For more than a century, Key West has drawn novelists, poets, playwrights, journalists, essayists and songwriters to its shores. It has served as a creative escape for the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, Robert Frost, Annie Dillard, Elizabeth Bishop and more than a dozen Pulitzer Prize winners and Poet Laureates, many of whom called the island home.
Key West has long recognized and celebrated its literary legacy — the Key West Literary Seminar, Hemingway Days, tours of the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum, restoration of the Elizabeth Bishop House, writers-in-residence programs and Anne McKee Artists Fund grants for local writers.
But that legacy could soon be cemented on the global stage, as Key West was one of only two U.S. cities this year that was invited to apply for the prestigious UNESCO Creative City designation.
UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, is an international agency dedicated to strengthening people’s shared humanity through the promotion of education, science, culture and communication.
In 2004, UNESCO created the Creative Cities Network to empower cities to support each other to innovate and prosper through the arts. Covering eight fields — design, film, music, crafts and folk art, literature, media arts, gastronomy and architecture — the UCCN recognizes cities that use culture and creativity for sustainable progress and growth.
“The 350 cities around the world that currently comprise the network work together towards placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development plans at the local level and cooperating actively at the international level,” states the UNESCO website. “From music to design, literature to gastronomy, each Creative City places creative expression at the heart of its identity and growth. Together, these cities form an international community — collaborating across borders to develop solutions to the challenges of our time.”
If selected for the designation, Key West will be notified before the end of the year and would join just nine other UNESCO Creative Cities currently in the U.S. The full list includes 350 cities across more than 100 countries.
Current Creative Cities in the U.S. are: Austin for media arts; Detroit for design; Iowa City for literature; Kansas City, Missouri for music; Paducah, Kentucky for crafts and folk art; San Antonio for gastronomy; Santa Fe for crafts and folk art; Seattle for literature and Tucson for gastronomy.
Key West has cleared the first two hurdles in the application process, and during last week’s city budget workshops, Key West’s elected officials emphasized the potential positive impacts of the distinction and were largely committed to allocating up to $150,000 to the program. The UNESCO Creative Cities collaborate globally through cultural exchanges and annual conferences.
New Orleans is the only other city that was invited to apply for the designation this year. While Key West is pursuing the designation for literature, New Orleans is highlighting its musical contributions.
Key West officially submitted its application in March, following successful completion of UNESCO’s technical review, states a press release from the city.
Leading the local application effort is the Old Island Restoration Foundation — Key West’s steward of architectural heritage for 60 years — along with a coalition that includes the mayor and city officials as well as literary, cultural and educational institutions.
Being named a UNESCO Creative City would celebrate Key West’s literary legacy and amplify its cultural and economic influence worldwide.
“Writing is the heartbeat of Key West, shaping both its identity and economy,” Mayor Dee Dee Henriquez said. “From authors to artisans, the literary arts sustain countless livelihoods. Earning a place in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network would elevate Key West’s global profile while strengthening its creative industries.”
UNESCO Committee Chair Nance Frank emphasized the deeper purpose behind the application, saying, “Key West’s literary heritage is not merely a historic footnote. It is a living, breathing force that defines the city’s essence. Our goal is to share its story with the world and further integrate our cultural legacy into an international framework. If Key West is approved in late 2025, the designation will further define its role as a global cultural powerhouse.”
