Marco Island Research Articles

Multi-Year Mortality Due to Staphylococcal Arthritis and Osteomyelitis with Sandspur-Associated Injury in Juvenile Black Skimmers (Rynchops niger) at Nesting Colonies in Southwest Florida, USA.

The black skimmer (Rynchops niger) is a state-threatened, colonially nesting seabird in Florida, USA. Conservation threats include habitat alteration, human disturbances, severe weather, and predation. During nest monitoring (May-September, 2020-2022), black skimmer juveniles at colonies on Fort Myers Beach and Marco Island, Florida, had polyarthritis and died or were euthanized due to severe illness. Similarly-aged skimmers from geographically distant (considered unaffected) colonies were evaluated for comparison (2021-2023). We documented field, clinical, radiographical, and pathological findings to characterize disease and purported pathogenesis. The majority were lame and lethargic, in poor nutritional condition, and dehydrated. Additionally, 8/23 of the skimmers with dermatitis and arthritis from affected colonies also had penetrating sandspurs associated with skin ulceration, scabbing, and/or hemorrhage. The affected joints were often in limbs (interphalangeal and hock; less commonly stifle, elbow, carpus). A postmortem evaluation and bacteriology revealed Staphylococcal aureus-associated dermatitis, arthritis, tenosynovitis, and/or osteomyelitis in 21/22 of the juvenile skimmers from southwestern nest colonies. Staphylococcus aureus dissemination to internal organs occurred in 10/13 of the skimmers tested. Among skimmers evaluated from distant colonies, 5/10 that were examined histologically had skin crusting and inflammation but lacked arthritis. Occasional coinfections were documented (e.g., West Nile virus, Gram-negative bacilli). The results suggest that staphylococcal joint disease originated from sandspur-induced skin damage, followed by hematogenous dissemination to the joints and, occasionally, the internal organs. Additional nest sites should be tested to evaluate disease risk and potentially contributing environmental factors. We recommend that site managers employ techniques that reduce the risk of skimmer interactions with sandspurs.

Review: The Nine Lives of Florida’s Famous Key Marco Cat, by Austin J. Bell

Book Review| May 01 2023 Review: The Nine Lives of Florida’s Famous Key Marco Cat, by Austin J. Bell The Nine Lives of Florida’s Famous Key Marco Cat by Austin J. Bell. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2021. xi + 240 pp.; notes, bibliography, index; clothbound, $26.95; eBook, $25.60. Traci Ardren Traci Ardren University of Miami Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar The Public Historian (2023) 45 (2): 143–145. https://doi.org/10.1525/tph.2023.45.2.143 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Traci Ardren; Review: The Nine Lives of Florida’s Famous Key Marco Cat, by Austin J. Bell. The Public Historian 1 May 2023; 45 (2): 143–145. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/tph.2023.45.2.143 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentThe Public Historian Search In The Nine Lives of Florida’s Famous Key Marco Cat, Austin Bell provides us with an engaging and detailed object biography of one of the most iconic artifacts from pre-Columbian North America. This volume is filled with fascinating details of the life history of this small wooden icon, and the amazing expedition which retrieved it from a remote Florida island. Bell takes the reader along a narrative ride that begins before the cat is carved by an Indigenous artist and concludes with the display of the object in the Marco Island Historical Museum in the present day. Speaking to public historians, museum professionals, public archaeologists, and especially the general reader interested in the story of how artifacts become museum art objects, The Nine Lives is written in easily accessible and concise prose. Bell is the world’s expert on the cat and has produced a volume that is sure to... You do not currently have access to this content.

