During the years Tennessee Williams lived in Key West, he swam at South Beach every morning before sitting down to write. “I work everywhere,” Williams said of Key West, “but I work best here.”
KEY WEST LITERARY SEMINAR
The Key West Literary Seminar has been drawing lovers of literature to our small island in the subtropics for more than a quarter of a century. Each January, passionate readers and writers gather together for conversations, readings, panel discussions, lectures, writers' workshops, and unique Key West parties where it is possible to mingle with the world's most illustrious writers.
An extraordinary assembly of poets gathered in Key West for the 28th annual Seminar this January. Clearing the Sill of the World paid tribute to acclaimed poet Richard Wilbur, who was joined by many of the leading poets of our time, including Kay Ryan, Billy Collins, Rita Dove, Maxine Kumin, Mark Strand, Robert Pinsky, Paul Muldoon, Yusef Komunyakaa, Natasha Trethewey, and James Tate. Visit Littoral now for pictures, audio recordings, and more from this historic event.
Registration for our 2011 Seminar is underway. The Hungry Muse will bring together dozens of today’s most compelling, thought-provoking, and funniest writers– memoirists, novelists, poets, historians, journalists, and all manner of lettered gastronome, gourmand, and epicure– to explore food and its place in contemporary literature. Confirmed speakers include Roy Blount, Jr., Daniel Halpern, Mark Kurlansky, Julia Reed, Ruth Reichl, and Calvin Trillin. Our 29th annual event will include two independent Seminar sessions, January 6 - 9, and January 13 - 16. Course offerings for our Writers' Workshop Program, January 9 - 12, will be announced in the Spring of 2010.
L I T T O R A L, our year-round online journal, is dedicated to sharing the rich life of letters in our island city. Visit now for exclusive interviews with Richard Wilbur and Billy Collins and rare Key West photographs of Shel Silverstein and James Merrill. You'll also find new releases from our Audio Archives Project, with more than 50 recordings of unique presentations by writers including Gore Vidal, Junot Díaz, and Mark Strand. To stay connected with KWLS, sign up for our email list, subscribe to Littoral, or join other fans and followers on Facebook or Twitter.