Thursday, August 17, 2023, 6 – 7 p.m.
Join our Reading Through History book club as we discuss Jaquira Díaz’s award-winning 2019 memoir, Ordinary Girls. Díaz was born in Humacao, Puerto Rico, and lived her early life in what is colloquially referred to as el caserio. When she was older, her family moved to Miami Beach, where her life continued to be difficult, marked by drug use, mental health crises, and encounters with the law. In her memoir she explores these themes, as well as growing up a “closeted queer girl,” biracial and between two homes.
Writing was important for Díaz. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida and a master’s of fine arts from the University of South Florida and has received numerous fellowships, most recently from the Black Mountain Institute in 2022. Her book Ordinary Girls has been honored with a Whiting Award in Nonfiction and a Florida Book Awards Gold Medal and was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award and the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize. Join us as we discuss her work, life, and ties to Central Florida history.
Participation is free. Please RSVP.