Natural and nature based features for environmental enhancement and coastal storm risk management: a case study on Marco Island, Florida, United States

Natural and Nature-Based systems provide an opportunity for adaptive response to Coastal Storm Risk Management and Sea Level Rise. The Tigertail Lagoon/Sand Dollar Island Restoration on Marco Island, Florida, presents a case study designed to maintain and enhance an existing coastal barrier system consisting of a 3-km-long sand spit and tidal lagoon ecosystem that is otherwise evolving toward closure. The case study is part of a nature-based adaptive management plan to restore and stabilize the sandspit and tidal lagoon through cyclic use of sediment within the system. This approach seeks to preserve existing protective habitats and landforms that also serve as natural coastal barriers to protect upland development. Design of the restoration plan considers the functions of a wildlife nature preserve and evolution of complex tidal inlet morphologic features bordered by a heavily developed barrier Island. The design aims to restore and enhance a sandspit degraded by a sequence of storms since Major Hurricane Irma impacted Southwest Florida in 2017 and improve the existing deteriorated habitat by enhancing tidal exchange through restoration of the lagoon flow channel. Total wetland area will be increased by relocating the sand spit seaward of its present location to where it was located in approximately 2017. The reconstructed beach berm will provide enhanced resiliency to high frequency weather events. Sediment will be sourced from the existing sand spit and an innovative sand trap that will maintain the lagoon entrance open while providing beneficial re-use for excess sediment that continues to accumulate at the end of the spit. Components of the project were analyzed using existing engineering models and methods such as the Coastal Modeling System (CMS) and XBeach. Enhancing and preserving this barrier island feature and productive ecosystem provides an example of the enhanced coastal resiliency provided by natural and nature-based systems that are adaptable and responsive to sea level rise and ongoing coastal processes.

American oysters as bioindicators of emerging organic contaminants in Florida, United States

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and phthalate esters (PAEs) are emerging contaminants of higher concern due to their wide industrial and commercial use, toxicity, and potential adverse health effects. In this study, we assessed PFAS and PAEs exposure in American oysters collected in three study sites in Florida, USA. Potential physiological effects of these contaminants were assessed by collecting oyster biometric data, calculating condition indices, and assessing oxidative stress levels in these individuals. Finally, a human health risk assessment was conducted based on the concentrations found in the consumable Tampa Bay (TB) oysters. All PFAS and PAEs compounds assessed in this study were detected in at least one oyster in all study sites. Among all locations, ΣPFAS concentration range was 0.611–134.78 ng·g−1 and ΣPAEs <0.328–1021 ng·g−1. Despite the smaller size of Biscayne Bay (BB) oysters, they displayed the highest concentrations of most of the PFAS and PAEs compounds, which is likely associated with population size, and other sources in the area. Condition index (CI) III was smaller in BB oysters, likely indicating a stressed population. Even though BB oysters were the most affected individuals, Marco Island (MI) oysters displayed the highest levels of lipid peroxidation, which can also be associated with environmental factors and decreased food availability. Conversely, TB oysters exhibited the highest levels of hydrogen peroxide, likely indicating a better defense mechanism in TB oysters compared to MI oysters. The human health risk assessment for TB oysters indicated low risk from PFAS and PAEs exposure, but there is no reference dose for other compounds and the human diet is wider than only oysters. Therefore, the risk of contaminant exposure is likely higher. This study demonstrates the value of integrating data on contaminant exposure and physiological responses of bioindicator specimens to better understand how emerging contaminants are affecting marine wildlife.

Mortality in Common (Sterna hirundo) and Sandwich (Thalasseus sandvicensis) Terns Associated with Bisgaard Taxon 40 Infection on Marco Island, Florida, USA

Widely distributed aquatic species such as terns are highly dependent on, and can serve as indicators of, the global health of marine and other aquatic environments. Documented mass mortality events in terns have been associated with anthropogenic, weather-related and, less commonly, infectious causes. This study describes a multispecies mortality event associated with brevetoxicosis and Bisgaard taxon 40-induced sepsis involving common (Sterna hirundo) and sandwich (Thalasseus sandvicensis) terns off the southwest coast of Florida, USA, in November and December 2018. During an approximately 6-8-week period, a large number of birds were found dead or displayed weakness, ataxia or other neurological signs. Many were admitted to a wildlife hospital for evaluation, but most died or were euthanized due to poor prognosis. Necropsy of 12 birds revealed minimal or non-specific gross lesions. Initial toxicology screening of tissues for brevetoxins revealed levels that could be consistent with brevetoxicosis. However, histology revealed multiorgan inflammation and necrosis associated with a gram-negative bacillus. A bacterium isolated on aerobic culture of liver and heart tissues was unidentifiable in the MALDI-TOF database. Subsequently, 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that the isolate shared 99.33% homology with Bisgaard taxon 40 from the Pasteurellaceae family. While the source of the bacterium and potential association with brevetoxin exposure are unclear, histopathology suggests that the bacterium was the proximate cause of clinical signs and mortality in all birds examined as well as the scale of the mortality event. This report highlights the need to conduct detailed investigations into wildlife mortality events and expands on the current, limited knowledge of the effects of novel Pasteurellaceae bacteria on avian health.

