David McAlister Barry (born July 3, 1947) is an American author and columnist who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for the ''

Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a city in western Miami-Dade County and the Miami metropolitan area, several miles west of Downtown Miami.parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...

, as well as comic novels and children's novels. Barry's honors include the

Pulitzer Prize for Commentary The Pulitzer Prize for Commentary is an award administered by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism "for distinguished commentary, using any available journalistic tool". It is one of the fourteen American Pulitzer Prizes that are ...

(1988) and the

Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism The Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism is an annual award presented by Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The recipient is deemed to represent a leading figure in the journalism ...

(2005). Barry has defined a sense of humor as "a measurement of the extent to which we realize that we are trapped in a world almost totally devoid of reason. Laughter is how we express the anxiety we feel at this knowledge."

Early life and education

Barry was born in Armonk, New York where his father, David W. Barry, was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their n ...

minister. He was educated at Wampus Elementary School, Harold C. Crittenden Junior High School (both in Armonk), and Pleasantville High School, where he was elected "Class Clown" in 1965. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from

Haverford College Haverford College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), began accepting non-Quakers in 1849, and became coeducationa ...

in 1969. As an alumnus of a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

-affiliated college, he avoided military service during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

by registering as a religious

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to objec ...

. Notwithstanding his father's vocation, Barry decided "early on" that he was an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

. He said, "The problem with writing about religion is that you run the risk of offending sincerely religious people, and then they come after you with machetes."

Writing career

Barry began his

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (p ...

career in 1971, working as a general-assignment reporter for the ''

Daily Local News The ''Daily Local News'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chester County, Pennsylvania, also offering limited coverage of neighboring Lancaster and Delaware counties. It covers local and national news, sports, culture, and entertainmen ...

'' in West Chester, Pennsylvania, near his alma mater, Haverford College. He covered local government and civic events and was promoted to City Editor after about two years. He also started writing a weekly humor column for the paper and began to develop his unique style. He remained at the newspaper through 1974. He then worked briefly as a

copy editor Copy editing (also known as copyediting and manuscript editing) is the process of revising written material ( copy) to improve readability and fitness, as well as ensuring that text is free of grammatical and factual errors. ''The Chicago Manual o ...

at the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

's Philadelphia bureau before joining Burger Associates, a consulting firm. At Burger, he taught effective writing to business people. In his own words, he "spent nearly eight years trying to get various businesspersons to...stop writing things like 'Enclosed please find the enclosed enclosures,' but...eventually realized that it was hopeless."

Brian Engler-Dave Barry & The Fairfax Prize-Close-up 9-22-2013

In 1981 he wrote a humorous guest column in ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pen ...

'' about watching the birth of his son, which attracted the attention of

Gene Weingarten Gene Norman Weingarten (born October 2, 1951) is an American journalist, and former syndicated humor columnist for ''The Washington Post.'' He is the only two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing. Weingarten is known for both ...

, then an editor of the ''

Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a city in western Miami-Dade County and the Miami metropolitan area, several miles west of Downtown Miami.Tropic The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

''. Weingarten hired Barry as a humor columnist in 1983. Barry's column was syndicated nationally. Barry won a

in 1988 for "his consistently effective use of humor as a device for presenting fresh insights into serious concerns." Barry's first novel, '' Big Trouble'', was published in 1999. The book was adapted into a motion picture directed by

Barry Sonnenfeld Barry Sonnenfeld (born April 1, 1953) is an American filmmaker and television director. He originally worked as a cinematographer for the Coen brothers before directing films such as ''The Addams Family'' (1991) and its sequel '' Addams Family V ...

and starring Tim Allen, Rene Russo, and Patrick Warburton, with a cameo by Barry (deleted in

post-production Post-production is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording individual program segments. Th ...

). The movie was originally due for release in September 2001 but was postponed following the

September 11, 2001, attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

because the story involved smuggling a

nuclear weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...

onto an airplane. The film was released in April 2002. In response to a column in which Barry mocked the cities of

Grand Forks, North Dakota Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city ...

