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THE POESY OF KEY WEST

“The sweetest doing nothing contrived”

DESTINATION
Key West, Florida

DATES
January 10 – 15, 2010 (5 nights)

READINGS
Selected poems of Elizabeth Bishop, Wallace Stevens and Mark Strand

Description/Itinerary
Edges, islands, a beach with a view... Poets are often drawn to landscapes where different kinds of being meet and separate, where people experience their true solitude. Key West has been such a place for more than a century. Elizabeth Bishop and Wallace Stevens both saw it as a profoundly meaningful borderland, one where questions about identity and geography, life, death and creativity become richer and more mysterious. Mark Strand also, influenced by both of these poets, explores the edges of consciousness, and his dark, plain-spoken work will help to illuminate the works of the earlier two.

The Key West Literary Seminar, which has been drawing lovers of literature to this small island in the subtropics for more than a quarter century, will celebrate 60 years of American poetry this January 7 – 10.

And Classical Pursuits will piggyback on to this venerable institution with its own in-depth exploration of selected poems of Bishop and Stevens, who called the island city home, and of former US Poet Laureate Mark Strand, who will be present at the Key West Literary Seminar.

A good seminar is rather like a group of jazz musicians improvising freely together: both exciting and relaxing. We’ll also visit literary landmarks, see a vintage movie set in Key West, and have plenty of time left for whatever we choose.

Click here to view itinerary

Leader
Rosemary Gould currently homeschools three small children in Charlottesville, Virginia. In her spare time she leads discussions of poetry for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. “One more folded sunset, still quite warm,” in January, in Key West, sounds to her like “the thing itself.”

Accommodatiation
La Concha Hotel, a luxury hotel in historic Key West (5 nights)

Fees
US $1995 pp
single supplement: US $700

Fee includes readings, accommodation, two meals a day, discussions, walking tours, talks, excursions, and admissions.

This trip has been priced in US$. Once you’ve made a reservation, we will invoice you in US$ (which is the fixed cost). As a Canadian company, we will also accept CAD$ at our current exchange rate at the time of payment(s). Please Note: once final payment is made the currency exchange rate is guaranteed and there will be no currency exchange adjustments.