The Longleaf Name

The name for our nonprofit was born from the creative and intriguing nature of the longleaf pine tree. The longleaf pine has a broad root system that drinks up enough water to protect the dunes and inter-coastal lakes along the 30A highway and has preserved this coast for millennia and is responsible for the unique natural landscape we enjoy here. We like to believe that we bring the same level of nourishment and ‘deep thirsty roots’ for the literary arts along the gulf coast of Florida, and specifically to those local underserved authors and artists and students along 30A.

Our History

Longleaf Writers Conference has grown from a single small workshop to about 120 total beach-side visitors each year. We bring two major visiting writers, along with four agents, six incredible workshop faculty, and twenty or more fellows and scholars through our veteran, teacher, URG/BIPOC, and local financial aid programs. We also host dozens of talented attendees for a celebration of the written word on one of the greatest beaches in the US in the cute town of Grayton Beach, FL.

Our Beginnings

More on our founders

In 2012, the author Matt Bondurant and the poet and writer Seth Tucker joined together with fellow Florida State Alum, Jonathan D’Avignon, to brainstorm how to create literary and literacy options for underserved groups in the Gulf Coast. What came from that discussion was the Seaside Writers Conference which launched in 2013. Within two years, the directors were able to create a financial aid and outreach program that rivals conferences that are three times their size. In 2016, we changed our name and created our nonprofit to match our growing impact locally and in the South and on the US literary community as a whole. For our 2026 events, we are excited to announce that we will be located in Grayton Beach, Florida, about two miles down the road from Seaside, right in the center of the Emerald Coast!