O, Miami 2019 Poetry Festival

The 8th annual O, Miami Poetry Festival begins on April 1 and ends on April 30, 2019. The goal of the festival is for every single person in Miami-Dade County to encounter a poem.

Schedule:

April 2, 10 AM – 12 PM:

Room of One’s Own: A Teen Tiny Poetry Residency @ The Wolfsonian FIU. On select mornings in April, the bridge tender house in front of The Wolfsonian–FIU will be transformed into a tiny writing hut for one. A small structure surrounded by glass windows, the bridge tender house provides a unique opportunity for poets to work alone while also engaging with the life of the city around them. Opening a window, posting working poems on the wall, or even venturing into the street are chances for poets to connect with the public for an exchange of ideas and inspiration. As a capstone to the project, the poets in residents will read their poems on Fri., April 26 @ The Wolfsonian.

April 3, 6 PM – 9 PM:

The Orb at The Betsy @ The Alley next to The Betsy: Original poetry projections on The Betsy Orb

April 4, 7 PM:

Cave Canem Reading @ The Betsy Hotel’s B Bar: 2019 Kingsley Tufts Award Winner Dawn Lundy Martin
2018 Toi Derricotte & Cornelius Eady Chapbook Prize Winner Mia S. Lewis. In celebration of the release of monster house. by Mia S. Willis, Selected by Dawn Lundy Martin

April 9, 10 AM – 12 PM:

Room of One’s Own: A Teeny Tiny Poetry Residency: A mini-residency for poets inside The Wolfsonian’s Bridgetender House @ The Wolfsonian FIU. See details above!

April 11, 10 AM – 12 PM:

Room of One’s Own: A Teeny Tiny Poetry Residency: A mini-residency for poets inside The Wolfsonian’s Bridgetender House @ The Wolfsonian FIU. See details above!

April 12, 6 PM – 8 PM:

Poetry in Pajamas: Kids reading poems in their PJs @ Miami Beach Botanical Garden: Hosted by Miami Beach 10 year old Sam & and 7 year old Simon at the enchanted Miami Beach Botanical Garden is Poetry in Pajamas, an open mic for children of all ages to recite poetry in their pajamas!

April 13, 7:30 PM – 9 PM:

Kimiko Hahn, Ariel Francisco, Marci Cancio-Bello: Reading featuring award winning poet Kimiko Hahn and Miami poets Ariel Francisco and Marci Calabretta Cancio-Bello @ The Betsy

April 14, 1 PM  – 4 PM:

Songs for Poets Workshop: Pairing poets with musicians to create new, original songs. Application required @ Life House South Beach

April 16, 10 AM – 12 PM:

Room of One’s Own: A Teeny Tiny Poetry Residency: A mini-residency for poets inside the Wolfsonian’s Bridgetender House @ The Wolfsonian FIU. See details above!

 

April 18, 10 AM – 12 PM:

Room of One’s Own: A Teeny Tiny Poetry Residency: A mini-residency for poets inside the Wolfsonian’s Bridgetender House @ The Wolfsonian FIU. See details above!

April 20, 7:30 AM – 11 AM:

The Beach is a Border Walk @ Lummus Park: The coast is an area of conflict and struggle, which O, Miami will transform into a poetic space and reflection. This project aims to make visible the injustice of anti-migratory measures through a poetic activity. The action is located on the shore of the beach, when participants will walk the Miami Beach sands wearing O, Miami poetry flip flops leaving imprints of poetry. Featuring excerpts by Jose Olivarez, Natalie Scenters-Zapico, Fabienne Josaphat and Javier Zamora.

April 21, 7:30 PM:

Irish Poetry @ The Betsy B Bar: Paul Perry, John McAuliffe, and Aifric Mac Aodha, a partnership with Poetry Ireland.

April 23, 10 AM – 12 PM:

Room of One’s Own: A Teeny Tiny Poetry Residency: A mini-residency for poets inside the Wolfsonian’s Bridgetender House @ The Wolfsonian FIU. See details above!

April 25, 10 AM – 12 PM:

Room of One’s Own: A Teeny Tiny Poetry Residency: A mini-residency for poets inside the Wolfsonian’s Bridgetender House @ The Wolfsonian FIU. See details above!

April 26, 7 PM:

Room of One’s Own: A Teeny Tiny Poetry Residency: A mini-residency for poets inside the Wolfsonian’s Bridgetender House @ The Wolfsonian FIU. Poets in residence will read their poems as a capstone to the project.

 

Poetry Parking Tickets:

“Poetry Parking Tickets” are made to look like Miami-Dade County parking tickets, but instead of a citation, each ticket contains a poem. Project creator Christina Frigo wants to turn the experience of getting ticketed into a positive one, so she chooses poems, designs and prints the parking tickets, and distributes them on windshields across Miami. Frigo first did this project in 2013 and has chosen a new set of poems for 2019. Poetry Parking Tickets will be distributed in various locations in Miami throughout April. Tickets will also be available at select O, Miami events—take one and ticket a friend! If you find one in the wild, post on social media with #omiami and #poetryparkingticket.

 

 

Join us for the City of Miami Beach’s monthly Wednesday Cultural Crawl!

Celebrate O, Miami and National Poetry Month with Projections on The Betsy Orb, and a poetry chapbook ‘to go’, edited by Betsy Ross – the Hotel’s Canine Executive Officer – and more. The Miami Beach Culture Crawl is an art and cultural happening taking place monthly. Special programming includes open studios and galleries, outdoor films, live music, literary events, exclusive tours, night gardens and free trolley service to each location. Wednesday, April 24, 2019, 6-10pm, The Betsy

For more information, please visit omiami.org