Ahead of his Tombolo Books' celebration, author Rob Sanders talked about his latest release "Blood Brothers" and the recent Florida Book Award for his book "Stitch by Stitch."

“It was just one of those things that spurred the government and others into action.” Author Rob Sanders is talking about the Aids Memorial Quilt.
He wrote about the person behind it in his children’s book “Stitch by Stitch” – Cleve Jones.

“Cleve is one of those heroes of my community that kids don’t know about,” said Sanders.
The quilt raised awareness about the AIDS epidemic, its marginalized victims and the desperate need for funding medical research.

“That motif of quilts is in the book,” explained Sanders. “Stitching together a group of friends, the world beginning to unravel with AIDS.”

These are also the lived experiences of Sanders—he described himself as a closeted gay man during the AIDS epidemic.

He dedicated the book to two high school friends he lost during the AIDS epidemic. The book won bronze in the 2021 Florida Book Awards — a special honor.

“All those books end up in the University of Florida Library and in the Governor’s mansion,” said Sanders. “So it’s wonderful to know that “Stitch by Stitch” and some of my other works, like "Stonewall: A Building. A Revolution.,” are there in the Governor’s mansion for others to see and read and enjoy.”

His latest release, Blood Brothers, is his first novel. He wrote it for middle schoolers. “It’s set in 1987 and takes place over 14 days,” Sander explains.
It’s historical fiction based on hemophiliac brothers from Florida–they contracted HIV through blood transfusions.

And their community shunned them. Sanders’ main character Calvin --has a moment of clarity…
“Calvin begins to realize that he carries with him the same prejudice that other people in his town carry with them,” said Sanders. “He has just begun to experience prejudice himself.” And that moment changes everything.

His next work is a collection.

“It’s about many people in the LGBTQ community,” Sanders explained. “And it’s poetry. It’s different. Always trying something different.”

Different writing styles Same idea. Remembering people who fought for equality. 

Tombolo Books is presenting "An Evening with Rob Sanders," on September 6th at Coastal Creative, along with sponsors Florida Humanities and presented in partnership with the Florida Freedom to Read Project.