James Merrill's poem "Clearing the Title" is about this house on Elizabeth Street, where he lived with his partner, David Jackson. Their efforts to communicate with spirits by Ouija board were the basis for the Pulitzer Prize winner's epic poem, The Changing Light at Sandover. Alison Lurie, a fellow Key Wester, recounts Merrill and Jackson's supernatural and occult concerns in her memoir, Familiar Spirits.

The Key West Literary Seminar Writers' Workshop Program provides writers at all stages of development with various opportunities to explore the craft of writing. Each workshop has its own unique focus and eligibility requirements, and each class is limited to between 8 and 12 participants to ensure individual attention.

The Workshop Program is distinct from the Seminar; you may attend either or both. Many people find that combining a workshop with attendance at the Seminar offers an invaluable experience: the Seminar inspires and opens up new avenues of thought, while the workshop provides a structure and a forum for putting these new ideas into practice. Discounts are available when registering for both.

Workshops are generally four days in length and cost $450. They usually take place in the morning, and include optional afternoon and evening activities, including manuscript consultations, informal talks, and open readings. An orientation dinner is provided on January 9. We will happily hold your place in the workshop program with a $100 per person deposit, refundable until June 30. It is only possible to take one workshop each year, as all workshops run concurrently. A $50 discount is available for most workshops, when taken in combination with the Seminar.

Current workshop offerings are listed at the bottom of this page, and more will be added in the coming weeks. Click on the images for complete details about each workshop.

If you have any questions, please call us, toll-free, at 1-888-293-9291, or email us at mail@kwls.org.

Register for the 2011 Key West Literary Seminar