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Key West Sketches: Writers at Mile Zero
An eclectic collection by writers who have lived, worked, and played in Key West, Florida. Key West has long been America’s most vibrant writers' colony, tracing its writerly roots to Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, Robert Frost, John Hersey, Richard Wilbur, James Merrill, and Elizabeth Bishop. More recently, Thomas McGuane, Robert Stone, Judy Blume, Robert Richardson, Ann Beattie, Philip Caputo, Alison Lurie, and Meg Cabot have added their luster to the island’s literary heritage. This collection includes a treasure trove of more than sixty essays, reminiscences, musings, and poems about Key West. It features the town’s best-known Lurie, Blume, Caputo, Cabot, McGuane, Beattie, Shames, Lee Smith, Frank Deford, Phyllis Rose, Glenn Frankel, Joy Williams, Barbara Ehrenreich, Billy Collins, and on and on.
270 pages, Paperback
Published September 19, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 5, 2024
A great collection of short stories about Key West and its famous residents written by the many authors that are currently living at Mile Zero. The second half covers the island's history. Stories on those that helped shape Key West into what it is today, who are no longer with us.
January 16, 2024
Excellent collection of stories about Key West and notable residents in their own voices (or those of friends). Amazing insight into the history of the island and its people. Great selection from Judy Blume's Books & Books store in KW.
December 28, 2023
Many hours can be spent reading through this captivating collection. With more than sixty essays and poems about Key West, all in all, far too many essays, poems, and literary pieces to describe one by one, but this is a glorious anthology.
Given the title, one might immediately think of Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams. Yet the dominant protagonist in this collection is Key West itself. Essays trace Key West’s long history including its place as a vibrant writers’ colony, with tributes to its best-known authors and poets.
Rich, descriptive phrases--both of the keys and the people who live there--enrich this collection, no question. Yet, there is a certain sense of eulogy in many of the essays. An almost mythical location, Key West is a place that fell victim to its own popularity, as many of the authors in this book note with sorrow. The Key West of Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, and Elizabeth Bishop is long gone now, given over to tourists and aggressive development.
In addition to its many excellent selections in prose and poetry, the anthology is lavishly illustrated with photographs and paintings depicting scenes and famous (and not famous) peoples of Key West, which enhance the book with additional enjoyment. The pages of the book are printed on a high-quality paper—almost if not actually photography paper—and so the reproductions of the photos are excellent. A Kindle edition is available, but if you buy this book, and I encourage you to do so, then treat yourself to the actual book to best enjoy these stunning photographs.
Given the title, one might immediately think of Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams. Yet the dominant protagonist in this collection is Key West itself. Essays trace Key West’s long history including its place as a vibrant writers’ colony, with tributes to its best-known authors and poets.
Rich, descriptive phrases--both of the keys and the people who live there--enrich this collection, no question. Yet, there is a certain sense of eulogy in many of the essays. An almost mythical location, Key West is a place that fell victim to its own popularity, as many of the authors in this book note with sorrow. The Key West of Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, and Elizabeth Bishop is long gone now, given over to tourists and aggressive development.
In addition to its many excellent selections in prose and poetry, the anthology is lavishly illustrated with photographs and paintings depicting scenes and famous (and not famous) peoples of Key West, which enhance the book with additional enjoyment. The pages of the book are printed on a high-quality paper—almost if not actually photography paper—and so the reproductions of the photos are excellent. A Kindle edition is available, but if you buy this book, and I encourage you to do so, then treat yourself to the actual book to best enjoy these stunning photographs.
March 31, 2024
Nice little vignettes of Key West characters up close and personal.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews