Scott Turow: “Writers write. They don’t sit in barrooms with other writers, they don’t talk about what they’re going to write. They write.” Photo by Nick Doll.Gillian Flynn: “Dark sides are important. They should be nurtured like nasty black orchids.” Photo by Nick Doll.Attica Locke: “Books teach us how to say goodbye. You learn to love these people and let them go, and you also flex the muscle that’s accepting of contradiction. You get a sense that, in life, we’re not always going to get the right answers or experience a sense of justice. It grows us up.” Photo by Nick Doll.Dare Me author Megan Abbott poses a question from the audience to Gillian Flynn. Photo by Nick Doll.Joyce Carol Oates and Jonathan Santlofer on Literature, Shadows, and the Dark Side of Life. Photo by Nick Doll.Joseph Kanon: “What really interests me are those decisions where there isn’t one right thing to do. Maybe there are only bad choices.” Photo by Nick Doll.
Stephen L. Carter is a law professor at Yale, and his most recent book is The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln. He was joined by Attica Locke and Joseph Kanon in conversation about The Moral Impulse in a Shadowy World. Photo by Nick Doll.
Beyond Genre: William Gibson and James Gleick. Photo by Nick Doll.
Billy Collins returns to KWLS this year to share the dark side of his poetry. Photo by Nick Doll.KWLS photographer Nick Doll snaps a selfie with author James W. Hall. Going Dark is the latest of his eighteen novels. Photo by Nick Doll.Light streaming through the lobby of the historic San Carlos Institute, the longtime venue for KWLS. Photo by Nick Doll.Raquel Roque at the Books & Books pop-up store at the San Carlos. Photo by Nick Doll.Joyce Carol Oates. Photo by Nick Doll.Joyce Carol Oates, Sara Paretsky, and Scott Turow signing books. Photo by Nick Doll.Sara Paretsky and Joyce Carol Oates signing books for their fans.In a conversation with Sara Paretsky and John Sandford, Megan Abbott and John Katzenbach (pictured here) discuss the idea, “Crime Writers are not psychotic. They’re just like you.” Photo by Nick Doll.John Sandford, author of thirty-two novels including Prey and Virgil Flowers. Photo by Nick Doll.
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 fees for teachers and librarians and recognizes the work of outstanding emerging writers. Exclusive recordings from the Seminar spanning thirty years are available in the Audio Archive, while our online journal, Littoral, features news, essays, photographs, and other resources that document Key West’s rich literary history.
A diversity of life thrives in the littoral zone — a thin strip of coastline between high and low watermarks. As the operating metaphor for our online journal, it refers to that part of Key West routinely overrun by the tide of literature and to the rich life of letters in this island city. Here you’ll find event coverage from our team of writers and photographers; news and updates about upcoming opportunities; and rare images from historic collections, interviews, and all manner of report from Key West’s life of letters.