90 miles from cuba, key west is closer to havana than miami. We learn more about the history of the island from the Monroe County librarian. We are in the Key West Branch of the Monroe County library. I house the archives for munro county. We try to keep all of the records we can, church records, plus some of the government records that other people have disposed of, a little bit of everything. I pulled out several things i thought would be of interest to the cspan audience. General items, various things that happened here over the many years we have been here. Key west had native americans who either died out or moved out. Most of most of the ones moved out at the end of the first spanish period. No one had a permanent population until the americans bought florida and commodore to keyorter was ordered west to establish the first naval station. Really established the first. Ivilization here followed by him was john the landwho bought from a spanish military officer. We consider the let
Jewish travelers that had passed through key west beginning as early as 1823. By studying the life of the Jewish Community, which has always been a small, but significant piece of the overall community, it has allowed me to gain a richer sense of the Key West Community at large. In the 1880s, we get to the birth of key wests Jewish Community. They are a group of people who identify themselves as jews and are identified by the overall inhabitants of the town. 1880s, it was a time of great difficulties for jews in europe. Jews were laws targeting or making jewish life difficult and this led to a huge explosion in jewish immigration into the United States. Jews came to new york first was not a terribly common next stop, but a smart choice for the people who made it. Key west was the wealthiest city per capita in the United States. There was a thriving cigar industry here and a lot of activity going on. In 1886, there was a fire that third or about one half of the business district, caused
Literary celebration, a combination of lectures, readings, panel discussions, versations, and it began the first years looking at the work of Ernest Deming way and it grew Ernest Hemingway and it grew. There was a seminar devoted to Tennessee Williams and a collection of writers. They look to people like james james merrill. Since that time, over the 30 plus years, the seminar has stuck to that same fourday format. It is an investigation of a particular literary theme. Anyway you can divide contemporary american literature, we have had seminars devoted by biography an autobiography, seminars devoted to poetry as well as in a particular sense the poetry of elizabeth bishop. We have looked at the popular crime fiction genre. We did a seminar called the dark side. A lot of really wonderful bigname crime writers. We delve into nonfiction through a variety of topics. One of the things we like to do is explore how nonfiction writing and fiction talk to one another and how a biographer or his
[applause] thank you so much. My name is arlo haskell, and i am the executive director of the key west literary seminar. [applause] before i get started, let me make just one quick housekeeping announcement. Were going to do the question and answer session a little bit differently today. There will be stationary mics in each aisle, and if you would like to ask a question, you should get up out of your seat and come to the mic and ask your question. When we get to that point. Okay. It is a pleasure to welcome you all to the San Carlos Institute and to the 35th annual key west literary seminar, revealing power the literature of politics. This sunday afternoon session is free and open to the public. This is our gift to the community. And it wouldnt be possible without the gifts that many others have made to us that support our operations throughout the year. Id particularly like to thank peggy whose support makes this free sunday Public Session possible. Thank you. [applause] and in addit
Like everyone else who has been on this stage perhaps myself excluded, joes credential joe joes credentials are so varied, and joe has just told me hey has Public Service announcements to make. So im going to before you ask any questions, i do have a few Public Service announcements to make. First of all, since were kind of coming to the end of the roa here i just want to compliment the people who put this thing on. Its it is. [applause] it has been pure joy every minute of it. I mean, the endorphins are just crazy in my brain, and also i am just so honored to have been on the same stage with so many brilliant and wonderful ride cash writers and want to do a special outshout oh joyce carol oats who defended against the idiot hordeses and in 20 years after they were coming after me after i wrote primary colors she defended me, too, andnd defended the act of writing anonymously. Dont screw up my questions, joe. Guest i also want to thank the four young cowboyan American High School teach