Rehabilitation of the Marco Island Historical Society’s Archaeological Collections

In 2016, the Marco Island Historical Society (MIHS) received a Preservation Assistance Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to purchase preservation supplies necessary to rehouse the entirety of its archaeological holdings from Marco Island, Florida. Sites represented in the collections include Key Marco, Caxambas, and Horr’s Island, which have been well-known to archaeologists in Florida for a century. Between January 2017 and July 2018, with the assistance of student interns, the MIHS successfully rehabilitated these collections so that they not only be adequately preserved, but also be made readily available to academic researchers and the general public.

Geomorphological impact of Hurricane Irma on Marco Island, Southwest Florida

Hurricane Irma caused significant damage on Marco Island, where it made landfall on September 10, 2017. Pre- and post-hurricane beach profiles were analyzed for an arched spit, “Tigertail,” along the northwestern side of the island, and volumetric quantification of its evolution was estimated using SANDS software. LiDAR data from 2008 to 2017 and Google Earth historical imagery dating back to 1995 were used to compare landscape-level changes as a consequence of the storms that affected the region. The data show that the sand spit evolved dramatically from a relatively small sand bar in 1995. The impact of Hurricane Irma appears to be most significant on the northern end of the spit, where nearly 200,000 m3 of sediment was added by the storm between R-monuments V-311 and V-314. About 95,000 m3 of sediment was removed by Hurricane Irma from the mid-island southward, between V-316 and R-133. Overall, the impact of Hurricane Irma was significant for Tigertail Beach and its surroundings, when compared to previous hurricanes, with a net gain from transport and redeposition of 118,000 m3 of sediment on the barrier island and its surroundings.

“Selling Sunshine”: The Mackle Company's Marketing Campaign to Build Retirement and Vacation Communities in South Florida, 1945–1975

The Mackle Company of Miami rose to national prominence in the mid-1950s when it shifted to the vacation and retirement housing market. Capitalizing on a newly emerging population of retirees with disposable pension income and on a growing number of middle-class Americans seeking fun in the sun, the family firm targeted these groups in an aggressive, nationwide marketing campaign. Central in this promotional scheme were the sundrenched locations of its residential developments on the east and west coasts of south Florida. The Mackles’ marketing strategies belie a complex relationship with the environment, one deeply rooted in American ideas regarding the perfectibility of nature. The company’s houses, typically containing generous indoor-outdoor living spaces and lined with bands of windows opening onto waterfront lots, were presumably designed for a living experience tailored to the Edenic qualities of the Sunshine State. But, paradoxically, they relied on central air conditioning, a modern amenity intended to thwart the tropical climate that lured northerners to Florida in the first place. Moreover, the company depended on significant land modifications through dredging and filling, bulkheading and canal digging, beach improvements, and clearing of foliage and trees to make its communities inhabitable and appealing to its out-of-state clients. The tension between celebrating Florida’s subtropical landscape while simultaneously altering it pervaded the company’s marketing materials, even as the scale of the Mackle Company’s efforts increased, culminating in an ambitious project at Marco Island begun in the mid-1960s. Although the Mackles’ ambitions did not succeed to the extent they envisioned, their sales pitch to “sell sunshine” dramatically reshaped the cultural and natural landscape of south Florida.

