Under The Sun

Andrea Askowitz is the author of My Miserable, Lonely, Lesbian Pregnancy. She also wrote the short, true story Welcome to Miami. Her work has appeared in Jewcy, Offsprung, Literary Mama, The Washington Blade, The New York Blade, The Manhattan Resident, ibelle and Looking Queer. Andrea is an adjunct professor at Florida International University, where she teaches narrative nonfiction.

1. Where are you from?

I’m from Baptist Hospital

2. What’s your day job?

My day job is thinking about me. Then at 3:00 p.m. I have to think about my kids.

3. How long have you been in South Florida?

I was born in South Florida, but spent 18-38 in other, more tolerant places.

4. Which South Florida author would you most like to have with you on a deserted island and why?

I don’t want to be on a deserted island. I like being able to turn on a faucet. But if I had to be stuck somewhere, I’d choose Sean Kenniff, author of Etre the Cow and Stop Effing Yourself. He’s the type of guy who can make fire by rubbing sticks.

5. Favorite thing about the tourist season?

I thought tourists came here all year round.

6. The last night club you went to, what you drank, how much you paid for the drink and how much to get in?

I don’t go to nightclubs. See above. I’m a mom. I like to be in bed by 9.

7. Color that most makes you want to vomit when you see it in South Florida?

I like the colors here.

8. Where would you rather be than in South Florida?

I think I might rather be in Barcelona or Amsterdam. Someplace where people ride their bikes.

9. What does the rest of the world have totally wrong about this part of the country?

We really don’t see alligators that often.

10. In three words, how do you describe the experience of living in South Florida?

Sweaty, Spanish, family.