El correo de Key West

Literary Arts

This section explores how writers use language to reflect history, place, and personal identity—especially within the shared cultural space between Key West, Cuba, and the American experience. Through poetry, memoir, fiction, and essays, we highlight voices that speak to exile, belonging, and the search for meaning across borders.

We begin with Juana Borrero Pierra, a Cuban poet and painter who died in Key West in 1896 at just 18. Her poem “Los Proscriptos” (“The Exiles”), written shortly after arriving in 1896, captures the sorrow of leaving her homeland and the emotional weight of displacement. Her work offers a rare glimpse into the literary life of Cuban exiles in Florida and the enduring ties between the island and the mainland.

The Literary Arts section is a space for reflection—on how stories shape identity, preserve memory, and connect communities across time and geography.