Tyler Gillespie – författare

A journey beyond fears and stereotypes

The memes. “Because Florida” jokes. “Florida Man” stories. Tyler Gillespie was once embarrassed to call Florida home, concocting fantasies he’d been born somewhere else. In The Thing about Florida, Gillespie faces his Florida denial and takes readers on an exuberant search for the state behind the caricatures, cutting through the media storm with curiosity and humor.

Gillespie’s journey leads him into unexpected places such as halfway houses, gator pits, rattlesnake rooms, and clothing-optional campgrounds, where he meets eclectic and unconventional Floridians. He interviews storm chasers, Civil War reenactors, cattle ranchers, drag queens, python hunters, and pet smugglers. His conversations delve into serious issues such as addiction, Florida’s racist past, and care options for the state’s LGBTQ senior citizens.

With perspective and empathy derived from his background as a gay man raised Southern Baptist, Gillespie shows how important it is to understand the diversity and complexity of Florida today. “It’s dangerous to meet our fears with fear,” he says as he confronts his own as well as the state’s monsters—invasive species, hurricanes, environmental destruction. He reminds us that Florida’s people and problems are vital parts of the nation’s future.

A fresh and engaging voice, Gillespie captivates with a snappy pace, sly wit, and crisp observations. As he weaves his childhood memories and personal experiences alongside the stories of the individuals he encounters, Gillespie reconciles with his home state. He finds Florida’s humanity, a beautiful mix of hopes, dreams, and second chances.

A journey beyond fears and stereotypes The memes. "Because Florida" jokes. "Florida Man" stories. Tyler Gillespie was once embarrassed to call Florida home, concocting fantasies he'd been born somewhere else. In The Thing about Florida, Gillespie faces his Florida denial and takes readers on an exuberant search for the state behind the caricatures, cutting through the media storm with curiosity and humor.Gillespie's journey leads him into unexpected places such as halfway houses, gator pits, venom rooms, and clothing-optional campgrounds, where he meets eclectic and unconventional Floridians who have been misrepresented in news stories. He interviews storm chasers, Civil War reenactors, cattle ranchers, drag queens, python hunters, and pet smugglers. His conversations delve into serious issues such as addiction, Florida's racist past, and care options for the state's LGBTQ senior citizens.With perspective and empathy derived from his background as a gay man raised Southern Baptist, Gillespie shows how important it is to understand the diversity and complexity of Florida today. "It's dangerous to meet our fears with fear," he says as he confronts his own as well as the state's monsters-invasive species, hurricanes, environmental destruction. He reminds us that Florida's people and problems are vital parts of the nation's future.A fresh and engaging voice, Gillespie captivates with a snappy pace, sly wit, and crisp observations. As he weaves his childhood memories and personal experiences alongside the stories of the individuals he encounters, Gillespie reconciles with his home state. He finds Florida's humanity, a beautiful mix of hopes, dreams, and second chances.

Based on the popular Tumblr, a collection of funny stories that commemorate the awkward phases in our lives.Back in the 1990s, when slap bracelets and Velcro ruled supreme, two adolescents were stumbling their way through life on gangly limbs. One, Claire Linic, had self-permed her bowl cut, and the other, Tyler Gillespie, had purchased self-tanner, telling the cashier it was for his girlfriend. Now in their twenties and still just a tiny bit awkward, Linic and Gillespie have joined forces to ask the question, “If we could talk to our fourteen-year-old selves, what would we tell them now?”Based on the hit Tumblr “The Awkward Phase,” this book answers that question with personal stories and cringe-worthy photos from seasoned comedians, YouTube stars, and people like the rest of us that cover everything from sweaty-palm moments to bad band photos. In these pages, you’ll hear about the moment Shaun Sperling realized he was gay at a Richard Simmons’s workout studio, how Bente Engelstoft made her own bra out of her dad''s old underwear, and why even though Robert Bacon’s awkward phase was mortifying, it was the beginning of his new, happier life.Ultimately, The Awkward Phase encourages us to laugh and celebrate the moments that have helped shape who we are. As Gillespie and Linic say, “Everyone is in on the joke. You don’t have to eat your lunch alone in the bathroom stall. You can sit with us.”

We do not choose our family. We love them or want to love them. We embrace them or run from them. We leave them or become them. Through it all, we are linked by the commonality of a shared blood, and in Dirty Socks and Pine Needles, a sweet and funny eBook single from Sibling Rivalry Press, Tyler Gillespie explores that link by way of the intricate relationships between parent and child, grandmother and grandson, grandfather and grandson, nephew and uncle, and older and younger brother. The resulting vignettes paint a portrait of a family and the tender-hearted boy at its center, whose first images of himself come from the reflections of those around him. Featuring Cover Photograph by Disha Hisham.