Nearly two dozen American and Caribbean writers, many from islands damaged during 2017's hurricane season, are exploring Caribbean literature, heritage and commonalities in U.S.'s closest island to the Caribbean.

The 36th annual Key West Literary Seminar began Thursday night with an address on cultural appropriation by Jamaica Kincaid, acclaimed for works including "See Now Then."

Kincaid's Antigua birthplace was hard hit by September's Hurricane Irma. The storm also impacted Key West, but the island city quickly recovered.

The seminar features readings, discussions and lectures by writers including Edwidge Danticat, author of "Haiti Noir," and Marlon James, Booker Prize winner for "A Brief History of Seven Killings."

Events conclude Sunday with a free public program whose topics include "The Forgotten: Literature, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands After the Hurricanes."