The podium awaits keynote speaker Sara Paretsky, whose address was entitled “My Quest for Heroes: Voice and Voicelessness.” Set design by Cayman Smith-Martin. All photos by Nick Doll.The main auditorium of the historic San Carlos Institute as viewed from the balcony. Opening night brought a capacity crowd of avid readers.A crowded house awaits the introduction by KWLS president Lynn Kaufelt and San Carlos presifent Rafael Peñalver.Sara Paretsky takes the stage and the 32nd annual Key West Literary Seminar is underway.
The opening-night party at the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum featured classic Cuban daquiris served beside the swimming pool where the great novelist once swam.
Istanbul Passage author Joseph Kanon talks with attendees at the Hemingway Home.
The Hemingway Home as guests begin to arrive.Ashley Kamen, Susannah Gilman, and Cara Cannella at the afterparty.Carl Hiaasen.View from above.
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.