Today we’d like to introduce you to Brad Bertelli.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
It started in 1999 when I received a James Michener Fellowship to the University of Miami supporting a two-year Master in Fine Arts in Creative Writing program.
From the beginning, the plan was to move to Miami, graduate, drive back across Alligator Alley, and return to Sanibel and Captiva islands – my first Florida home. During my two years living in the Miami suburb of Kendall, I discovered the Overseas Highway and how it led to the Florida Keys. In 2001, after graduating, instead of packing up the U-Haul and driving west to those beautiful barrier islands where seashells wash up on the beaches in brilliant piles, I headed south. I drove south toward the Overseas Highway, across the 18-Mile Stretch, and down to Plantation Key, where I have lived ever since.
If I was going to be a writer and support my habit by working in the hospitality industry, I was going to live on an island – that was perfectly clear. I came to the Keys to finish my great Florida novel, and I managed to continue my work with fiction for a couple of years before the road I had been metaphorically traveling down forked, and I took the path I never saw coming. I was given a book deal by the University Press of Florida and tasked with writing a book about snorkeling in the Sunshine State. During the research phase, I literally snorkeled my way into Florida Keys’ history. What was interesting, especially in the Keys, was that dive captains, their crews, and even locals all told different stories about how the reefs acquired their names. When I started digging deeper into the stories, I learned about wrecking, shipwrecks and lighthouses, and it was that combination that led to what can only be described as a rabbit hole in Florida Key’s history. Snorkeling Florida was published in 2008, and my interest in the local history never went away, nor did my desire to write about it – much to the chagrin of a certain unfinished novel patiently waiting for me to return to my roots.
Fifteen years later, I am recognized as a respected Florida Keys historian, author, and speaker who, for the last decade, has been writing a history column for the local newspapers. My column first appeared bi-weekly in The Reporter; since 2018, it has appeared weekly in The Keys Weekly.
And then, in December 2021, Florida Keys History with Brad Bertelli became a thing. It started as a group page on Facebook where I could post daily bits of Florida Keys history. Since it has grown into something more. I love writing my column, but there is only so much that can be said in 800 words. The popularity of the group page inspired me to revisit some of the old columns with the attitude that I had more than 800 words to spend which is what I did with some of my favorite stories and how Florida Keys History with Brad Bertelli, Volume I came to fruition.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
A long road for sure, but I would not call it a smooth one. I have had to believe in myself and trust my vision, blindly in cases, and just keep putting one foot in front of the other and taking the steps I felt necessary to continue to move forward. Both as a writer and a local historian I have encountered a ton of roadblocks and rejection but you have to believe in yourself and that is one thing I have always been able to do. The good people of Monroe County have made me an Honorary Conch and appointed me to the Monroe County Historic Preservation Commission so I have apparently my path is moving in the right direction.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Though I have begun to dabble in fiction again, most notably with my book The Florida Keys Skunk Files, I live and breathe local history. Thankfully, I have a very understanding wife who has always supported my passion. I continue to support my writing and history habit with freelance history and outside writing projects, and bartending a couple of days a week at world-famous Robbie’s Marina.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I have collaborated on a number of outside projects including books, research papers, documentaries and I am always keen on sharing my growing knowledge of the history of the Florida Keys. You can support my efforts by engaging me as a speaker, buying my books, or donating to my cause through my website.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bradbertelli.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradbertelli/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/407393904507233
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradbertelli
