Who knew that the upcoming release of "UnspOILed,'' a book about
off-shore drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico would turn out to be so
timely, or untimely as the case may be?
The book's official
release on Friday, June 18, at The Studio@620 in St. Petersburg comes on the
heels of what many are calling the worst environmental disaster in the
modern age with an oil well still leaking and threatening to cause
untold harm to the world's ecosystem.
"When we began this project
last fall,
the thought of the Gulf Coast being ruined in our lifetime was only a
distant nightmare. Now, just as our project comes to fruition, we are
heartbroken, terrified and furious," says Susan Cerulean, one of the
editors and writers for the book. "But we are not powerless. Prior to
the catastrophe there was no unified voice to match the lobbying power
of big oil. We hope that our book will help generate support in favor of
protecting our most precious coastline."
Planning for the book
began In the fall of 2009 by a group
of 12 authors, including Thomas Hallock, assistant professor of English
at
University of
South Florida-St. Petersburg, and USF-St. Pete students Edward
Woodward and Jono Miller. The book features
an anthology of essays and other writings about the Gulf, and
was written in response to Florida lobbyists and legislators who pushed
to eliminate the ban protecting the Gulf from offshore oil drilling.
The
book is being published by the
Red Hills Writers Project
in Tallahassee.
The event begins at
7pm at
The Studio@620
on Friday, June 18. A donation of $5 is suggested, and contributions
will fittingly benefit the
Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary.
Writer:
Nancy VaughnSource:
Melanie Marquez, USF-St. Petersburg; Susan Cerulean, author
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.