Key West Literary Seminar welcomes readers and writers to this subtropical island city. Our flagship program is the annual Seminar, a four-day event that explores a unique literary theme each January, where readers from around the world enjoy presentations by some of the best writers of our time. In our Writers’ Workshop Program, also in January, writers of all levels meet in small groups with esteemed faculty to share their work and explore the craft of writing. A Scholarship Program reduces seminar and workshop fees for teachers and librarians, and recognizes the work of outstanding emerging writers.
Our Young Writers Studio provides local high school students with world-class educational experiences and writing instruction each summer, while our year-round Literary Walking Tour offers a ninety-minute stroll through literary Key West. Exclusive recordings from the Seminar over thirty years are available in the Audio Archive, and our online journal, Littoral, features news, essays, photographs, and other resources that document Key West’s rich literary history.
In 2019, we acquired the former home of celebrated poet Elizabeth Bishop, at 624 White Street. We are now restoring this national treasure and will preserve it as it was when Bishop lived here in the 1930s and 1940s.