KWLS Alumni Newsletter Volume 1

You’ve been busy. We have too. Over here at Key West Literary Seminar, we’re up to our necks in scholarship and award applications, writers-in-residence are coming and going, and we’re developing the Young Writers Studio for local high-school students, which will begin in 2018. (Those are our official excuses for…

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Doug Mack looks back

It was 2006; the seminar topic was “The Literature of Adventure, Travel, and Discovery.” I was twenty-four and an avid reader of travel writing.

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Now accepting scholarship applications!

We are now accepting applications for our three main funding opportunities. Apply now for Teacher and Librarian Scholarships, Emerging Writer Awards, and Workshop Financial Aid.

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Schedule Announced for “Shorts”

 Opening night speakers, Hilton Als and Junot Díaz. Photos by Thea Goldberg and Nina Subin After almost two years of planning, the 34th annual Key West Literary Seminar—"Shorts: Stories, Essays, & Other Briefs"—is now just four weeks away. We are excited to unveil the complete schedule for one of the most eagerly anticipated ...Read More

2016 Awards to Jacks, Scarpa, Stephens

 We are pleased to announce the winners of this year’s Emerging Writer Awards. The overall quality of the hundreds of submissions we received before this year's deadline is testament to the fact that we live in a vibrant time, and in a world that is animated, informed, and documented by ...Read More

2016 Teacher & Librarian Scholarships Announced

Teachers and librarians are the vanguard of literary culture. Each day they welcome new members to the community of readers, curate resources that reveal the histories of our cities and families, foster discussions about important literary works, and encourage the development of new voices in American literature. We recognize a …Read More

First Lear Scholarship to Cricket Desmarais

We are delighted to announce the selection of Cricket Desmarais as the recipient of our inaugural Liz Lear Scholarship. Introduced this year, the annual award recognizes a Florida Keys resident who is passionate about the written word. The Lear Scholarship provides the recipient with full tuition to the seminar and/or …Read More

2015 Awards to Deshpande, Bodwell, Kwak

We are pleased to present the winners of our 2015 Seminar Emerging Writer Awards: JAY DESHPANDE Scotti Merrill Award selected by Billy Collins Merrill Award winner Jay Deshpande writes: “When I’m writing these days, what I’m most desirous of is that something be at stake. All that matters is that …Read More