Finding Florida

The Clever Chicas Project is headquartered in Florida, and we work with Chicas and Compañeros all over the world to share and support critical literacy through the celebration of ordinary women doing extraordinary things.

The information shared in this section of our web page reflects what we've 'found' in Florida over the last twenty years of studying Florida authors who create while living in the Sunshine State. While studying these authors, we also examine the larger cultural realities of living in a 'frontier' state that has been imagined and re-imagined as an exotic, romantic paradise for visitors from around the globe.

In essence, Florida is a microcosm for 'Everywhere, USA' or anywhere that leverages natural wonders to 'pay the bills.' What does it mean to live in paradise? The resources shared here explore the good and the bad of living in a world where every day is marketed as a holiday.

Through the study of literary artifacts left behind by Florida residents including Ernest Hemingway, Harry Crews, and Zora Neale Hurston, to name a few, curious readers can explore the voices of these writers to find a sense of place in their own worlds--in their own times and contexts. Through studying the key themes and genres of these writers, our collaborators can model these methods and apply them to their own lives via original written and multimedia artifacts. With these tools, new voices are finding personal, portable meanings in the lore of America's Gulf Stream paradise.

The Clever Chicas Project aids those 'finding Florida' in locating the potential of new and powerful critical literacies along the way.

Join us on our journey.

For more information on our Finding Florida materials, please contact us at cleverchicas@gmail.com