Carry

 

January 12, 2022

“Carry”

I want to carry you

and for you to carry me

the way voices are said to carry across the water.

Just this morning on the shore,

I could hear two people talking quietly

In a rowboat on the far side of the lake.

They were talking about fishing,

then one changed the subject,

and, I swear, they began talking about you.

 

Billy Collins- from “Aimless Love”

 

The topic of Desire has had an extra year to settle into the consciousness of the participants and planners of the 39^th annual Key West Literary Seminar as the global pandemic postponed what was to be held a year ago into a two-year tumultuous process that has finally come to fruition.

Against innumerable obstacles and issues that kept the very fate of this year’s seminar in the balance until very late in the game and involved wholesale changes to just about every aspect of the seminar. From the location to the program to the social events that always accompany the seminar. The fact of the matter is that our board of directors has not even met in person in almost two years and yet, we somehow, with the immense help and talent of our small staff, brave volunteers and panelists willing to travel in the midst of the pandemic. 

Most of all thanks to the attendees, who while we did have some dropping out, we managed to replace them with out waiting list and due to the larger size of the venue, we were able for the first time in many, many years accept registrations right up until the start of the seminar. 

The fact of the matter is we pulled together and pulled it off like champs, and in spite of all the crazy obstacles, it turned out to be yet another in a terrific string of Key West Literary Seminars. In fact in many ways, it was far superior to the staid, quiet indoor setting that we have called home for thirty years at the San Carlos Institute. 

*photo by Mark Hedden

Being outside, especially in the mostly pleasant weather we were fortunate enough to experience this year, is worth the minor distractions of chickens prowling the grounds and crowing loudly during Jericho Brown’s poetry reading, the planes that flew over the property with regularity or the large iguana that somehow made its way in to the ladies restroom. 

The presentations were great as usual and the writers in attendance just seemed so happy to be out again, talking about literature in front of live people. The topic featured some saucy and frank conversations and readings- including a very funny, brave and direct discussion between Jami Attenberg and Judy Blume that you would do well to go listen to right away on the KWLS audio archive. 

The Keynote Speech by Lauren Groff was amazing as well and poets, Jericho Brown, Eileen Myles and Billy Collins all did terrific readings that proved to me once again is that the very best way to experience poetry is to hear it read by the poets themselves. Deesha Philyaw was just as terrific as she was when we saw her in November at the Miami Book Fair. 

We had two years, worth of emerging writer award winners and there were six terrific voices who got to grace the stage this year in what is always one of my favorite moments of the seminar. And as usual the social functions, which were a bit limited this year, were a really fun, and an amazing opportunity to get to hang out with the writers and attendees, who are themselves a fascinating lot. 

Each year there are always a couple of break-out stars, who catch the audience unaware but become the favorites. I can always tell by the length of the lines at the book signings. This year Jericho Brown and Deeshaw Philyaw filled that position and hopefully they may each return next year. The seminar turned out to be pretty special all-around and it has me already looking forward to next year where the theme will be, “Singing America, The African-American experience in American Literature” 

 https://www.kwls.org/audio-archive/