Miami, Nov. 3, 2017 – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) acclaimed Miami Book Fair (MBF), the nation’s finest and largest literary gathering, will once again treat locals and visitors to The Porch, the ultimate outdoor urban hangout, featuring live music, craft beer, poetry, karaoke, burlesque, comedy, games, food trucks, and so much more. The Porch will remain open throughout the fair, from Sunday, Nov. 12 through Sunday, Nov. 19. Unless otherwise noted, all events at The Porch are free.
Sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Miami Foundation, WVUM, and Geico, The Porch is located at the corner of N.E. Third St. and N.E. Second Ave.
“Miami Book Fair brings our community together to participate in the culture of ideas like no other event in South Florida, and the Porch is the place to gather in fellowship, while enjoying music, the quirkier side of literature, and refreshments”, said Lissette Mendez, MBF’s director of programs.
The Porch Schedule:
Sunday, Nov. 12
4 p.m. – The Porch opens with music, food trucks, giant outdoor games, community coloring walls, a silent poetry disco, barbecue, and craft beers.
5:30 p.m. – Happy hour featuring beer by Biscayne Bay Brewing paired with live music by DJ Le Spam and poems on demand by Miami Poetry Collective. Curators and artists from The Porch’s ongoing exhibitions – BBQ Men & Women of Goulds, The Wynwood Coloring Book and Hurricane – will discuss their works with an authentic, delicious barbecue from Goulds.
6:30 p.m. – One part circus, two parts burlesques, a pinch of class and a dash of trash, Circ X is a unique blend of interactive antics and artistry.
7:30 p.m. – Music: DJ Le Spam and the Spam Allstars take the stage.
Monday, Nov. 13
5 p.m. – The Porch opens
6 p.m. – Drag Queen Bingo
7 p.m. – Sneak peak of Miami Light Project’s and Miami Theater Center’s South Florida premiere of The Bearded Ladies – featuring cabaret artists who tackle the politics of gender, identity and artistic invention with sparkle and wit.
7:30 p.m. – Priscilla Queen of the Desert Karaoke
Tuesday, Nov. 14
5 p.m. – The Porch opens
6:30 p.m. – Movie screening of Liberty in a Soup
7:30 p.m. – Cynthia “Chef Thia” Verna, co-host of Taste the Islands cooking series, will demonstrate the best of Caribbean cuisine.
8 p.m. – Live music by Inez Barlatier
Wednesday, Nov. 15
5 p.m. – The Porch opens
6 p.m. – Comic Cure comedy hour
7 p.m. – Inspired by the Death Be Gone (Jai-Alai Books), Miami poets will read original “spell poems” guaranteed to cure ailments, bring good fortune and ward off evil. Warning: some poems may lead to spontaneous and irresistible outbreaks of love.
8 p.m. – Live music by Afrobeta
Thursday, Nov. 16
5 p.m. – The Porch opens
6 p.m. – First Draft: Swing by The Porch for a drink and a guided writing prompt with Lynne Barrett.
7 p.m. – Noir at the bar: Double Indemnity meets Deliverance. Alex Segura, author of the acclaimed Pete Fernandez Miami Mystery series, hosts readings by some of the best mystery and crime writers while The Wilson Slayers perform bluegrass and old-timey murder ballads.
Friday, Nov. 17
9:30 a.m. – Hear South Florida talented high school student writers and editors ready their original published words at the launch of the 4th issue of The Orange Island Review, a student literary journal.
10 a.m. – Explore the four main artistic elements of hip-hop with PATH (Preserving, Archiving and Teaching Hip-Hop), South Florida’s pioneering hip-hop education organization, whose work challenges the negative stereotypes and destructive behaviors often associated with hip-hop.
12 p.m. – The Florida Round Up, which airs every Friday on WLRN, will go live from The Porch
5 p.m. – Music, food trucks, giant outdoor games, and Biscayne Bay Brewing beers
6 p.m. – SPEAKFRIDAYS: Enjoy the most diverse open-mic experience in South Florida, combining poetry, arts and music.
9 p.m. – Hang out with Lipservice storytellers and Speakfridays performers and fans. Music and a live broadcast provided by Shake 108’s music director, Aimee Beah Moore.
Saturday, Nov. 18
*Included with admission to the Street Fair, from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Entry fees: $8; ages 13 – 18 and over 62 $5; 12 and under free.
11 a.m. – Guided meditation by Innergy Meditation
12 p.m. – Exchange for Change Speak Out Discussion
1 p.m. – Live music by Elastic Bond
2 p.m. – Burrow Press Book Launch Party
3 p.m. – Live music by Unistiq
4 p.m. – Live music by The State Of
5 p.m. – Live music by Magic City Hippies
Sunday, Nov. 19
*Included with admission to the Street Fair, from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Entry fees: $8; ages 13 – 18 and over 62 $5; 12 and under free.
11 a.m. – Guided meditation by Innergy Meditation
12 p.m. – Live freestyle improvisation with Afrobeta
1 p.m. – Live music of Daniela Padron’s Bach to Venezuela
2 p.m. – Writing Class Radio Live: Storytelling Jazz
3 p.m. – Live music by Uma Galera
4 p.m. – Drunk Education Discussion
5 p.m. – Live music by French Horn Collective
Miami Book Fair
Founded in 1984 by Miami Dade College and partners, Miami Book Fair engages the community through inclusive, accessible programs that promote reading and support writers year round. The annual eight-day festival has grown into the largest and most comprehensive community-rooted literary gathering in the United States. The Fair features readings and discussions with the world’s most renowned authors, generating discourse on contemporary literature and current issues of international importance. The Fair also include culinary presentations; live music and interdisciplinary performances; interactive, educational activities for children; and more than 200 booksellers and publishers during the Street Fair. Events take place in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and French. In addition to the annual festival, the Miami Book Fair responds to community needs with a year-round schedule of activities, including The Little Haiti Book Festival, highlighting Haiti’s literary acumen; creative writing and publishing workshops; author presentations; reading campaigns and Read to Learn Books for Free, a partnership with The Children’s Trust that distributes more than 150,000 free books a year to children in Miami-Dade County.
Miami Book Fair is made possible through the generous support of the State of Florida and the National Endowment for the Arts; the City of Miami; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; Miami-Dade County Public Schools; the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau; the Miami Downtown Development Authority; and the Friends of the Fair; as well as many corporate partners. Miami Book Fair: Building community, one reader at a time.
View all Miami Book Fair program information and complete event schedules, or download a PDF of the complete Fair guide at www.miamibookfair.com.
Miami Book Fair media contacts: Lisa Palley, 305-642-3132 lpalley@bellsouth.net or Deyanira Navarrette, 305-495-7168, deyanavarrette@gmail.com