In Florida, a renowned writer is constructing a community resisting mainstream literature.
Over the course of a few days, an accomplished author is scheduled to appear alongside Margaret Atwood at New York's Lincoln Center, discussing their works that explore the anger of women and the locations that struggle to comprehend them. Following this, she will journey to a festivity in the city to commemorate being included on Time's list of the 100 most influential individuals of the year, coming into contact with luminaries such as Dua Lipa and Patrick Mahomes on the red carpet.
However, when I encounter her, on a muggy spring day in Gainesville, Florida, Groff is not pondering her spectacular New York engagements. She's donning Birkenstocks and transferring boxes around her virtually finished bookstore.
The retail establishment is located in an antiquated structure that, in the 19th century, housed a cotton gin. It's the most recent addition to Gainesville's historic downtown, nestled less than a mile from the University of Florida. Once finished, the Lynx will be a literary haven and independent bookstore dedicated to marketing prohibited and censored books and literary works by writers from underrepresented communities.
The notion of the bookshop has been haunting Groff's thoughts for years, but she's held the keys to this location since December - approximately when her life was not bustling at a breakneck pace.
"I haven't slept in six months," she remarks with a grin, moving boxes around the shop and organizing new releases, pausing to greet admirers and sign their books. It's five days before the store's April 28 grand opening.
Groff is inaugurating the Lynx now to stake her claim in her adopted home state, where she worries that free thought is becoming progressively endangered.
A beloved writer sets her sights on a new venture
This isn't simply any bookshop since Groff isn't just any bookseller. She's a three-time National Book Award finalist and one of Florida's most revered contemporary writers. She's published bestselling novels like "Fates and Furies," documenting a marriage from the perspective of both spouses, and "Matrix," historical fiction set in a 12th-century French convent.
Groff's most well-liked work hits closer to home. Her 2018 compilation "Florida" wanders around the state, depicting stories of a negligent father who adores snakes, young girls narrowly avoiding death on a deserted island, and a mother's affection-hate relationship with Florida itself.
"Florida" has been flying off the shelves lately due to its presence in, of all things, a Taylor Swift song. Florence Welch, the co-writer, revealed that she based her verses in Swift's "Florida!!!" track on one of Groff's tales, about a wine-drunk woman who keeps seeing ghosts of the men she's loved in her home while it falls apart during a hurricane.
Groff adores Gainesville. Hailing from New York state, she formed a bond with the spirited college town where she elevated her children and discovered a group of fellow literature enthusiasts.
I relate to this. I too have lived in Gainesville for years as a student and instantly felt at home among its spirited residents and plentiful alligators.
But she and her neighbors are growing increasingly worried about laws Florida's legislature is enacting that make it simpler to ban books, restrict what can be taught about Black history, and curtail the rights of LGBTQ members.
The town required a new bastion against these threats, and Groff recognized she was the person to establish it.
"A bookstore is the nucleus of a location, the bond between communities," she asserts. "And we are watching. We want them to know that we are observing - they won't get away with it without widespread backlash, and we're forming a coalition to protest."
Her work on the bookshop has been hectic, gratifying, and increasingly vital as book challenges in her state continue to multiply. If she had a mission statement, she says, it's a quote from Heinrich Heine, a 19th century German poet: "Wherever people burn books, they will ultimately burn people."
If it's in her hands, Gainesville - and Florida - won't burn.
The significance of Florida's Lynx bookstore
There's something about Florida that clings to a writer's bones. Groff is not a native of Florida, but I am, and the manner in which her book "Florida" portrays my home state is the way I know it: Dangerous and beautiful, dense and hospitable - a place where snakes may lurk in your backyard and ducklings may hatch only a few feet away from them. This is where the lynx rufus, or bobcat, prowl in the heavy night air.
Upon spotting a wild cat with tufted ears and a cropped tail racing in front of Groff's car one evening, it felt like a warning. She had named her idea, one adorned with teeth. On the exterior wall of The Lynx bookstore is a mural of the animal with a message: "Watch us stand our ground."
Groff comprehends Florida, in all of its perplexing and angering grandeur. She recognizes that the things that dwell here can be formidable.
"What we want to do is establish a lighthouse so that, nationally, people know that Florida is not populated by close-minded people," Groff adds.
"To ensure people recognize that there are safe spaces here for transgender individuals, those striving to learn about African American history, and those wanting to appreciate the truth, even if it causes discomfort," Groff's dream of establishing a bookstore with a purpose transforms into a more pressing need amid the increasing 'authoritarian creep.' According to the American Library Association, Florida was on top of the list of attempted book bans last year, with a total of 2672 challenges. This number escalated to over 5000 bans between July 2021 and December 2023, making Florida the front-runner, seconded only by Texas with 1500 bans.
As a result, the Lynx will not only serve as a store but also serve as a meeting ground for community organizers, a sanctuary for youth searching for literature that reflects and honors their identity, and a reminder for Floridians refusing to accept discriminatory laws. Groff asserts, "We're keeping an eye on what's going on. We want them to know that we're not going to let this go uncontested, and we're building a community to fight back."
Battle for intellectual liberty
By opening her bookstore, Groff aligns herself with a small yet fervent coterie of independent booksellers in Florida who protect against the 'intellectual freeze,' wherein unsettling concepts and topics are suppressed. Mitchell Kaplan, founding father of Miami’s Books & Books bookstore chain and Miami Book Festival in 1982, applauds Groff's action.
"I've never felt more crucial than now for the significance of an activist bookstore," Kaplan shares. "Most good independent bookstores serve as assemblages, congregating people to oppose and resist."
