Creative spaces inside funky 70-year-old muraled warehouses on Northwest First Avenue will begin coming down in August, clearing the way for a project that will try to balance housing, hospitality and art.
The city of Miami gives off a rhythm and sound all its own. It comes from years of Caribbean and Latin American cultures tumbling into each other. Every April, during National Poetry Month, the O'Miami poetry festival uses poetry as a loudspeaker for what locals love about the city.
Every April, during National Poetry Month, O, Miami sets out on a mission to expose locals to poetry in unique and sometimes extravagant ways. Past activations have included prose painted on rooftops of warehouses in Allapattah directly beneath the flight path to Miami International Airport and secretly sewing clothing tags containing poetry into garments found at thrift stores.
Last year put a damper on the festival s goal when the pandemic forced a shift to a virtual format.
“Like most other arts orgs, we ve incorporated digital platforms into our everyday programming, which is reflected in the makeup of this year s festival,” says founder and director P. Scott Cunningham. “We have a number of online workshops that people can participate in from home, in addition to some readings. All of our in-person programs are socially distant and do not encourage large gatherings.”