The Impact of Hurricane Irma on Population Density of the Black Salt-Marsh Mosquito,Aedes taeniorhynchus, in Collier County, Florida

In 2017, the southeastern USA and Caribbean endured an extremely active year for tropical storm and hurricane activity. On September 10, 2017, Hurricane Irma made a 2nd landfall in Florida, striking Collier County-including Naples and Marco Island, FL. Areas affected by Hurricane Irma are abundant in salt-marsh and mangrove swamps, prime habitats for the black salt-marsh mosquito, Aedes taeniorhynchus. Using both human landing rate and Biogents BG-Counter trap data, here we report the year-to-year fluctuations in population density of Ae. taeniorhynchus. In 2017, Collier County experienced a population explosion of Ae. taeniorhynchus, with daily landing rates reaching as high as 150 adult females/2-min period. The following year a dramatic population crash of Ae. taeniorhynchus was observed, representing some of the lowest Ae. taeniorhynchus numbers ever recorded in Collier County. Analysis of human landing rate and trap data following major hurricane strikes, including Hurricane Irma (2017) and Hurricane Wilma (2005), have revealed severe reductions in Ae. taeniorhynchus populations. Because Ae. taeniorhynchus accounts for a large majority of adulticiding missions in the state of Florida, an enhanced understanding of the factors contributing to Ae. taeniorhynchus population dynamics may allow for improved operational planning and decision-making.

MORPHOLOGIC RESPONSE OF BEACHES AND TIDAL INLETS TO HURRICANE IRMA IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA, USA

Hurricane Irma was a major Hurricane in the 2017 tropical season that reached category 5 and caused catastrophic damage in parts of the northeastern Caribbean and the Florida Keys. Irma was the strongest observed storm and the most intense in the Atlantic since 2005. Irma developed on August 30, 2017 near the west African coast then intensified into a hurricane on the Saffir– Simpson scale within one day. Irma became a major storm at Category 3 hurricane On September 5, 2017 then reached its peak of Category 5 hurricane with intensity of 185 mph (295 km/h) winds. Irma was a Category 4 hurricane, before making landfall on The Florida Keys and was a major Category 3 by the time it made a second Florida landfall on Marco Island and Naples in Southwest Florida on Sunday September 10, 2017. Irma weakened to a category 2 hurricane later that day as it tracked along the Florida peninsula. This paper discusses morphologic responses to the storm in Southwest Florida where Irma made landfall at Marco Island and Naples. FDEP (2018) provides documentation of the post-storm beach conditions and coastal impact of Hurricane Irma throughout the state of Florida, This paper focuses on case studies in Southwest Florida.

LESSONS LEARNED FROM RAPID DEPLOYMENT OF WAVE GAGES AND CAMERAS DURING HURRICANE IRMA

Hurricane Irma was a category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. Irma developed from a tropical wave around the Cape Verde Islands. The National Hurricane Center started monitoring it on August 26, and it was classified as a tropical storm named Irma on August 30. Moving across the Atlantic Ocean, Irma increased in strength. On September 5, Irma was classified as a category 5 hurricane with wind speeds up to 175 mph (280 km/h). Irma made landfall in the U.S. on Cudjoe Key (near Big Pine and Summerland Keys) in the morning of September 10, still being a category 4 hurricane, and made a second landfall on Marco Island, south of Naples, on the same day as a category 3 hurricane. This paper describes the lessons learned by the authors when deploying wave gages and cameras to observe the wave run-up.

