Preparations

January 8, 2011

Ruth Reichl





Preparations

The start of the year is a very, very busy time for me as the year kicks off each year with the annual installment of the Key West Literary Seminar on the first week-end of the year. This year marks the second year that I have spent on the board and my second round of serving as the volunteer coordinator. You would think that it would be easier the second time around, and it a way it was, but unlike last year when there was only a single session, there are two sessions on consecutive weeks this year.

Margaret & Christopher

Cathy, Damon & Leah

Nan & Arlo

Having two sessions means twice the work organizing and almost two times as many volunteers (though many of them work shifts on each session). It is mostly tedious and time consuming, but the fact is that we have a huge number of wonderful, worthy volunteers who make my job fairly easy.

Kathy, Michael, Janos & Linda

Janos & Linda

The week before the start of this year’s seminar, Kathy & I had some very special visitors to our island, who are dear friends of my mother Marta, Linda & Janos Horvath. The couple was visiting Key West for the first time from their home in Budapest where Janos serves as a member of the Hungarian Parliament. They joined us for dinner at Louie’s Backyard where they shared stories of their fascinating lives. It was a little intimidating hosting such distinguished guests, but they were as kind and charming as can be. We really wished that we had more time to have spent with them, but the myriad of tasks associated with seminar preparations kept us from that pleasure. Hopefully we will get a chance to see them in Budapest at some point.







Speaking of distinguished guests, I had the pleasure of picking up the keynote speaker for this year’s seminar, Ruth Reichl and her husband Michael at the airport and delivering them to their hotel and later to the board/panelist dinner at the lovely home of Jean Carper on Wednesday evening. Ruth is a noted food writer and served as editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine for many years. The opening party was well-attended and enjoyable and the Key West weather was just about perfect.

Rafael

Ruth Reichl

David, Curt & Ian



Thursday morning, I was at the San Carlos along with a group of volunteers led by my amazing friends Margaret, Doug and Ilana, the latter pair flying all the way from Minneapolis for the weekend just to volunteer for the seminar. It was a busy day of registrants and panelists arriving in advance of the evening’s activity.

Ilana & Doug



The topic of the seminar this year is “The Hungry Muse, An Exploration of Food in Literature” and Ruth Reichl kicked the event off by delivering the keynote, John Hersey Memorial Address at the San Carlos on Thursday evening. It was a beautiful and well received address, followed by the traditional reception at the Audubon House.