January 7, 2025 – (KEY WEST, FL).  As the Tennessee Williams Key West Festival draws near, the Key West Art & Historical Society invites poets and writers to submit original works for its 2025 Poetry and Short Story writing contests – components of the annual celebration held each March in honor of the Pulitzer Prize-winning literary icon that moved to Key West in 1949 and remained a resident for 34 years.

Drawing from the 2025 Festival theme, writing contest entries must in some way reference Tennessee Williams’ seminal 1947 work “A Streetcar Named Desire.”  Authors may choose to write a story or poem loosely referencing the work itself, Williams’ experience during the writing process, one or more of the play’s characters, or one of the actors/actresses who appeared in the film.

The cost is $10 per submission and is limited to one poem and/or one short story per person.  The first-place winner in each contest will be awarded $300 while the second-place winner will receive $150.  Submissions will be accepted through March 9 with winners announced during the Tennessee Williams Birthday Party on March 26.  The short story contest is generously supported by Bert Whitt while support for the poetry contest comes from Laurie McChesney.  For full contest information, guidelines, a list of judges, and a submission link visit www.twfest.org/contests.

The Tennessee Williams Museum at 513 Truman Avenue is open every day for self-guided tours 10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.  For more information about the museum or the festival, contact the Key West Art & Historical Society at 305-295-6616 or visit www.kwahs.org.
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Your Museums.  Your Community.  It takes an Island.

​MONROE COUNTY, FL – Are you interested in obtaining grant funds to elevate, demolish/reconstruct, or sell your home that is below base flood elevation, at risk of flooding, or has flooded before with a National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) flood insurance claim?
 
If so, Monroe County is participating in a national grant program known as Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) to help with the costs of elevating, or demolishing and reconstructing your home. Buying out your home is also an eligible grant activity. This program is available to all Monroe County homeowners. The program cannot buy any properties that are condominiums or cooperatives or have common area maintenance requirements. Mobile homes also do not qualify for the elevation program. 
 
Monroe County is accepting applications for the fiscal year 2024 FMA grant program. The deadline to apply through the Monroe County application process will close Jan. 31, 2025.
 
This is a federal program administered by the State of Florida in partnership with Monroe County; therefore, it can be a timely process with slow turnaround times to move forward with projects.
 
If you have any questions, contact program administrator Mike Lalbachan at 305-453-8796 or visit the program website at www.monroecounty-fl.gov/fma. 

KEY WEST, Florida Keys – The Native Plant Nursery at the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden will be holding its monthly Native Plant Sale & Composting Drop Off 9am to Noon Saturday, January 18, 2025.

Bring your food scraps to support composting for the Keys pilot research and educational collaboration with the UF/IFAS Monroe County Extension. Acceptable items: Fruits, Vegetables, Grains (Pasta, Bread, Rice), Coffee grounds & Egg Shells. No Meat or Dairy.

The Nursery has 160 species of native trees, shrubs & vines available including Native & Cuban palms, and vegetable plants attracting birds, butterflies and other pollinators in 1-gallon to 15-gallon pots. Key West Botanical Garden members receive a 15% discount. Memberships are available on site. The Garden is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation and all proceeds directly benefit the Garden’s conservation program.
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The Garden is located at 5210 College Road on Stock Island. For more information call 305-296-1504 or visit www.keywest.garden.

January 6, 2025 – (KEY WEST, FL).  Key West youth of all backgrounds and experience levels are invited to participate in a free poetry workshop as part of the Seawall Society of Young Poets, a series organized by Key West Poet Laureate Emily Schulten Weekley.
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These two-hour workshops will begin by reading examples of poems, including poems about nature.  Participants will then explore the world around them to write and record poems that will be published on the Seawall Society website as part of a video anthology.  They will also write a collaborative poem that will be printed on postcards and distributed at local guesthouses.