Ghost forests of Marco Island: Mangrove mortality driven by belowground soil structural shifts during tidal hydrologic alteration

Land use changes often create in situ stress and eventual mortality in mangroves as unsuitable hydroperiods are created through tidal flow alterations. Here, we document mangrove forest and soil structural changes within transects established in tidally restricted areas on Marco Island (Collier County, Florida, USA), which has broad swaths of dead-standing or unhealthy mangroves (“ghost forests”). Transects (N = 4) were arranged to include full canopy, transitional, and open canopy (dead) forests, and compared to nearby reference forests. Aboveground and belowground carbon (C) stocks (Total C) ranged from 288 to 304 Mg C ha−1 on full canopy, transitional, and reference sites, which did not differ from each other. However, Total C was lower for dead sites (233 Mg C ha−1) dictated entirely by differences in aboveground C (live and dead trees, downed wood); no differences were found among forest condition in belowground C stocks. This belowground C has been persistent in the soil for 85 years since initial tidal restriction. Nevertheless, hydrologic rehabilitation has the potential to increase total C stocks on dead sites by 70–110 Mg C ha−1. Collapse of the soil surface by 6–8 cm just under the active root zone in chronically stressed mangroves was evident within the bulk density profiles from transitional versus dead sites, suggesting that surface elevation loss as root turnover ceases may work correlatively with chronic stressors (anoxia, P limitation) to affect rapid mortality of forests over short periods of time many years after stress initiation. Hydrologic rehabilitation of stressed or denuded mangroves must also include an understanding of how these soil processes might be re-established.

Population Genetics Between an Insular and Coastal Population of Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) in Southwest Florida

Gopherus polyphemus (Gopher Tortoise) is a prominent species found in pine flatwoods, upland scrub, and coastal dunes of the southeast United States. Geoclimatic and anthropogenic sources of habitat changes have fragmented Gopher Tortoises into isolated populations that may reduce gene flow, promote inbreeding, and ultimately impact population viability. Rapid urbanization along the southwest Gulf Coast of Florida has degraded habitat, and fragmented insular and coastal populations. To assess the diversity in these vestige populations, we assessed the genetic structure of Gopher Tortoises on heavily developed Marco Island (n = 61) and the adjacent mainland within Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (RBNERR) (n = 23) in Collier County, FL. Using microsatellite markers, we determined that the Marco Island tortoises are genetically distinct from the RBNERR tortoises. We identified unique alleles and reduced allelic richness in both populations, suggesting isolation has reduced gene flow. We therefore encourage careful management of the Marco Island Gopher Tortoises to maintain the uniqueness of the population while preventing further loss of diversity.

Report on the 30th International Florida Artificial Intelligence Research Society Conference (FLAIRS‐30)

The 30th International Florida Artificial Intelligence Research Society Conference (FLAIRS‐30) was held May 22–24, 2017, at the Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort and Spa in Marco Island, Florida, USA. The conference events included invited speakers, special tracks, and presentations of papers, posters, and awards. The conference chair was Ingrid Russell from the University of Hartford. The program cochairs were Vasile Rus from the University of Memphis and Zdravko Markov from Central Connecticut State University. The special tracks were coordinated by Keith Brawner from the Army Research Laboratory.

