KEY WEST, Fla. – Key West has a legacy of being home to well-known authors. Monroe County commissioners just named one of them an “honorary Conch.”
Legendary writer Judy Blume, known for books like “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” and “Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing,” was presented with her official honorary Conch certificate at Wednesday’s commission meeting in Key West.
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Blume, 85, lives in Key West, runs a nonprofit bookstore called Books & Books at 533 Eaton St., serves on the board of the Key West Literary Seminar and is an advisor for the board of the Key West Author’s Guild.
“She works several days at the shop, and after 50 years of writing, she enjoys meeting and talking to many readers and showing them some of her favorite authors,” county officials said in a news release Wednesday.
Officials noted that Blume has “championed freedom for many banned books by working with the National Coalition Against Censorship, which fights to keep banned books on shelves. She has received many awards for her defense of free speech and battles against censorship.”
Her husband, George Cooper, with whom she founded Books & Books, is already an honorary Conch. He got his certificate in 2016 for founding the nonprofit Tropic Cinema in Key West.