Florida Man: Poems, Revisited

by Tyler Gillespie

The Florida Man meme lodged itself into the national consciousness through viral headlines like "Florida man threw live gator in Wendy's drive-thru window." But there's much more to the meme than a punchline. In this innovative collection, Tyler Gillespie strips away the accepted myths of his home state and its inhabitants in poems centered on Florida's history and culture. He uses a lyric mix of journalism, science, family lore, and lived experience to reveal complex realities of the state and a redemption that's wondrously messy and surprising.



Since the collection's initial publication in 2018, Florida has become even more chaotic and unsafe. In this time, too, Gillespie emerged as one of the state's rising literary voices for his wit and style. This second edition revisits the original collection and extends its themes with 20 new poems that form the chapbook-length addition HEAT ADVISORY.

Genres: Poetry

128 pages, Paperback

Published March 12, 2024

Reviews

[Patricia]

It's weird to read something by someone I've never heard of who apparently had my same exact childhood lol. Shout out to everyone born in 1987 from Pinellas County.

[Maria Hiers]

Omgggg. Felt so much while reading this. So much here of the disillusionment coupled with the hope of growing up in the state called florida. I just feel so grateful for having read this

[Cheryl Licata]

Poems are such a great literary form. You can read them in a short time and the emotional connection is evident in the hands of a good poet. I liked the poems in Florida Man-especially the ones identifying what a Florida man is: Florida Man claims dog shot girlfriend as she slept; Florida Man tried to hide from police in trash can while dressed as Spongebob Squarepants; Florida Man calls police to report burglary, despite the fact he was the one who committed it. The poem continues with weird and wonderful Florida Men. Read and enjoy!