All This Beauty : An Anthology of Contemporary Florida Writers

Writers spanning genre and geography come together to show the strength and diversity of Florida’s literary landscape today

In recent years, a rising generation of Florida writers has joined forces with established legends to create a literary renaissance. All This Beauty introduces this community, making the case that Elizabeth Bishop’s “state with the prettiest name” is also one of the best at producing and nurturing talent. This book demonstrates the depth and extent of Florida’s literary genius.

Edited by Kristen Arnett and P. Scott Cunningham, this expansive anthology brings together poems, short fiction, and essays from 66 writers. Yael Valencia Aldana, Derrick Austin, Frankie de la Cretaz, Patricia Engel, Dionne Irving, Amy Suzanne Parker, Avni Vyas, and many others conjure widely varying experiences of the state, from Gulf beaches to South Florida nightlife, from muscadine grapevines to college gamedays and Major League Baseball. Together, they present a Florida that is more than the stereotypes of “weird” or “wild”—it is messier, deeper, and far more compelling.

This anthology shows that between the headlines, Florida writers continue to affirm the beauty, complexity, and culture that make the state unique. In these pages, people who truly love Florida claim the privilege of defining it. All This Beauty invites readers to see Florida as its contributors do: a place of contradiction and connection, alive with imagination and possibility.

Funding for this publication was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.