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THE HUMAN HEIRS OF MARJORIE KINNAN RAWLINGS

By P.C. Zick – @pczick.bsky.social Last week, I wrote about the inspiration of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings on my life and career. Here is the essay “Human Heirs” that I wrote for the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Essay Contest in 2001 as I left my decades-long teaching career to venture into freelance writing. The essay won first…
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LIGHTHOUSE PASSION SERIES – CEDAR KEY

Perched atop one of the highest points on Florida’s west coast sits the state’s shortest lighthouse. The Cedar Keys Lighthouse, built in 1854, stands a mere 28-feet tall upon a 52-foot sand dune on Seahorse Key in the Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge in the Big Bend area of Florida. I’ve visited Seahorse Key several…
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CAN’T SEE THE FOREST FOR THE JUNK MAIL

I no longer receive many personal items in the mail. I still send out cards and letters myself, despite knowing I’m in a slim majority. I send photos, fun pop-up cards, and feel-good notes of encouragement. Soon, I will be an anachronism. Recently, I had to buy stamps on a Sunday and couldn’t wait for…
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Lights in the Darkness
I recently spent an unforgettable afternoon at a book reading for Lights in the Darkness, a book of essays from sixteen nonspeaking authors. Listening to the words from the minds of these young people who could finally be heard after years of not being able to communicate moved me to tears and opened a whole…
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LIGHTHOUSE PASSION SERIES – ST. AUGUSTINE

Whenever I mention the lighthouse in St. Augustine, Florida, on Anastasia Island, I know immediately if that person has been there. Gasps of “Now that’s a climb” or some variation usually occur. The 209 steps appear daunting, and it can seem as if the winding spiral staircase is never going to end , but suddenly…
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SMALL TOWNS ROCK – MONTICELLO, FLORIDA

The centerpiece of Monticello, Florida, thirty miles east of Tallahassee, can be seen from all directions when approaching the downtown of the small town and county seat of Jefferson County. The two main highways into town converge at the Jefferson County Courthouse, which pays homage to our country’s third president. The Classical Revival structure with…
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TRAILS IN THE SAND CELEBRATES #FREE

To start off Earth Day 2025 week, I’m offering my Florida Fiction novel, Trails in the Sand, for free downloads April 21-25. What does this novel have to do with Earth Day? Everything. Book Blurb: When environmental writer Caroline Carlisle sets off to report on endangered sea turtles during the Deepwater BP oil spill in…


