POETRY
Virginia's story, This Cat Jumped, was awarded second place in the 2026 Tennessee Williams Short Story Contest sponsored by the Key West Art and Historical Society. Entries were accepted from any writer in the United States. All stories had to reflect on William's play, Cat on A Hot Tin Roof.
Virginia's story, This Cat Jumped, was awarded second place in the 2026 Tennessee Williams Short Story Contest sponsored by the Key West Art and Historical Society. Entries were accepted from any writer in the United States. All stories had to reflect on William's play, Cat on A Hot Tin Roof.
Virginia's Published and Award-winning Short Stories
A Conch Dog and Her Pals
Published in Only In Key West, The Key West Writers Guild Anthology, 2025
Busch Row
By Virginia Cronk
Busch Row they’re called.
Sitting, drinking cold dollar beer from the can.
You work hard, drink hard to earn a stool at this bar.
Easy lives don’t bring you here.
They drink cold dollar beer from the can,
Talk about love, intrigue, despair.
Easy lives don’t bring you here.
Not to Key West, not to this bar.
Talk about love, intrigue, despair.
Architect? Once, but now she’s a roofer.
If she’s on this island, in this bar
Wealthy parents won’t back her schemes.
Architect once, but now she’s a roofer.
You come here to hide or to seek.
Wealthy Parents won’t back her schemes.
The fishing guide was a surgeon.
You come here to be free, to hide or to seek.
Him with the Maine drawl? Squealed on his boss.
The fishing guide was a surgeon.
That house painter had gallery one-man shows.
Him with the Maine drawl who squealed on his boss?
They torched his trawler late one night.
That fishing guide the surgeon, can’t face his peers.
One man left Miami when his wife got religion.
They torched his trawler late one night.
Now he carries his library of charts from boat to boat.
One man left Miami when his wife got religion.
Some hide from a hit man, some from success.
He carries his library of charts from boat to boat.
An old man with maps of the waters off Maine.
Some hide from a hit man, some from success.
The handyman was the drummer for a famous rock band.
Afternoon. Three o’clock and they’re here
Drinking cold dollar beer from a can.
Bragging of wounds, flaunting despair.
Busch Row they’re called.
Selected short stories that delve into time, myth, and the unique magic found where the Gulf meets the Atlantic.
The Conch Oracle
Gulf Light Ghosts
The Coral Clock
A tale of forgotten futures whispered by the Key West tides. (15 min read)
A spectral journey through sun-drenched alleys and moonlit mangroves. (20 min read)
Myth and memory entwine in a story where time behaves differently near open water. (18 min read)
Poetry
Virginia Cronk's poetry spans decades of experiences.
Each collection offers a glimpse into the author's introspective world, where every line is carefully crafted to resonate with the reader.
From my desk... wherever it may be
Embrace words and join my journey.
Virginia Cronk