They love it when you call them Big Papa. Around this time every year Key West is set upon by mature, heavy-set men with full beards in khakis. Why? It’s time for the annual Ernest Hemingway look-alike contest! Hemingway lived in Key West during the 1930s and local bar Sloppy Joe’s, where Hemingway would often be found holding up the bar, has been holding the contest for an incredib... Read more

Mark Twain once said, “Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.” And before they became world famous novelists, these authors knew just the right kind… Read more

A writer needs advice from all and sundry, and often receives it whether they like it or not. But from these great writers of the past any advice is good advice, even if it can be a little off the wall… Read more

I often wish I’d been born a man. This statement has nothing to do with the perceived favouritism that is touted in relation to the world of publishing but instead is a reflection on the practicalities of being a fourth-generation grazier in the male-dominated world of agriculture. I’m pretty sure that this desire to be more than hands-on, on-farm can partly be attributed to Ernest Hemingway, w... Read more

Thank you, you have filled the first place at my table, The Drunkard. You have chosen Ernest Hemingway. A brilliant choice. As you know, now that the Olympics are behind us I want to celebrate the intellect. And to do so I am going to host my very own dinner party. An imaginary dinner party, with some of the greats of literature. But my imaginary dinner must be a small intimate affair. I want t... Read more