, and East Grand Forks, Minnesota, for calling themselves the "Grand Cities", Grand Forks named a sewage pumping station after Barry in January 2002. Barry traveled to Grand Forks for the dedication ceremony. Articles written by Barry have appeared in publications such as ''

Boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, suc ...

'', ''Home Office Computing'', and '' Reader's Digest'', in addition to the ''

Chicken Soup for the Soul Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is an American self-help, consumer goods and media company based in Cos Cob, Connecticut. It is known for the ''Chicken Soup for the Soul'' book series. The first book, like most subsequent titles in the ...

'' inspirational book series. Two of his articles have been included in '' The Best American Sports Writing'' series. One of his columns was used as the introduction to the book ''Pirattitude!: So You Wanna Be a Pirate? Here's How!'' (), a follow-up to Barry's role in publicizing International Talk Like a Pirate Day. His books have frequently appeared on The New York Times Best Seller List. On October 31, 2004, Barry announced that he would be taking an indefinite leave of absence of at least a year from his weekly column to spend more time with his family. In December 2005, Barry said in an interview with ''

Editor & Publisher ''Editor & Publisher'' (''E&P'') is an American monthly trade news magazine covering the newspaper industry. Published since 1901, ''Editor & Publisher'' is the self-described "bible of the newspaper industry." Originally based in New York City, ...

'' that he would not resume his weekly column, although he would continue such features as his yearly gift guide, his year-in-review feature, and his blog, as well as an occasional article or column. In 2005, Barry won the

. On Sunday, September 22, 2013, the opening night of the 15th annual Fall for the Book festival in Fairfax, Virginia, Barry was awarded the event's highest honor, the Fairfax Prize, honoring outstanding literary achievement, presented by the Fairfax Library Foundation.

''Dave's World'' television series

From 1993 to 1997, CBS broadcast the sitcom '' Dave's World'' based on the books '' Dave Barry Turns 40'' and ''Dave Barry's Greatest Hits''. The show starred

Harry Anderson Harry Laverne Anderson (October 14, 1952 – April 16, 2018) was an American actor, comedian and magician. He is best known for his role of Judge Harry Stone on the 1984–1992 television series ''Night Court''. He later starred in the si ...

as Barry and

DeLane Matthews DeLane Matthews (born August 7, 1961) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Beth Barry in the CBS television sitcom ''Dave's World'' from 1993 to 1997. Life and career DeLane Matthews was raised in northern Florida. She mo ...

as his wife Beth. In an early episode, Barry appeared in a cameo role. After four seasons, the program was canceled shortly after being moved from its "coveted" Monday night slot to the "

Friday night death slot The "Friday night death slot" or "Friday evening death slot" is a perceived graveyard slot in American television. It implies a television program in the United States scheduled on Friday evenings (typically, between 8:00 and 11:00 p.m. ET) ...

," so named because of its association with low viewership.

Music

During college, Barry was in a band called the Federal Duck. While at the ''Miami Herald'', he and several of his colleagues created a band called the Urban Professionals, with Barry on lead guitar and vocals. They performed an original song called "The Tupperware Song" at the Tupperware headquarters in

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

. Beginning in 1992, Barry played lead guitar in the

Rock Bottom Remainders The Rock Bottom Remainders, also known as the Remainders, was an American rock charity supergroup, consisting of published writers, most of them both amateur musicians and popular English-language book, magazine, and newspaper authors. The band ...

, a rock band made up of published authors. ''( Remainder'' is a publishing term for a book that doesn't sell.) The band was founded by Barry's sister-in-law, Kathi Kamen Goldmark, for an

American Booksellers Association The American Booksellers Association (ABA) is a non-profit trade association founded in 1900 that promotes independent bookstores in the United States. ABA's core members are key participants in their communities' local economy and culture, and t ...

convention, and has also included

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

, Amy Tan, Ridley Pearson,

Scott Turow Scott Frederick Turow (born April 12, 1949) is an American author and lawyer. Turow has written 13 fiction and three nonfiction books, which have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 30 million copies. Turow’s novel ...

