Grant for a Keys Writer

The Florida Keys Council of the Arts announces the 2nd annual Key West Writers Guild Award. This award is a grant opportunity for talented writers of fiction and non-fiction prose. An annual prize of $2,000 is available to a writer of a work in progress.

To be eligible, an applicant must join the Key West Writers Guild and read from the manuscript during at least two Writers Guild meetings. Meetings are held at 10 a.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays at Kelly's Caribbean Restaurant, 3303 Whitehead St., in Key West. Membership is $10 annually.

Applications will be accepted until October 31, 2004. The complete application and instructions for the Key West Writers Guild Award are posted at

Donna Smith, last year's winner, has been very happy with her award. She said, "Of course I was THRILLED to get the grant. I felt validated as a writer and the money couldn't have come at a better time. I needed a computer and was able to get the Dell laptop and then I used the rest of the money to go to the Appalachian Writer's Workshop. Finding out that Annie Dillard was one of the judges was a feather in my hat."

Ms Smith had often wondered "…is this anything that anyone would want to read?" Thanks to the Key West Writers Guild and the Florida Keys Council of the Arts she now knows that her writing is something that others do want to read.

The Key West Writers Guild Award is supported by private funds and administered by the Florida Keys Council of the Arts. The winner will be announced in February.

Applications may be delivered during a regular meeting at Kelly's Caribbean Restaurant or mailed to: Key West Writers Guild, Post Office Box 4983, Key West, FL 33040.