The Off the Page Literary Celebration, hosted by Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Resources, features bestselling authors, writing workshops, book signings, and more during the month of November. All Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Resources locations participate. Events are also held at partner locations like Ringling College of Art and Design, or other offsite locations. Gary Monroe is an award-winning author, photographer, and folklorist whose work has helped preserve and celebrate Florida’s cultural heritage. A Miami Beach native, Monroe is best known for his groundbreaking research on the Highwaymen, a group of African American landscape painters whose contributions were long overlooked. His landmark book "The Highwaymen: Florida’s African-American Landscape Painters" brought national attention to their work and . Through his books, lectures, and photography, Monroe continues to share Florida’s rich artistic traditions, folk culture, and diverse history with audiences around the world.