, Mitch Albom,

Roy Blount Jr. Roy Alton Blount Jr. (; born October 4, 1941) is an American writer, speaker, reporter, and humorist. Life and career Blount was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and grew up in Decatur, Georgia. He attended Ponce de Leon Elementary School and gr ...

Barbara Kingsolver Barbara Kingsolver (born April 8, 1955) is an American novelist, essayist and poet. She was raised in rural Kentucky and lived briefly in the Congo in her early childhood. Kingsolver earned degrees in biology at DePauw University and the Univers ...

, Matt Groening, and Barry's brother Sam, among others. The band's members "are not musically skilled, but they are extremely loud," according to Barry. Several high-profile musicians, including Al Kooper,

Warren Zevon Warren William Zevon (; January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer, songwriter, and musician. Zevon's most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", " Lawyers, Guns and Money", and " Roland the Headless Th ...

, and Roger McGuinn, have performed with the band, and

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originato ...

sat in at least once. The band's road tour resulted in the book ''Mid-Life Confidential: The Rock Bottom Remainders Tour America with Three Chords and an Attitude''. The Rock Bottom Remainders disbanded in 2012 following Goldmark's death from breast cancer. They have reunited several times, performing at the

Tucson Festival of Books The Tucson Festival of Books is a free annual book fair held in Tucson, Arizona during the second weekend in March. It was established in 2009 by Bill Viner, Frank Farias, John M. Humenik, Bruce Beach, and Brenda Viner. History The first annual ...

in 2016 and 2018.

Other activities

Beginning in 1984, Barry and ''Tropic'' editors

and Tom Shroder have organized the

Tropic Hunt The Herald Hunt, formerly the Tropic Hunt, is an annual puzzle hunt in Miami, Florida. It was co-created by ''Miami Herald'' columnist Dave Barry, along with ''Tropic'' editors Gene Weingarten and Tom Shroder. The Tropic Hunt debuted in 1984, and as ...

(now the Herald Hunt), an annual puzzlehunt in Miami. A Washington, D.C., spinoff, the Post Hunt, began in 2008. Barry has run several mock campaigns for President of the United States, running on a

libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's en ...

platform. He has also written for the Libertarian Party's national newsletter. The screen adaptation of Barry's book ''Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys'' was released in 2005; it is available on DVD.

Personal life

Barry married Lois Ann Shelnutt in 1969. He married Beth Lenox in 1976. Barry and Lenox worked together at the ''Daily Local News'', where they began their journalism careers on the same day in September 1971; they had one child, Robert, born October 8, 1980. Barry and Lenox divorced in 1993. Barry experienced tragedy in his family: his father and his youngest brother suffered from

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...

, and his father died in 1984; his sister Mary Katherine was institutionalized for

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social w ...

; and his mother died by

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

in 1987. In 1996, Barry married ''Miami Herald'' sportswriter Michelle Kaufman; they had a daughter, Sophie, in 2000. Barry has had dogs named Goldie, Earnest, Zippy, and now Lucy. All have been mentioned regularly in Barry's columns.

Works

Non-fiction

* ''The Taming of the Screw'' (1983, with illustrator Jerry O'Brien) * ''Babies and Other Hazards of Sex: How to Make a Tiny Person in Only 9 Months With Tools You Probably Have Around the Home'' (1984, with illustrator Jerry O'Brien) * ''Stay Fit and Healthy Until You're Dead'' (1985, with illustrator Jerry O'Brien) * ''Claw Your Way to the Top: How to Become the Head of a Major Corporation in Roughly a Week'' (1986, with illustrator Jerry O'Brien) * ''Dave Barry's Guide to Marriage and/or Sex'' (1987 with illustrator Jerry O'Brien) * ''Homes and Other Black Holes'' (1988) * ''Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States'' (1989) * '' Dave Barry Turns 40'' (1990) * ''Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need'' (1991) * ''Dave Barry's Guide to Life'' (1991) (includes ''Dave Barry's Guide to Marriage and/or Sex'', ''Babies and Other Hazards of Sex'', ''Stay Fit and Healthy Until You're Dead'' and ''Claw Your Way to the Top'') * ''Dave Barry Does Japan'' (1992) * ''Dave Barry's Gift Guide to End All Gift Guides'' (1994) * ''Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys'' (1996) * '' Dave Barry in Cyberspace'' (1996) * '' Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs'' (1997) * '' Dave Barry Turns 50'' (1998) * ''Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway: A Vicious and Unprovoked Attack on Our Most Cherished Political Institutions'' (2001) * ''"My Teenage Son's Goal in Life is to Make Me Feel 3,500 Years Old" and Other Thoughts On Parenting From Dave Barry'' (2001) * ''"The Greatest Invention in the History Of Mankind Is Beer" And Other Manly Insights From Dave Barry'' (2001) * ''Dave Barry's Money Secrets'' (2006) * ''Dave Barry on Dads'' (2007) * '' Dave Barry's History of the Millennium (So Far)'' (2007) * '' I'll Mature When I'm Dead: Dave Barry's Amazing Tales of Adulthood'' (2010) * ''You Can Date Boys When You're Forty: Dave Barry on Parenting and Other Topics He Knows Very Little About'' (2014) * ''Live Right and Find Happiness (Although Beer is Much Faster): Life Lessons and Other Ravings from Dave Barry'' (2015) * ''Best. State. Ever.: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland'' (2015) * ''For This We Left Egypt?: A Passover Haggadah for Jews and Those Who Love Them'' (2017, with

Alan Zweibel Alan Zweibel (born May 20, 1950) is an American television writer, author, playwright, and screenwriter whom ''The'' ''New York Times'' says has “earned a place in the pantheon of American pop culture." An original ''Saturday Night Live'' ...

and Adam Mansbach) * ''Lessons from Lucy'' (2019) * ''A Field Guide to the Jewish People'' (2019, with Adam Mansbach and

)

Collected columns

* ''Dave Barry's Bad Habits: A 100% Fact-Free Book'' (1985) * ''Dave Barry's Greatest Hits'' (1988) * ''Dave Barry Talks Back'' (1991) * ''The World According to Dave Barry'' (1994) (includes ''Dave Barry Talks Back'', ''Dave Barry Turns 40'' and ''Dave Barry's Greatest Hits'') * ''Dave Barry is NOT Making This Up'' (1995) * ''Dave Barry Is from Mars and Venus'' (1997) * ''Dave Barry Is Not Taking This Sitting Down'' (2000) * '' Boogers Are My Beat'' (2003)

Fiction

* '' Big Trouble'' (1999) * '' Tricky Business'' (2002) * ''

Peter and the Starcatchers ''Peter and the Starcatchers'' is a children's novel that was published by Hyperion Books, a subsidiary of Disney, in 2004. Written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, and illustrated by Greg Call, the book is a reinterpretation of the character ...

'' (2004, with Ridley Pearson) * '' Peter and the Shadow Thieves'' (2006, with Ridley Pearson) * ''

Peter and the Secret of Rundoon ''Peter and the Secret of Rundoon'' is a children's novel that was published by Hyperion Books, a subsidiary of Disney, in 2007. Written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, the book is an unauthorized reimagining of ''Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wou ...

