South Florida, believe it or not, has now been a leading literary region for nearly 30 years. Yes, publishing remains centered in New York, and Los Angeles may have its charms for authors and their fans.
But we boast four of the best book festivals in the nation, beginning with the biggest, Miami Book Fair International in November, and ending with perhaps the most original, Broward’s Night of Literary Feasts, in March.
In between, January features the intimate and charming Key West Literary Seminar, and the distinguished Palm Beach Poetry Festival. All are pioneers of their kind, and among the four of them, readers of any taste or genre can always find something to celebrate.
It’s fitting that the Miami Book Fair, Nov. 11-18, comes first on the calendar, since it is the biggest and most influential of the SoFla literary fests.
Now in its 29th year, the fair welcomes top writers from around the world – more than 300 – for eight days of readings, lectures, and signings, plus exhibitors, entertainment, and food. Drawing northwards of 250,000 people, the event is so big Miami closes the streets surrounding its downtown Miami-Dade College location, turning the entire neighborhood into a street fair.
“This fall is a very strong season for new books, and the fair will feature many of their authors,” says Mitchell Kaplan, owner of Books & Books bookstore, and, along with Miami-Dade College president Eduardo Padron, co-founder of the fair. “We open with Tom Wolfe, and throughout the fair we’ll be presenting a diverse array of voices, including Sandra Cisneros, Mark Helprin, and the man who sells more books than anyone else, James Patterson.”
The prestige “Evening With…” series, which runs throughout the week, showcasing a single accomplished writer, includes not only Wolfe, but also Junot Diaz, Adam Gopnik, and Emma Donaghue, among others. In many ways, though, the highlight is always the three-day street fair that climaxes the festivities with such an embarrassment of riches that few fairgoers can see everything they want.
“We will also have a wide sampling of social commentators who will have an opportunity to reflect on the election that will just have taken place,” adds Kaplan. “Among them will be Chris Hayes, Jeffrey Toobin, David Maraniss, and Michael Grunwald.”
The event will also, Kaplan says, feature a variety of writers and artists in two of the fair’s customary strong categories, graphic novels and children’s books. For more information on Miami Book Fair International, its location, schedule, and parking, visit http://www.miamibookfair.com/.
The topic of the upcoming Key West Literary Seminar, “Writers on Writers,” has proven so popular that organizers have scheduled not one weekend, but two. The first, Jan. 10-13, is, alas, already sold out. But space remains for the second session, Jan. 17-20, which will feature a keynote address from the award-winning Irish novelist Colm Toíbín, author of The Master and other notable novels and collections.
“I really think that ‘Writers on Writers’ will be among the most provocative and engaging 
seminars we’ve done,” says Arlo Haskell, media director for the seminar, now in its 31st year. “The writers we’re bringing together for this year’s seminar share this in common, that they are all interested in exploring the lives of great writers of the past as a means of exploring the potential for greatness in all of us, in all times.”
This year’s slate of authors, many of them present at both sessions, includes former poet laureate Billy Collins, acclaimed British novelist and historian Geoff Dyer, novelist and biographer Brad Gooch, National Book Critics Circle Award-winner Joyce Johnson, and the imminent novelist and biographer Edmund White, among others.
As always, the talks, panels, lectures and readings take place at the venerable San Carlos Institute, a lovely, painstakingly restored old auditorium on Duval Street, where Jose Martí once spoke to cigar makers. And, as always, one of the best things about the seminar is its casual nature, and the easy access its 400 attendees will have to the famous writers on the slate. To register, or simply to learn more, visit http://www.kwls.org/product/writers-on-writers-session-two/ or call 1-888-293-9291.
Billy Collins will also be stopping in Delray Beach as the special guest at the 9th annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival, Jan. 21-26. The youngest of the SoFla literary fests, Palm Beach was a rousing success from the very beginning, with its combination of workshops for aspiring poets, and readings open to the public. This year’s faculty features B.H. Fairchild, Terrance Hayes, Jane Hirshfield, Tony Hoagland, Laura Kasischke, Tracy K. Smith, Lisa Russ Spaar, and Thomas Lux, who has participated every year thus far.
The deadline for applying to the workshops is Nov. 9. Fee is $725, although you can audit for $325. Public readings are $12, $10 for seniors, and $8 for students. The Festival Gala dinner is $250, but the Billy Collins reading afterward is open to the public at the usual prices. To register or learn more, visit http://www.palmbeachpoetryfestival.org/.
For 25 years, the Night of Literary Feasts and Day of Literary Lectures, known together as Literary Feast, has been a significant cultural, social and fund-raising event in Fort Lauderdale, bringing $130,000 to the Broward County Library Foundation last year alone. But this season’s event features something new – a partial focus on one author, Edith Wharton, who would be 150 years old in 2013. While Wharton can’t be here, four experts, all with acclaimed books, will be.
And so will some 20 additional writers, national and regional, novelists and nonfiction writers. Set for March 15-18, the event includes a LitLunch ($65), the Night of Literary Feasts, ($175) with private dinner parties for individual writers all over Fort Lauderdale, and the Day of Literary Lectures at Nova Southeastern University (free!). For more information, visit http://www.bplfoundation.org/literaryfeast.htm.