Bill Shea is a freelance journalist and struggling novelist based in metro Detroit. He previously worked as a reporter and/or editor at The New York Times-owned The Athletic, Crain’s Detroit Business, and numerous small daily newspapers, including the Times Herald in Port Huron. You can find his free essays at billshea.com, and you can follow him on Bluesky at @billshea19.
The rowdy subtropical island at the end of the Florida Keys has lured Mitten State writers and artists like Thomas McGuane and Jim Harrison for a century
