Be Serious: Essays by Stephanie Hayes

by Stephanie Hayes

Side part or middle part? Is Kohl’s Cash the mark of the beast? What book should be banned next? Can Mickey Mouse be stopped? Stephanie Hayes runs toward the messiest debates in our culture. This collection of short essays from the acclaimed Tampa Bay Times and Creators Syndicate columnist will take you on a journey through moments absurd, solemn and somewhere in between. Wielding a mix of droll humor and thought-provoking observation, Hayes side-eyes American life and zeroes in on her home state of Florida, where realities are often too farcical to believe. Hayes speaks across generations, making even the heaviest topics feel digestible in a world where daily news goes down like a spoonful of knives.

342 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 17, 2023

About the author

Stephanie Hayes spent plenty of time working at the mall before landing a job at the Tampa Bay Times newspaper. In her a decade as a reporter, she's covered everything from suburban politics to education to snack foods to fashion to Britney Spears underwear mishaps. She also spent a year and a half on the death beat writing obituaries. Originally from the Cleveland area, she graduated from the University of South Florida and now lives in Dunedin, Florida. She blogs at stephinfections.com.