Key West Literary Seminar

05/28/2026

Thank you to the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, Inc. for honoring our restoration of the Elizabeth Bishop House with a 2026 Preservation Award. The Bishop Garden is now open to the public, weekdays from 10–3, as a quiet place for private reading and reflection. This summer, the House & Garden will be the main campus for our Young Writers Studio. And this fall, we'll host regular field trips and learning expeditions for local students.

The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation has announced Key West Literary Seminar’s Elizabeth Bishop House & Garden as a winner of its 2026 Florida Preservation Award.

05/22/2026

Calling all new writers: Just about ten days left to apply for our Emerging Writer Awards - we're eager to see your work!

POETS! NOVELISTS! SHORT STORY WRITERS!

Winners of the 2027 Emerging Writer Awards will receive full tuition support for our January 2027 Seminar and Writers’ Workshop Program, round-trip airfare, lodging, a $500 honorarium, and appear on stage during the Seminar. They will be in Key West from January 3 – 11, 2027.

“My experience at KWLS after winning the EWA was absolutely incredible — it was such a gift to be able to spend time in such a generous, supportive community and explore the rich history of literature in Key West. I had the opportunity to be in a workshop with a vibrant group of writers… and read alongside my fellow award winners during the Seminar in a room full of writers I admire.” 2025 Winner, Annaka Saari

Deadline to apply is June 1st. APPLY HERE: https://www.kwls.org/awards/emerging-writer-awards/

05/19/2026

Congratulations to all the students who have been accepted to our Young Writers Studio this summer. The program runs June 22-26, and we only have a couple spaces left. Monroe County students in grades 9-11 can still apply: https://www.kwls.org/young-writers/

Congratulations to 10th graders Maceya Carey, Jayla Hobbs, and Summer Bailey on being accepted into the KWLS (Key West Literary Seminar) Young Writers Studio this summer, June 22-26.

05/18/2026

Reminder from our friends at the Literary Arts Fund. And a heartfelt THANK YOU to all those whose charitable contributions make our work possible.

Literature is the least-supported artistic discipline in the U.S., receiving only 1.9% of the $5 billion in arts grants from foundations. This underfunding, coupled with other challenges—including rising operating and publishing costs—underscores the urgent need for increased support for the nonprofit literary arts field.

Learn more at literaryartsfund.org.

04/22/2026

Did you know our Audio Archive holds more than 900 unique recordings by over 600 authors? Tune in and tell us your favorites! Free for all readers, all over the world.

More than 500 unique presentations by the world’s most influential writers are available in our audio vault for use by educators, students, and readers worldwide. You can play many recordings immediately on our site, while others are available by request. Select a name from the index to begin, or ...

04/21/2026

We are delighted to announce the faculty for our 2027 Writers’ Workshop Program!

Top row L to R; Charles Baxter (short story), Jenna Blum (novel), Beth Nguyen (memoir), Eula Biss (creative nonfiction), Maya C. Popa (poetry), Jamel Brinkley (short story) and Megha Majumdar (short story and novel).

Check out their accomplishments — link in bio. We will begin accepting applications on Tuesday, April 28.

04/10/2026

Now blooming at the Elizabeth Bishop Garden — two kinds of wild coffee. The beauties of our native plants can be "a little hard to see" (to borrow a phrase from Wallace Stevens) and coffee flowers are a great example. Look for tiny, white, star-shaped flowers on the Shiny-leaved Wild Coffee (Psychotria nervosa), only a quarter-inch across, emerging in clusters at the center of new leaves, which are shiny with prominent veins. Those on Bahama Wild Coffee (Psychotria ligustrifolia) are even smaller, barely blooming at all. Both will turn to berries later on, nervosa in a showy bright-red, and ligustrifolia in a more subdued burgundy. Look close, and you'll see leaves in “all the different shades of green,” as Bishop remarked.

Both plants are in the same genus as the one that makes the "gallons of coffee" that keep writers going — from the Greek "Psychotria" meaning "to give life." Sadly, these native berries have no caffeine. Both are now rare in the wild, and Psychotria ligustrifolia is on Florida's endangered species list.

Join director Arlo Haskell on Wednesday mornings at 8:30 for "Miracle for Breakfast," a look at what's blooming at the Bishop Garden. Or stop by on your own, weekdays from 10am–3pm.

03/23/2026

Now blooming at the Elizabeth Bishop Garden: the Key West Rock Rose. Once commonly found in Key West, this heritage rose is largely unknown here today, even to many gardeners. When the painter Gregorio Valdes died in 1939, his family covered the coffin with the Rock Roses they grew for sale in their backyard. In 1940, Bishop hired a gardener who promised a grafted rose bush that would bloom multiple colors — but when the flowers finally came in, she complained: “all the roses are nothing but ordinary Rock Roses, pale pink.” In his excellent "100 Roses for the South Florida Garden,” Victor Lazzari writes: “Few roses are better able to withstand oppressive heat, humidity, poor soil, and general neglect." Come see it for yourself at the Bishop Garden, open weekdays from 10 to 3. Or join director Arlo Haskell for “Miracle for Breakfast,” a weekly look at what’s blooming, each Wednesday at 8:30 am.

03/13/2026

Last week, we received the Historic Florida Keys Foundation's highest honor — a Star and Certificate of Excellence for Preservation, Restoration, Rehabilitation, and New Construction for our work at the Elizabeth Bishop House & Garden.

Huge gratitude to everyone who helped us breathe new life into this national treasure: architect Dave Salay of Bender & Associates; contractor Nick Egan and the whole incredible Egan Built team; the historic window restoration crew at Austin Historical; historic shutter restoration experts Elizabeth DeVries and Richard Jaworski; George Beys and George's Plumbing; roofing by Tommy Valente and Roof Assassins; garden design by Craig Reynolds Landscape Architecture; garden install by Rob Crider and Just Keys Trees; Patrick and Billy at MEE Electric; and so many more skilled craftsmen and craftswomen who contributed their expertise, their sweat, and their care.

Thank you, above all, to our many public and private funding partners: the State of Florida Division of Historic Resources; the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners and Tourist Development Council; and the more than 215 individual donors from around the world who contributed over $3.8 million to support the acquisition, restoration, and ongoing preservation of this singular piece of American literary history.

Before and after pics by Mark Hedden.

02/04/2026

A few spots are left in our generative poetry weekend, coming up soon!

Join us and get motivated for a joyful and creative year. You will meet Friday evening, Feb 20, as well as Saturday and Sunday, Feb 21 & 22. Cost is $440. More information in bio.