The winners of our annual Excellence in Journalism Competition are due to be announced, and you’re invited!
Mar-a-Lago was a little out of our price range, so we will gather at 6 p.m. Jan. 31 at The House in West Palm Beach to celebrate the best work in Florida journalism, 2024-25.
In addition to showcasing some great work, we’ll hear from Eliot Kleinberg, who was ahead of the curve in explaining “Weird Florida” (published in 1998). He’ll be explaining just how lucky you are to be among the elect in chronicling the Sunshine State … just a few miles from the haunts and former haunts of some of the country’s most famous characters of the moment.
Come with your Florida trivia brain sharp!
estIf you’re coming, please let us know as soon as you can … a final count is due Jan. 23, 2026.
Tickets are $75 each, including everything from drinks to dessert.
Please let us know which entree you want. The choices are as follows:
Choose one main:
Grilled Jumbo Shrimp with Charred Corn Vinaigrette
Seared Local Snapper with Smoked Tangerine Sauce
Grilled New York Strip Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
A vegetarian option TBD
Choose two sides (to be served family style, but they need to know how much to make):
House Malt Vinegar French Fries, Redskin Mashed Potatoes, Crispy Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Broccolini, Aged Cheddar Mac & Cheese, Cider-Braised Pole Beans, Roasted Asparagus Scotch Bonnet Mango Slaw.
Choose one dessert:
Key lime pie, tres leches, brownie sundae, ice cream. (Diana Biederman swears by the brownie sundae, fyi.)
Pre-paying is strongly encouraged.
Here’s the link to pay:
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LX9JAX6PB45QY
In the meantime, here’s more about our keynote speaker:
Florida native Eliot Kleinberg, creator of the Civil War historical novel “Peace River,” the“Adventures of Nate Moran” novels, and the original “Weird Florida” books, spent nearly a half-century reporting on local news and writing about Florida and Florida history. He produced two history columns and wrote fourteen books — and co-wrote or contributed to several more — all of them about Florida. Son of longtime journalist Howard Kleinberg, he lectures regularly on Florida topics and runs a blog on better writing called “Something Went Horribly Wrong.” http://www.ekfla.com