Motion of Intervals, a story that centers around a road trip, ends in Key West, Florida. This was a deliberate and obvious choice to me, because of all the lovely literary places I’ve been lucky enough to visit- none has dug its way under my skin like the lovely little Conch Republic. Key West, for all of its 4.2 square miles of actual land, has a surprisingly bright literary history. Perhaps most famously, Papa Hemingway himself took up residence and claimed the island as his own. The progeny of his six toed cats still roam the meticulously maintained confines of his Whitehead Street estate. His is not the only notable name on a storied list of literary connections.

Robert Frost escaped the cold New England winters in Key West. Tennessee Williams wrote A Streetcar Named Desire at the La Concha Hotel. Jimmy Buffett didn’t just write songs there, (songs that usually read like short stories), but also lays claim to seven books. Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree was inspired by an actual banyan tree that stood outside his Key West home. Today, Judy Blume owns the non-profit bookstore Books & Books which has become a destination in its own rite. There are dozens of other well known writers who call the tiny landmass home.

That Key West would attract and inspire so many wordsmiths is hardly a surprise. Whether I am squeezing between street acts at sunset on Mallory Square or downing a colorful cocktail at one of the many storied Duval Street bars or exploring public gardens, I’m always struck by how vibrant the sights, sounds, and smells are that surround me. It’s as if everything is just *more* there. Red isn’t just red. It’s a fiery, whip snapping, red that sears the skin. A solo guitar player isn’t just background music. She is channeling ancient Greek mousai, goddesses of music and poetry. It’s not just a floral bouquet, it’s an intoxicating perfume of jasmine and plumeria. All of the senses are challenged and for the writer- this includes that indescribable, unmapped part of the soul that filters real life into fiction.

When I need a reset, a new spring of inspiration, Key West is always the perfect destination.