Bank, but she says, “The other part of my life is literacy.”

As part of their fundraiser, LPOJ invited Jacksonville authors Dorothy K. Fletcher and Victor DiGenti to talk about writing and sign their books for guests. Dorothy has contributed to literacy in a big way—in addition to being an award-winning author, she taught English and writing in Duval public schools for 35 years.

DiGenti, also an award-winning author, is a key figure in the Florida Writers Association—he’s regional director for our area. FWA has about 800 members.

Literacy Pros has parnered with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to provide workshops for inmates interested in becoming tutors. The group also works with worship groups on training tutors, as well as corporations and schools.

Literacy is one of the single greatest weapons a community can employ in dealing with poverty and the crime that often follows. If you’d like more information about Literacy Pros, visit the Web site.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Literacy, Education, crime prevention, tutor, reading skills, Northeast Florida, volunteer, civic group, adult reading skills

Dorothy K. Fletcher heads into a Washington, D. C. hotel. Fletcher and I read together at the U.S. Library of Congress for “Florida Poets Arrive.” Fletcher appears at Barnes and Noble in St. John’s Town Center on Saturday as part of a Literacy Pros event.

Literacy Pros celebrates a dedication to adult literacy at Barnes and Noble in the St. Johns Town Center (10280 Midtown Parkway) on Saturday, June 16. The Bookfair runs from opening to closing, 9 a.m.-11 p.m., when a percentage of every sale made will be donated to Literacy Pros. Jacksonville authors Dorothy K. Fletcher (Zen Fishing and Other Southern Pleasures) and Victor DiGenti (Windrusher series) will talk with guests and sign books from 4-6 p.m.

That evening features music by Damien Lamar and Laurel Lee from 7-8 p.m. Lee has a great Web site; you can find out about the new CD Why don’t we get married featuring Laurel Lee and the Escapees. Lamar is well-known in Northeast Florida, and his selections offer a variety of styles. Visit Lamar’s Web site to learn more.

I’ve read with Fletcher on many occasions, and her poetry and prose weave stories of the past and present, illustrated by specific events and happenings in the South. She has a low-key sense of humor; she loves to talk writing. DiGenti is a key figure in writing events around Northeast Florida because he’s regional director for the Florida Writers Association. DiGenti’s first novel was praised by actress Betty White and it’s popular with cat lovers of all ages. Both are award-winning authors with several books in the marketplace and they enjoy talking to people.

The Web site for Literacy Pros says the organization was founded in 2003 by “a local group of dedicated literacy volunteers. These trainers and tutors were interested in finding new ways to deliver literacy training to the community.” A recent success story is the Prison Literacy Program in conjunction with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s office.

Events like this provide a great way to help worthy organizations and have some fun at the same time. So pick up a book, sip on some coffee or tea and enjoy the music on Saturday.

You’ll need a voucher to be sure the sale is tagged for Literacy Pros; for convenience, you may print one from the Web site. (photo and text by Kay B. Day)

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Literacy in Jacksonville, Education, Reading, Authors, Books, CDs, Musicians, Northeast Florida support groups, Zen, cats, mystery, poetry, novels, volunteers, booksigning Jacksonville, memoir

Josh Scobee, field goal kicker for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, reads to children who participate in at-risk programs for youth administered by The Bridge, at Barnes and Noble in Mandarin.

---

I talked with Zoe Ann Boyle yesterday about summer day camp for children at The Bridge of Northeast Florida, an organization offering support for education, nutrition, health and counseling for at-risk youth. Boyle told me something, citing study findings by Johnson & Johnson, that astounded me. “African-American children,” she says, “are 50 to 60 times more likely to drown.”
(more…)

---

I might not have noticed them if it hadn’t been for our hound. I’d just got out of bed, and walked out back so Shadow could tend to his morning business. Usually, he heads right to the edge of our yard. Instead, as I sipped my coffee, he stopped dead in his tracks.

I walked over to see what had engaged his nose—we often joke our hound is a prisoner of his nose.

Two tiny bats lay on the deck.

Although I’ve certainly seen bats darting around after sundown, I’ve never found one dead. Did they have rabies? A biologist I wrote for once told me to never touch a dead bat because of that possibility. Was someone putting out some sort of poison in our neighborhood? The way the two creatures were positioned seemed strange. I told my husband it looked as though they held hands as they fell out of the sky together. We dubbed them “the twins.”

Although it was Sunday, Cyndi Marks called me within a few hours of receiving my email full of questions. I included a photo. Marks is executive director of the Florida Bat Conservancy. Like so many others who work on behalf of wildlife, she’s dedicated. How many executives would phone a journalist on a Sunday?
(more…)

I described Jacksonville in my most recent book as an assortment of mini-cities nestled along the St. John’s River and the Atlantic Ocean. The Mandarin community is one of the most scenic neighborhoods, blending modern home styles with historical residences.

The Mandarin Museum and Historical Society describes the area’s genealogy:

In the 1800s, Mandarin was a small farming village that shipped oranges, grapefruit, lemons and other fruits and vegetables to Jacksonville and points north on the steamships that traveled the St. Johns River.

In the southern part of Duval County very close to the St. John’s County line, Mandarin is within half an hour of the beaches and St. Augustine. You can stroll along the St. John’s River at places like Mandarin Park. There are quality public schools and parochial schools to choose from. Mandarin schools are in Duval County public school region IV. Churches of different faiths are sprinkled throughout Mandarin in abundance. Encounters with wildlife like egrets, hawks, turtles, small game and even alligators are not uncommon.
(more…)