Established in 1983, the mission of this nonprofit organization is to promote the understanding of important literary works and their authors, support new American voices, and preserve Key West’s literary heritage while providing resources for readers and writers around the world. Programming includes the annual Seminar, featuring internationally acclaimed authors; writers’ workshops; awards and scholarships for writers, teachers, and librarians; an online archive of unique audio recordings; a writer-in-residence program; and a summer writing program for high school students.

I'm the author of "The Jews of Key West: Smugglers, Cigar Makers, and Revolutionaries (1823-1969)," winner of the 2017 Florida Book Award gold medal for Florida nonfiction. I'm also the author of "Joker," a collection of poems published in 2009. As a historian, poet, book reviewer, and interviewer of literary figures, my work has appeared in outlets including the Los Angeles Review of Books, the Miami Rail, Maggy, Jai-Alai and, most frequently, on Littoral, the journal I edit for the Key West Literary Seminar.On stage, I have interviewed leading writers including George Saunders, Thomas McGuane, and Richard Russo at venues including the Sun Valley Writers Conference, the Miami Book Fair, and the Key West Literary Seminar.I lecture on literary and cultural history and have appeared at venues including the 92nd Street Y, Prologue Historical Society, Key West Art & Historical Society, and Road Scholar; and have served as a panelist for forums arranged by groups such as the Ernest Hemingway Festival in Ketchum, Idaho; Leadership Monroe County, the Betsy Hotel, and the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys.As an expert on the histories of writers in Key West, I serve as a consultant to filmmakers, writers, and journalists; and appear on-air on and on-screen on public radio and television programs produced by WLRN and WPBT, podcast series including the Poetry Foundation's "Poetry off the Shelf," and film documentaries including Barbara Hammer's "Welcome To This House," Tim Long's "Bohemia in the Tropics," and Carey Winfrey's "Writers on Bicycles."

Titles from this literary small press include Harry Mathews' Collected Poems: 1946-2016 (2020); my Florida Book Award-winning "The Jews of Key West: Smugglers, Cigar Makers, and Revolutionaries" (2017); "Belleza y Felicidad" (2015), an anthology of poetry and fiction by Argentine writers Cecilia Pavón and Fernanda Laguna, recognized by a translation support grant from Argentina's Ministry of Foreign Affairs; "The Last Books of Héctor Viel Temperley" (2011), translated by Stuart Krimko and selected as a BOMB magazine “Editor’s Choice” in Summer 2012; and "The New Tourism" (2010), by Harry Mathews, named a “Best Book of the Year” by the Times Literary Supplement (London).

I am treasurer and spokesperson for this nonprofit organization, which seeks to protect public health and welfare in Key West by establishing restrictions on cruise ship traffic. We drafted three proposed amendments to the City Charter of Key West, organized the petition drive that placed them on the November 3, 2020, ballot, and led the campaign that succeeded in passing all three items with 60–80% voter approval.