Some of Florida’s top academics, writers and artists are featured in the inaugural issue of the Journal of Florida Studies, a peer-reviewed publication launched by Daytona State College’s Center for Interdisciplinary Writing and Research.
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| Dr. Casey Blanton |
The online journal is dedicated to the study and appreciation of Florida, and features an eclectic mix of research articles, poetry, fiction, photography and other digital arts – all reflecting on some facet of the Sunshine State’s past, present and future.
The journal’s editor-in-chief, Dr. Casey Blanton, said the publication also is intended to raise awareness of Daytona State as a site of academic research and writing. “We hope both scholars and students will take notice of our school and consider it in their applications for work and study,” she said.
The journal is an outgrowth of a symposium called Uniquely Florida: Conversations about the Sunshine State, which was offered last year by the college’s library in collaboration with CIWR. That symposium focused on generating dialogue about Florida’s rich history and diverse culture. “From that symposium, (Daytona State photography professor) Gary Monroe came up with the idea of creating a publication that ultimately resulted in our journal,” said Dr. Michael Flota, the periodical’s managing editor.
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| Dr. Michael Flota |
Blanton and Flota said they were pleasantly surprised by the outstanding response they received when they invited some of the state’s leading scholars to contribute to the journal. Contributing writers for the first issue include Harold Kroto, a chemistry professor at Florida State University and winner of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry; University of Florida and Santa Fe College historians Steven Noll, Robert H. Zieger and David Tegeder; UF economists Stanley K. Smith and Chris McCarty; environmental writer Bill Belleville; poets David Kirby and William Logan; and more.
While it is a peer-reviewed journal, Flota emphasized that the goal is for the publication to appeal to more than just an academic audience. “Everyone, from the average educated lay reader to the specialist, can get something out of this publication,” he said.
The editors anticipate publishing two or more issues next year as the journal becomes more widely known in the academic community.
Blanton also noted that the journal soon will offer student internships that will provide them exposure to the process of research and online publishing. “In the next two years, we also plan to host conferences on Florida themes here at Daytona State,” she said. “Our hope is that the Journal of Florida Studies becomes a kind of synergistic organization that brings all parts of the college together for a discussion about the idea and place that is Florida.”
The editors will host an open house in the new journal office located in the Bergengren Bldg. (#110), rm. 208, on the Daytona Beach Campus this Friday, Jan. 13, from 3 – 5 p.m.
For more information, please contact Blanton at blantoc@daytonastate.edu, or Flota at flotam@daytonastate.edu.
