littoral | news & updates

The complete schedule of events for the 32nd annual Key West Literary Seminar is now available: click here for Chapter One; and here for the Final Chapter.

“The Dark Side: Mystery, Crime, and the Literary Thriller” will unfold over the course of two independent sessions. Highlights of Chapter One (January 9-12, 2014) include the opening-night keynote address by V.I. Warshawski creator Sara Paretsky, entitled “My Quest for Heroes: Voice and Voicelessness.” Day Two features such powerhouse writers as Gone Girl author and #1 bestseller Gillian Flynn, National Book Award winner Joyce Carol Oates, and sci-fi icon William Gibson, concluding with a marquee evening performance by the best-selling novelist and journalist Carl Hiaasen entitled “The Florida Freak Show.” Day Three presents readings by international bestsellers Val McDermid and Alexander McCall Smith (No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency); panel discussions with South Florida crime-fiction pioneers James W. Hall and Les Standiford; a conversation with attorney-novelists Scott Turow and Stephen L. Carter; and National Book Award winner Robert Stone reading from his brand-new novel, Death of the Black-Haired Girl. The final day features rising stars of crime fiction Attica Locke and Megan Abbott, as well as a free-and-open-to-the-public session with former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins, who returns to the stage with Alexander McCall Smith, William Gibson, and Gillian Flynn.

The Final Chapter kicks off on Thursday, January 16, 2014, and runs through Sunday, January 19. Keynote honors go to Elizabeth George, the acclaimed author of the Inspector Lynley series. Perennial #1 bestsellers Lee Child and Michael Connelly headline Friday’s events along with Mysterious Press publisher, bookseller, and Edgar Allan Poe Award winner Otto Penzler. They’re joined by law professor and If You Were Here author Alafair Burke, poet and genre-jumper Percival Everett, and Lisa Unger, whose bestselling novels have been translated into twenty-six languages and sold more than 1.5 million copies around the globe. Friday concludes as Booker Prize-winning Irish novelist John Banville appears for a special evening event “in conversation” with his crime-writing alter ego, Benjamin Black. Saturday’s lineup features Lyndsay Faye, whose historical crime-fiction novels include The Gods of Gotham; #1 bestseller Michael Koryta (The Prophet); and Sara Gran, creator of the internationally acclaimed series featuring Claire DeWitt. Sunday morning’s program presents Australian novelist Malla Nunn (Blessed Are the Dead, Let the Dead Lie) and international bestseller Tess Gerritsen, while the free afternoon program includes back-to-back Anthony Award winner William Kent Krueger along with Lee Child, John Banville, and Billy Collins.

There are still a few spaces available to register for the Final Chapter. Chapter One is full. The general public is invited to attend free sessions at the San Carlos Institute, 516 Duval Street, on Sunday January 9, from 2:00-4:00 and again on the following Sunday, January 16, from 2:00-4:15. Seating is first-come first-served.