37th annual Key West Literary Seminar is January 10-13

Key West, Florida – The 37th annual Key West Literary Seminar, “Under the Influence: Archetype & Adaptation,” begins Thursday, January 10, at the San Carlos Institute, 516 Duval Street, and runs through Sunday, January 13. This year’s Seminar will dig deep into the roots and origins of literary culture, exploring the influence of tales told by Homer and Shakespeare and in folk and fairy tale traditions the world over.

This year’s keynote speaker is Margaret Atwood, an iconic writer whose dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale has found new popular resonance with the television series of the same name. Atwood will delve into the literary underpinnings of this groundbreaking work, together with her Homeric and Shakespearean adaptations, The Penelopiad and Hag-Seed. On Saturday night, New Yorker poetry editor Kevin Young and acclaimed poet Rowan Ricardo Phillips sit down for a discussion of the influence of music—from Beethoven to Big Pun—in their remarkable work.

Throughout the weekend, today’s best writers will discuss an array of literary influences and adaptions, including graphic novel treatments of Frankenstein and The Wizard of Oz with Victor LaValle and Eric Shanower; adaptations of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Valerie Martin, and of The Great Gatsby by Stephanie Powell Watts. Joyce Carol Oates will talk about the influence of H.G. Wells; Emily Wilson about her “radically contemporary” (New York Times) new translation of the Odyssey; and Geraldine Brooks and Nicole Galland about the flexibility of good stories from Othello to Little Women. Dexter Palmer offers a dark new tale inspired by “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” while Naomi Novik, Danielle Paige, and Meg Cabot explore the intersection of fairy tales and modern femininity.

Although this year’s Seminar is sold out, a new series of free programs will be held after the Seminar at various locations from January 13-16, 2019. The full schedule can be found at: kwls.org/2019-free-programs. In addition, Seminar organizers have arranged for Rowan Ricardo Phillips to meet with students from Key West and Marathon high schools. An expanded schedule of Literary Walking Tours is also offered throughout the seminar weekend.

More information about all events can be found at kwls.org.

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The mission of the Key West Literary Seminar is to promote the understanding and discussion of important literary works and their authors; to recognize and support new voices in American literature; and to preserve and promote Key West’s literary heritage while providing resources that strengthen literary culture. The Key West Literary Seminar is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

PHOTO CAPTION: The 37th annual Key West Literary Seminar “Under the Influence: Archetype & Adaptation” will bill held on January 10-13, 2019, at the San Carlos Institute, 516 Duval Street, in Key West. More than 700 people from all over the world are expected to attend the four-day event where the best writers of our time participate in readings, conversations, lectures, panel discussions, and parties. More info at kwls.org.

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