There are additional Florida-based independent bookstores and organizations with objectives like the Lynx. The Sunshine State has lacked a new bookstore until now. Groff underlines the Lynx's power through symbolism, highlighting it as a rebuttal to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' and his allies' attempts at stifling diverse viewpoints by excluding them from classrooms and libraries.
"There's always been individuals longing to restrict the distribution of books," Kaplan explains. "But they generally came from radical factions. It's devastating to witness these elements cropping up in our government."
Intellectual freedom across the state was imperiled in 2022 as DeSantis introduced the 'Don't Say Gay' bill, restricting instruction of gender identity and LGBTQ topics in schools. While a legal settlement in March reinstated discussions of such topics in classrooms, provided they adhere to certain circumstances, other legal measures continue to threaten literary diversity.
In 2023, Florida passed HB 1069, which permits residents to object to books containing sexual content if it's not part of a health class, potentially leading to the expulsion of books discussing sexual assault. Furthermore, Florida made significant adjustments to the manner Black history is taught in classes: When Florida high school students receive an education about slavery in the United States, they now have to study 'how slaves acquired skills and, in some instances, could profit from these skills.'
These laws have expedited a deluge of formal objections, almost exclusively directed at books depicting the perspectives of Black subjects and people of color or LGBTQ characters.
DeSantis dismisses the media's illustration of Florida's book bans as a 'hoax.' The governor's press team stated in February, “Florida doesn't outlaw books, it merely permits parents to object to inappropriate material in the classroom.”
Hundreds of books have been expelled from Florida public schools and libraries. Toni Morrison's 'The Bluest Eye' can no longer be found in Orange County, Florida, libraries. Miami removed Groff's own 'Fates and Furies' from its school district. And in Alachua County, home to Gainesville, titles such as 'Gender Queer,' a graphic novel about nonbinary individuals, and 'Melissa,' a children's story about a trans 4th-grade student, are unavailable in libraries and public schools.
At the Lynx, these forbidden books are front and center. Highly challenged books are showcased throughout the store. The staff has even cataloged the ten most frequently challenged books in the nation in numerical order.
Champion children's author Judy Blume, who, alongside her spouse, established a branch of Books & Books in Key West, Florida, expresses delight over Groff's bookstore ownership. Blume, much like authors Ann Patchett, Emma Straub, and Blume herself, has encountered censorship and reacted in the only way she knows how - through persistence.
"I have absolute confidence that her customers, like ours, will be appreciative for her featuring banned books and will inquire how they can contribute to the defense," Blume told CNN via email. "That gives me hope."
Groff initially disliked Gainesville when she relocated there with her spouse eighteen years ago. Her body rebelled as well, as she struggles with the intense Florida sun and the sweltering heat for most of the year. However, Gainesville's natural beauty won her over. As we sip cafe con leches inside an outdoor plaza not far from her store, she notices the heritage oaks with their branches sprawled on the ground. She also appreciates the beauty of the blooming jasmine, which fills the air with its delightful scent.
As we savor the ambiance, Groff admits how the city has influenced her work. The initial story in "Florida" is set in Gainesville, and even a simple walk through the Duck Pond neighborhood conjures up vivid images. The allure of Gainesville seeps into her writing.
However, recent events have shaken Groff's faith in Gainesville. The University of Florida dismissed the entire diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) staff, following the state's decision to "permanently prohibit" such offices at public universities. While the university remains committed to free speech and inquiry, its recent actions have distressing consequences.
Groff, nonetheless, trusts the resolve of the Gainesville community.
"The university is currently in the hands of people who want to limit its goodness. I believe in it," she says.
Groff has ambitious plans for transforming the Lynx. She envisions handing out books with her staff, becoming the "Dolly Partons of Gainesville." Parton has donated over 200 million books to children worldwide through her foundation. Groff envisions installing a book vending machine at the regional airport to give students and others in need easy access to books.
"We're going to be doing a lot to make sure people have books in their hands," she says confidently. "But just to serve as a symbol of resistance has given some people the courage to stand firm."
To fulfill this mission, Groff relies on her team, who passionately share the same vision as her. Her allies extend farther than she initially imagined; they include sympathizers who funded the Indiegogo campaign that furnished the Lynx with 116,000 dollars for repairs.
"This experience has revived my faith in humanity," she says, with a hint of emotionality in her voice. "I lost hope temporarily."
The Lynx's opening is brimming with promise
The Lynx's grand opening happens on a Sunday. The celebration begins with champagne and assortments of mini-muffins. The store is a visually appealing blend of books, from new releases to wellness manuals to plays and poetry compilations. A rare, first edition of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Yearling," set in Florida, is placed inside a display case. Multicolored miniature Pride flags adorn the interior.
Just before she officially opens the store and her staff do their final preparations, Groff addresses her supporters. She thanks everyone in attendance, including her excited parents, neighbors, young volunteers, her publishing team from New York, and enthusiasts who backed the Indiegogo campaign. Joining them is Harvey Ward, Gainesville's mayor.
The supporters are ushered out until Groff, with the assistance of her staff, slices the ceremonial red ribbon.
"We built this store because we love Gainesville and appreciate you all," she announces to the crowd, who is buzzing with elation. Groff's face is bathed in sunlight and heat.
Reminiscent of the last story in "Florida," she acknowledges the foreign discomfort in her own homeland. Despite its stubborn flaws, she recalls how she yearns for the comforts of Gainesville.
"Among all the places in the world, she belongs in Florida," Groff writes.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
