Lorian Hemingway Keeps the Family Literary Legacy ... - SnapPages

CONCHCOLORf l o r i d a k e y s p h o t o g r a p h i c c h r o n i c l eedi(305) 294-7566 office (305) 292-9955 faXpUBlisher/editorTom oosTerhoudT ooster@conchcolor.comdirector of operationsLee hines (305) 849-3473 lee@conchcolor.comOFFICE ASSISTANT: Matt Kennard matt@conchcolor.comad salesKaren Lee hirsT (305) 304-7609 karen@conchcolor.comYLeana VuraL (305) 797-8888 yleana@aol.comsho LichTensTein (305) 797-6609 shotime@conchcolor.comraqueL crummiTT (305) 414-8949 raqUelc@jsapromos.comAD SALES UPPER KEYSJanet Wood (305) 395-0241 – fldesignerjw@aol.comcreatiVe designdina coYLe, dina designs, int’l (305) 741-7272 dinadesigns@BellsoUth.netweB master: daVid a.cox (774) 772-8434 imonamac@me.comPROOFREADER: Maxine lopez-Keough314 simonton street key west fl 33040pUBlished weekly and distriBUted eVery friday from key west to key largo.copyright 2010. all rights reserVed.DEADLINE 5 p.m. Friday for advertising and community newsThe Positive VoiceTHE FLORIDA KEYS NEED A POSITIVE VOICE to counteract negativity promoted by other localpapers. Conch Color greatly appreciates positive comments about the community you live in. Ifyou love your community and have something positive to say about it, email ooster@bellsouth.net.There are so many great Samaritans in the Keys and wonderful things happen every day. It’s time togive a voice to those who have great comments to say about the Keys.Up to 60% OFFSelected ItemsJuly 7th thru July 22ndGarden CottageKey Westhome . garden . gifts526 Southard Street305.294.6594Open Wednesday - Saturday 9:30am to 5:00pmSunday 9:30am to 4:00pmconch color the florida keys 4 photographic chronicleTORIALA Vortex of Positive Energy!The History of Casa AntiguaThis coming week, on Friday July20th at 8 pm, we once again openmy historic family home, “CasaAntigua,” to the 17th annual LorianHemingway Short Story Contest. Asthe granddaughter of America’s greatestauthor, Ernest Hemingway, Lorianhas done more than any other familymember to keep the Hemingway nameone of the most respected names inliterature. She actually started theannual short story contest herself 32years ago, and with over 1,600 entriesfrom all over the world last year, andhopefully as many this year, the contesthas become one of the largest in theworld. And part of that magic has beenhere at Casa Antigua, the site of theaward-winning event for 17 years now.In my travels and readings over theyears, I have discovered that there aredistinct locations around the world thatfor whatever reason have harnessedpositive energy throughout the years,manifested in amazing things happeningat the sites. I suggest that “Casa Antigua,”my family home, may be one of them.Let’s go back to 1830, when JosephBrown, the first mayor of Key West, builthis mayoral mansion on the site. Hehosted Confederate President JeffersonDavis after he was released from UnionPrison following the Civil War. Davidrecuperated right here. Joseph Brown’sson, Jefferson Beale Brown, who wouldlater become a judge and congressman,wrote the first definitive history of KeyWest in his book, “Key West The OldAnd The New.”Around the turn of the century,entrepreneurs Benjamin Trevor andGeorge Morrison bought the propertyand built a 46-unit hotel called “TheTrevMor” using their combined lastnames, which featured the island’s firstcar dealership on the hotel’s first floor.This is basically the same building thatis here today, and has been my familyhome for the past 35 years. Trevor andMorrison put the car dealership in afterthe turn of the century when Key Westwas America’s first city of millionaires,following the success of the shipwreckindustry in the 1800’s. They knew everymillionaire would want to buy a car, andthey were right.Fast-forward twenty some odd yearslater to 1928. Ernest Hemingway andhis wife, Pauline, had been in Paris sevenyears and had grown tired of the coldParisian winters. Besides, Pauline waspregnant, and they wanted to have theirchild in the states. So they returnedto America via a luxury steamshipand stopped in Key West to warm up.Pauline’s Uncle Gustavo bought them anew Ford to welcome the couple home.They got off the ship at the docks atMallory and came to the TrevMor to gettheir car. The dealers explained that thecar was not delivered yet, but offeredHemingway and his wife a secondfloor room facing the Gulf until the cararrived.Luckily for Key West, it took sixweeks for that car to finally arrive. In themeantime, Hemingway found SloppyJoes a couple of blocks down, met hissparring partner, Shine Forbes, wentdeep sea fishing, enjoyed five coursemeals at Delmonico’s for 45 cents, andfell in love with the quaint little islandand decided to call it home. He wasalso able to finish writing his semiautobiographicalnovel, “A Farewell ToArms,” while living here at the TrevMor.Word spread around the world thatAmerica’s top author had settled inKey West and was relishing the tropicalambiance. Authors, playwrights (likeTennessee Williams), artists, sculptors,and songwriters flocked to Key West inthe years that followed to soak up somethe tropical inspired creativity. Key Westwent on to become a recognized artcolony. In addition, as a result of thisartistic influx, the gay community heregrew. Hemingway had no idea of thecultural explosion he caused in the yearsthat followed him.Today the island still plays home tomany top writers and playwrights likeTerrence McNally. Songwriters still comein droves for the annual songwriter’sfestival. And yes, there are still poets.For me, Casa Antigua gave birth tomy political career of six years, winningmy first race ever, and then my second.This quest for positive energy led to mystarting Conch Color over five and ahalf years ago, just to show the world allthe good things that go on in the FloridaKeys. I also tried to restore Conch prideamong the residents, and show throughthe children what an amazing place thisis to grow up. So for me the positiveenergy in my family home is still aliveand well. Thank you, Casa Antigua!On Friday night, July 20th, I inviteeveryone to come experience the literarymagic of Lorian Hemingway’s annualshort story event. Father John Baker willannounce the winners and actor/oratorGeorge Murphy will read the winningentry. Come feel the history and thepositive energy I often talk about. You’llbe glad you did.TOM OOSTERHOUDTeditor&publisher