Confronting the Meta-problems of Democracy

Prime Minister Papandreou originally presented this speech as the Keynote Address to the IADC's 2015 Midyear Meeting held in Marco Island, Florida on February 18, 2015.I. Where Greece was and is today - Bond SpikesWHEN I first received your invitation - in mid-September of last year - there was an accepted view of the Greek and euro economic crisis that we were making real progress. ten-year Greek bonds were yielding about 5%. Today, it seems we are back in crisis mode. One telltale sign is the fact that yields earlier this month were as high as 11%. (See Figure 1.)As bond markets saw that we might go - as we finally did - to a snap election in January, there was a huge spike in bond yields. What was this all about?Voters in Greece frustrated after six years of recession and five years of austerity, which has cost us a loss of 25% of our GDP, decided to change course. A new government was elected by promising completely different policies. But is it that easy? Is it a matter of simply changing a government? Or asking the people through a referendum which I attempted to push through?That would be a triumph of democracy.When I called for a referendum, I was immediately summoned to Cannes, where the G20 was to meet. Nicholas Sarkozy, then President of France, who chaired the G20, warned me, The markets will go haywire. He was dead against the referendum. No, the people could not have a say!No wonder our citizens around the world mistrust politics. They see politicians as impotent and believe that the average citizen has little influence. Most believe that little can change and that everything is futile. Politicians around the world are getting blamed. But are they to blame? Or are they getting a bad rap? Let me take you on a trip through some of my experiences.II. Personal StoriesBefore I get into the gory details of the crisis in Europe, let me introduce myself- and why I feel strongly about the future of our democracies- by way of some personal stories.I was born in St Paul, Minnesota in 1952. We soon moved to California, where I grew up. My father fled from a Greek dictatorship in the 1940s and got a PhD in economics from Harvard. family moved to Berkeley when he became head of the economics department. As an interesting side note, my father actually became a U.S. citizen and served in the U.S. Navy in World War II. In the early 1950s, he was head of Hubert Humphrey's campaign in the state of Minnesota.But I can assure you, growing up I was well aware of my Greek identity. I heard plenty of bedtime stories from my grandmother about Greek gods. I was always reminded of my Greek heritage because every time one of my teachers called out .my last name half the class would burst out in laughter.No, I was not a Jones or a Smith. It was a time when ethnic names were not popular. So my classmates usually changed my name to GP or Pappy or even Curious George, because my protruding ears reminded them of the famous monkey. Actually, I rather liked the Curious George nickname. He was one of my favorite characters, always trying to discover and always getting into trouble. Maybe it was a sign of what was in store for me later on in life.I first travelled to Greece around six years old. Starting out in California, my parents threw the four kids, three boys and one girl, into the back of the station wagon-no seat-belts then- and we took a week, from motel to motel, to get to New York.Upon arriving in New York, we sold the car and took an ocean liner to Greece, another two-week trip to the port of Piraeus. I still remember my grandfather, a tall and lanky man with a top hat, waiting for us on the dock. I was his namesake and he greeted me first. He grabbed my ear, pinched my cheek and then slapped me in the face.Uh-oh, I thought, I'm already in trouble. What did I do?But 1 soon learned that that was his show of deep emotion and overwhelming love for me. …

President-Elect's Page:The IADC 20/20 Vision

A year ago, Dick Neumeier, after serving as Editor of the Defense Counsel Journal for 22 years, handed the reins of the LADC's signature legal journal to M.C. Sungaila. In his farewell remarks, Dick borrowed from the inaugural inspiration of President John F. Kennedy when he challenged our membership to not what the Defense Counsel Journal can do you for you. Ask what you can do for the Defense Counsel Journall. Well, thanks to M.C. Sungaila, her editorial team, and our members, the DCJ has not missed a beat. Our members have embraced Dick Neumeier's challenge! In this, our 82nd volume, the DCJ has memorialized the keynote address of Prime Minister George Papandreou at our Midyear Meeting on Marco Island and continued to offer enhanced visibility to the IADC's growing amicus program by publishing briefs in support of issues critical to our corporate clients. Our July issue also includes must read articles analyzing employee class actions in the wake of Wal-Mart v. Dukes, the impact of the Supreme Court's recent jurisdictional decision in Daimler v. Bauman, risks and implications of innovator and co-promoter liability for pharmaceutical companies, and the expanding use of technology in the discovery process. The LADC is now in its 95th year, and the organization is better than ever. Our 2,500 members hail from more than 40 countries and five continents, and we continue to grow and expand throughout the world. The LADC stands alone, and our new logo captures the essence of our preeminent association and its members--Superior Advocates. Global Perspective. President Tripp Hasten has worked tirelessly to BUILD on the achievements and momentum the LADC has experienced over the past 20 years and, more recently, The Global Connection initiative our Immediate Past President, Molly Craig, launched in 2013. In the past two years, the LADC and its valued members have attended successful Regional Meetings and substantive programs in Paris, Milan, Vienna, London, Stuttgart, Lisbon, Singapore, Sydney, Hong Kong, Sao Paolo, and throughout the United States and Canada. Tripp's global leadership of the LADC is unprecedented and the For Law. For Life, theme of his tenure has truly enhanced the value of relationships, business development and education for our members. 20/20 Vision The LADC is in the home stretch toward its Centennial celebration in 2020. In the coming year, the leadership of the organization will continue its ongoing efforts to add greater value and increased visibility to the LADC and its members throughout the world. In April, the Board of Directors and the IADC staff began to work on a strategic plan that will ultimately define the association in its 100th year. …

The future of sequencing: convergence of intelligent design and market Darwinism

A report on the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology meeting held in Marco Island, Florida, USA, on February 12–15, 2014.