'' (2007, with Ridley Pearson) * '' Escape From the Carnivale'' (2006, with Ridley Pearson) * ''The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog'' (2006) * '' Cave of the Dark Wind'' (2007, with Ridley Pearson) * '' Science Fair'' (2008, with Ridley Pearson) * '' Peter and the Sword of Mercy'' (2009, with Ridley Pearson) * '' Blood Tide'' (2008, with Ridley Pearson) * '' The Bridge to Neverland'' (2011, with Ridley Pearson) * ''Lunatics'' (2012, with

) * ''Insane City'' (2013) * ''The Worst Class Trip Ever'' (2015) * ''The Worst Night Ever'' (2016) * ''Swamp Story'' (2023)

Film adaptations

* '' Big Trouble'' (2002) * ''Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys'' (2005) * ''Peter and the Starcatchers'' (Disney project, announced May 17, 2012. Release date TBA)

Collaborations

* ''Mid-Life Confidential: The Rock Bottom Remainders Tour America With Three Chords and an Attitude'' (1994) with

, Kathi Kamen Goldmark, Al Kooper, Ridley Pearson,

Roy Blount, Jr. Roy Alton Blount Jr. (; born October 4, 1941) is an American writer, speaker, reporter, and humorist. Life and career Blount was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and grew up in Decatur, Georgia. He attended Ponce de Leon Elementary School and gr ...

Joel Selvin Joel Selvin (born February 14, 1950) is an American San Francisco-based music critic and author known for his weekly column in the '' San Francisco Chronicle'', which ran from 1972 to 2009. Selvin has written books covering various aspects of ...

, Amy Tan,

Dave Marsh Dave Marsh (born March 1, 1950) is an American music critic, and radio talk show host. He was an early editor of '' Creem'' magazine, has written for various publications such as '' Newsday'', ''The Village Voice'', and ''Rolling Stone'', and has ...

, Tad Bartimus, Matt Groening, Greil Marcus, Tabitha King,

, Michael Dorris * '' Naked Came the Manatee'' (1998) with Carl Hiaasen,

Elmore Leonard Elmore John Leonard Jr. (October 11, 1925August 20, 2013) was an American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. His earliest novels, published in the 1950s, were Westerns, but he went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense th ...

, James W. Hall, Edna Buchanan,

Les Standiford Les Standiford is an author and, since 1985, the Founding Director of the Florida International University Creative Writing Program in Miami, Florida. He also holds the Peter Meinke Chair in Creative Writing at Eckerd College in St. Petersbur ...

Paul Levine Paul J. Levine (born January 9, 1948) is an American author of crime fiction, particularly legal thrillers. Levine has written 22 mystery novels which include two series of books known by the names of the protagonists. The ''Jake Lassiter'' ser ...

, Brian Antoni,

Tananarive Due Tananarive Priscilla Due ( ) (born January 5, 1966) is an American author and educator. Due won the American Book Award for her novel '' The Living Blood''. She is also known as a film historian with expertise in Black horror. Due teaches a cours ...

, John Dufresne, Vicki Hendricks, Carolina Hospital, Evelyn Mayerson * Novels (as listed above) with Ridley Pearson and Alan Zweibel. * ''Hard Listening'', (July 2013) is an interactive ebook about his participation in a writer/musician band, the Rock Bottom Remainders. Published by digital publisher,

Coliloquy Coliloquy is a digital publishing house based in San Francisco, which specializes in interactive fiction. Lisa Rutherford and Waynn Lue co-founded the startup in January 2012. Coliloquy has published books from over 40 authors, among them Stephen ...

, LLC

Audio recordings

* ''A Totally Random Evening With Dave Barry'' (1992) * ''A Prairie Home Companion: English Majors: A Comedy Collection for the Highly Literate'' (as guest) (1997) * '' Stranger than Fiction (compilation album)'' (1998)

Notes

External links

*
''Write TV'' Public Television Interview with Dave Barry
* * *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barry, Dave 1947 births Living people 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American novelists Absurdist fiction American atheists American male bloggers American bloggers American columnists American conscientious objectors American crime fiction writers American humorists American male novelists Haverford College alumni New York (state) Libertarians People from Armonk, New York People from Pleasantville, New York Pulitzer Prize for Commentary winners Rock Bottom Remainders members Miami Herald people Novelists from Florida 21st-century American non-fiction writers