You can register your child or children for one of the following upcoming workshops:
Ages 6-9

• Saturday, January 18, 10:00-12:00, Fort East Martello
• Saturday, January 25,10:00 -12:00, Key West Lighthouse
• Saturday, February 15, 10:00 -12:00, Fort East Martello

Ages 10-12

• Saturday, March 8, 10:00 -12:00, Key West Lighthouse
• Saturday, March 15,10:00 -12:00, Fort East Martello

The Seawall Society is a program designed by Weekley with the support of the Academy of American Poets, the Mellon Foundation, and the Key West Art & Historical Society.  These workshops are facilitated by local writers and educators, including Weekley, and include a free book for each participant.
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The Seawall Society workshops are free for all participants.  Registration is required, and events may fill to capacity, so please register as soon as possible by emailing Weekley at [email protected], by phone at (305) 396-1748, or on the Seawall Society website https://seawallsociety.com/.  All supplies and snacks will be provided. For additional information about the program, visit seawallsociety.com.

Your Museums.  Your Community.  It takes an Island.

KEY WEST, FL, January 2, 2025— The College of the Florida Keys will open its 2025 VIP Series with back-to-back presentations on Wednesday, January 15 at 7 p.m. at CFK’s Upper Keys Center in Key Largo and on Thursday, January 16 at 7 p.m. in the Tennessee Williams Theatre on the Key West Campus. Marine scientist, author, and CFK alumnus Dr. Jack Stein Grove will present “Galapagos Fishes, From the Shore to the Abyss and From Darwin to DNA.”

Drawing from 50 years of research and adventures in the Galapagos Islands, Dr. Grove will discuss the natural history and diverse wildlife of the famous archipelago. Dr. Grove graduated from CFK in 1972 before setting sail on his first expedition to the Galapagos in 1975 as an undergraduate of the University of West Florida. Since then, his research has been published in numerous scientific and popular articles. He authored "Fishes of the Galapagos Islands," published by Stanford University in 1997, which included a foreword by Jean Michele Cousteau. His new comprehensive book about the fishes of the Galapagos is scheduled to be released, open access, in 2025.

In its eleventh season, the College’s VIP Series features the views, ideas, and perspectives (VIP) of speakers of local, regional, and national prominence. CFK’s 2025 VIP Series is sponsored by Essential Net Solutions. Tickets for each event are $5 at the door. Admission is free for students at CFK and Monroe County schools. For more information, call CFK at 305-296-9081 or visit the College’s website at CFK.edu/VIP.

The Florida Keys Council of the Arts is accepting letters of interest for an opening on the Cultural Umbrella Committee of the Tourist Development Council. The TDC District for the TDC District 3 (III).

The appointee must live from the west end of the Seven-Mile Bridge to the Long Key Bridge. The committee member serves a three-year and 8-month term beginning in February 2025. The sitting committee member, Trish Hintze has relocated.

The Cultural Umbrella Committee is composed of five persons representing the 5 TDC districts of the Florida Keys and is administered by the Florida Keys Council of the Arts. The committee works with the TDC’s advertising and public relations agencies to promote the Keys as an arts and cultural destination and makes recommendations for the funding of promoting cultural events.

To be eligible to serve on the Committee of the Cultural Umbrella, a person must:

1. Currently reside in the Tourist Development Committee District to which appointed for a minimum of two years. (Boundaries described above).

2. Have demonstrated significant support and advocacy for art and culture or work as an artist (visual, performing, literary, historic).

3. Demonstrate an understanding of the prime importance of art and culture to the economy and to the quality of life of Monroe County citizens and guests.

4. Receive no income in an administrative capacity from an entity or individual that was awarded Cultural Umbrella event funding in the past fiscal year or that applies in the current year.
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Persons wishing to be considered may send a letter of interest and brief bio by January 20, 2025, to Elizabeth Young, Executive Director, Florida Keys Council of the Arts, by email to: [email protected] or by mail to 1100 Simonton Street, Suite #2-263, Key West, Fl. 33040