No Direction Home: “Spend the afternoon. You can’t take it with you.”- Annie Dillard

January 7, 2019

Annie Dillard

“Spend the afternoon. You can’t take it with you.”- Annie Dillard

One of the coolest things about Key West is that it has always and continues to draw amazing creative people who visit or better yet, call the island home. Among these creative talents are a number of amazing writers, many who we have come to know through our affiliations with the arts community. Among our favorites is the lovely and talented Annie Dillard who lives here much of the year along with her husband Bob Richardson.

Michael Mewshaw and Annie Dillard

Annie is certainly best known for her literary prowess, she is an accomplished writer and among a select few Key West writers who have been honored with a Pulitzer Prize (for her amazing 1974 work, “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek”). She has published works of poetry, essays, prose, and literary criticism, as well as two novels and one memoir and is a well-known force of American literature. What is less known about Annie is that she is also a talented visual artist and has recently created a wonderful new body of work featuring painted portraits of literary legends in their youth.

James Joyce by Annie Dillard

Brenda and Annie

Oona and Brenda

Her new exhibit, “Writers In Their Youth” opened this week at the Studios of Key West along with some other wonderful exhibits featuring work from artists Larry Blackburn and Rhonda Bristol as well as an exhibit on the work of O’ Miami, How to take the words out of a poem, Objects and Images from O, Miami. It is as strong a collection of exhibits to open as we have seen and well worth a visit to the Studios.

Annie was on hand along with all of the featured artists as the packed opening reception really kicked the Key West cultural season into high gear. In fact the event was only one of a few that were happening the same evening, which later found us back in our season tickets at the Tennessee Williams Fine Arts Center for the touring Broadway production of “Something Rotten”.

The show premiered on Broadway in 2015 and was nominated for ten Tony awards and the touring show was making a single night stand at TWFAC as part of their annual calendar of traveling Broadway shows. We were completely unfamiliar with the show and its music, but it was really excellent and funny and we enjoyed it a great deal.

This year also marks what one group of Key Westers the start of a weekly trend on the island by officially having every Tuesday proclaimed Tutu Tuesday. They began their efforts on the first Tuesday of the year by hosting a Tutu event that began at the Ocean Key House at Zero Duval Street and featured a Conch Train ride up Duval to the Southernmost Hotel where a poolside Tutu party was held to commemorate the first Tutu Tuesday of 2019.

I tagged along to try and get a sense of what it was about and of course to take photos of my friends in silly Tutus, which is always fun. We already have the big Tutu Tuesday party during Fantasy Fest and an official Tutu 5K race, and a bar devoted to the frilly frock, so what are a few more officially designated Tutu days?

Their proposal has hit a small snag as the newly elected Key West mayor, who initially supported the idea, has reconsidered and now wants to hear more about the details and who benefits and may be impacted by the declaration by the city. Whatever officially happens, there is no question that the Tutu is recognized as part of the official dress code by many in Key West and wearing one is not really that uncommon at all. I think that I own a half dozen Tutus of varying styles and colors and no one in Key West thinks that is strange at all.