Previously published in print by Ampersand Press of Roger Williams College in Rhode Island,Rounding Ballast Key is a poetry collection featuring the people and places of Key West and South Florida. Author George Murphy is also the editor of the recognized literary anthology The Key West Reader: The Best of Key West’s Writers 1830-1990, among other works he has authored about the Keys’ literary heritage and beautiful imagery.

An entertaining collection of the finest literary and poetic works about Key West or from writers who lived in, or were touched by their time in, the Florida island community. It is said that Key West hosts more writers per capita than any other place in the world. Whether that is a statistical truth or just a civic mood, it captures the reality that this is a Place, an Inspiration. Some of the great writers in this fun anthology, for tourists and fans of literature alike, include Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, Stephen Crane, Robert Frost, Joy Williams, John Hersey, Hunter S. Thompson, John Dos Passos, and Alison Lurie. This classic collection is now presented in a quality digital format from Quid Pro Books. It includes active Table of Contents, proper formatting of text and poetry, and an explanatory introduction by the editor. Visitors to the island have routinely purchased this work from local gift shops and bookstores, or it has been ordered nationwide; now it can be easily downloaded as an ebook.

Best short fiction for 1987 chosen by America's top magazine editors.

Resource. THE DIRECTORY OF AMERICAN POETS & FICTION WRITERS is a required resource for any arts or presenting organization looking for literary readers, as well as for all publishers seeking to solicit work from the best American writers. In additon, writers can use the book to find the right writing mentor and connect with other writers. "When I directed my first arts program, [the Directory] delivered the addresses and phone numbers of writers I loved, but couldn't find. How many writers and audiences are robbed without the information between these covers?"--Cornelius Eady, co-founder and co-director, Cave Canem and author of Brutal Imagination.

Resource. THE DIRECTORY OF AMERICAN POETS & FICTION WRITERS is a required resource for any arts or presenting organization looking for literary readers, as well as for all publishers seeking to solicit work from the best American writers. In additon, writers can use the book to find the right writing mentor and connect with other writers. "When I directed my first arts program, [the Directory] delivered the addresses and phone numbers of writers I loved, but couldn't find. How many writers and audiences are robbed without the information between these covers?"--Cornelius Eady, co-founder and co-director, Cave Canem and author of Brutal Imagination.