Companies 'going long' generate sequencing buzz at Marco Island

Companies 'going long' generate sequencing buzz at Marco Island

Clinical applications of sequencing take center stage

A report on the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) meeting, Marco Island, Florida, USA, February 20-23, 2013.This year's Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) meeting reflected the current state of 'next generation' sequencing (NGS) technologies: significantly reduced competition and innovation, and a strong focus on standardization and application. Announcements of technological breakthroughs - a hallmark of previous AGBT meetings - were markedly absent, but existing technologies continued to improve following the now expected exponential curve. Although applications ranged widely, there was a strong emphasis on clinical diagnosis.

A Conversation with Karen Russell

A Conversation with Karen Russell David Naimon (bio) Click for larger view View full resolution Photo by Michael Lionstar [End Page 27] Karen Russell has been wildly hailed as a rising star among the next generation of great writers. She was honored as one of The New Yorker's twenty best writers under the age of forty, as one of Granta magazine's Best Young American Novelists and as one of the National Book Foundation's five best writers under the age of thirty-five. Her first collection of stories, St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, came out shortly after she graduated from Columbia University's MFA program; it was named a Best Book of the Year by the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle. Last year, her debut novel, Swamplandia!, was nominated, along with books by David Foster Wallace and Denis Johnson, for the Pulitzer Prize in fiction. NPR described her latest short-story collection, Vampires in the Lemon Grove, as "one of the most innovative, inspired short-story collections in the past decade." This interview was conducted in April 2013. [End Page 137] David Naimon: Before we talk about Vampires in the Lemon Grove, I'd like to start with Florida and how it has influenced your work previous to this collection. Can you talk about Florida, how it has been a psychic tableau for you? Karen Russell: Up until this book, I would say most of my real and imagined life has been spent in Florida or some whacked-out version of Florida. My novel, Swamplandia!, is set in a mythic version of the Everglades, and so many of the stories in my first collection wound up being set in Marco Island, Key West, variations on those places, these liminal, swampy, watery holes populated by deranged adolescents—really damaged teenage boys and girls. Growing up in Florida, for me—even more than any literary influence, something about the matter-of-fact strangeness of that state—really had a lasting impact and primed me to love people like Kafka and Márquez, Kelly Link, George Saunders, folks writing these mash-ups where fantastical occurrences were happening simultaneously with more banal Tuesday grocery-store reality. Naimon: In an interview you did with Chad Harbach, the author of The Art of Fielding, you mentioned that setting determines what is possible and impossible for a character. The reason I've asked you about Florida is because it feels like with Vampires in the Lemon Grove you've departed from this landscape of your childhood that has informed a lot of what you've done previously. I wonder if you've discovered, as you've set your stories in places less familiar to you—Japan, the Arctic, New Jersey—different things popping up from your unconscious as you write, whether that shift of setting has changed the themes or tone of your stories as a result? Russell: I love "psychic tableau" because it really does speak to the way there are landscapes that feel like analogues to certain emotional states. So I do think it likely happened. I don't know if I was entirely conscious of it, but to move around, to jump around to these different territories, is liberating. In the case of a story like "Proving Up," which is set in Nebraska with a family of homesteaders at the turn of the century, if you try to take on that way of seeing and relating to the world, which is basically an extinct way of seeing and relating to the world, there is a new grammar of thought that becomes available to you. [End Page 138] Naimon: There were things that jumped out to me that felt like new areas of exploration in this collection. For one, a lot of your previous stories dealt with adolescence. There are stories in Vampires in the Lemon Grove that also do so. But there are many stories that deal with radically different themes here. For instance, the question of what we will be remembered for when we die in "The Barn at the End of Our Term" and issues of immortality and monogamy in the title...