By SEHAR NOOR
The Bush Auditorium of Rollins College filled up as interested community members waited for the renowned author Carl Hiaasen to begin the Winter with the Writers Festival.
Within minutes of taking the stage, Hiaasen began to draw laughs from the audience with a reading from chapter 1 of first novel, Tourist Season. He then related his experiences as an investigative journalist for The Miami Herald, and explained how they inspired his works. Working for the Herald gave him insight into the distinct cultural landscape of Florida and contributed to his unique portrayal of the state.
In his novels, Hiaasen addresses everything from environmental preservation of the Everglades to the cement breast implants phenomenon in Miami. He is quick to make anyone from incompetent politicians to greedy contractors targets of his scathing humor and unrelenting satire. His fast paced plots, genuine characters and ridiculous story lines reflect the genuine absurdity of Florida.
“Hiaasen, like so many Florida authors, recognizes the Sunshine State for its unique nature. His portrayal of the state in his works is extremely imaginative, as if Florida is the fantasy world where anything and everything may happen,” Rollins freshman David Matteson said.
The Winter with the Writers Festival features four other contemporary writers along with Hiaasen; students and members of the community will have the opportunity to hear these renowned writers with distinct backgrounds, writing styles and advice to share.
To accommodate the overwhelming audience for Hiaasen’s reading, live streams in separate auditoriums were set up. Rollins students who interned under event director Carol Frost organized details such as these to ensure the readings went smoothly.
“Preparation for the event is key. There are 17 interns in charge of making sure everything from the microphones to the water bottles is planned ahead of time,” Matteson said.
The festival is an ideal way to garner insight and appreciation towards creative writing and allows exposure to the innovations of contemporary writers. Rollins is leading the way to a more culturally aware and artistically active community in Central Florida.
“Rollins certainly gains a great amount of publicity regarding the festival. Through events such as Winter with the Writers the community and Rollins certainly gain a degree of culture. So often Orlando is discredited as lacking a cultural identity, but I would vehemently deny this statement. Orlando and Winter Park offer a great place for culture to flourish; all it takes is looking in the right place. And for the month of February that place is Rollins and the Winter With the Writers Festival,” Matteson said.
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