Miami, Oct. 23, 2024 – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Miami Book Fair, Nov. 17 – 24, will once again delight book lovers of all ages with eight days of author presentations. This year’s lineup also brings some of the most compelling poetic voices, including former U.S. Poet Laureates, award-winning authors and local talents. Most events are free with Street Fair admission.
Complete list of poetry events include:
Lit Encounters by theVERSEverse
Thursday, Nov. 21, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Mad Arts, 481 S Federal Hwy, Dania Beach, FL 33004
As part of the innovative Lit Encounters exhibition, there will be a special day celebrating the Library of America’s Latino Poetry Anthology. Featuring multimedia installations, holograms of local poets, and blockchain technology, the exhibition challenges traditional notions of how poetry is experienced and shared. Presented in partnership with Mad Arts and theVERSEverse.
The Past, Present, and Future of Florida: A Poetry Reading
Saturday, Nov. 23, at 11 a.m. | Building 8, Third Floor, Room 8303
Poets Ariel Francisco, Jen Karetnick, and David Kirby explore themes of climate change, landscape, and the Floridian experience through their latest collections. Offering a unique perspective on Florida’s evolving cultural and environmental landscape.
Marie Howe on New and Selected Poems
Saturday, Nov. 23, at 12 p.m. | Building 8, Third Floor, Room 8303
Acclaimed poet Marie Howe presents her essential volume, New and Selected Poems, showcasing her ability to transform everyday observations into sacred, humane miracles. Moderated by poet Denise Duhamel, this event promises a deep dive into Howe’s poetic journey.
Celebrating The National Book Award Honorees for Poetry
Saturday, Nov. 23, at 1 p.m. | Building 8, Third Floor, Room 8303
The National Book Foundation’s National Book Awards recognizes some of the most outstanding poetry collections published in the U.S. each year. Moderated by Ruth Dickey, executive director of the National Book Foundation.
A U.S. Poet Laureate in Conversation: Billy Collins
Saturday, Nov. 23, at 1:30 p.m. | Building 1, Second Floor, Auditorium
Former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins reads from his latest book, Water, Water, and discusses the role of poetry in the community. In Water, Water, Collins combines his vigilant attention and respect for the peripheral to create moments of delight and capture the beauties and ironies of everyday experience in sixty new poems. Moderated by Robert Casper, head of Poetry and Literature at the Library of Congress.
Kwame Alexander: This is the Honey and Why Fathers Cry at Night
Saturday, Nov. 23, at 2:30 p.m. | Building 8, Third Floor, Room 8303
A reading and conversation with No.1 New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander about his two new works: This is the Honey, an anthology of contemporary Black poetry, and Why Fathers Cry at Night, a memoir exploring love, family, and personal growth.
Mending the Rift: A Poetics of Healing
Saturday, Nov. 23, at 3:30 p.m. | Building 8, Third Floor, Room 8303
Poets Jennifer Maritza McCauley, Sara Daniele Rivera, and Emily Jungmin Yoon explore themes of healing, racial identity, and human connection through their latest works. Delving into the power of poetry to address personal and societal wounds.
The Poem Within the Poem: A Bilingual Poetry Reading
Saturday, Nov. 23, at 4:30 p.m. | Building 8, Third Floor, Room 8303
Poets Nidia Hernández, Farid Matuk, and Carlos Pintado explore the art of translation in poetry. This bilingual event will explore the themes of cultural identity, displacement, and the nuances of expressing oneself across languages.
A U.S. Poet Laureate in Conversation: Robert Pinsky
Sunday, Nov. 24, at 11 a.m. | Building 1, Second Floor, Auditorium
Robert Pinsky, another former U.S. Poet Laureate, shares his new book, Proverbs of Limbo. Pinsky will explore themes of personal history, cultural clashes, and the in-between spaces of human experience, demonstrating why he’s considered one of America’s most thoughtful and articulate poets.
The Academy of American Poets Celebrates 90 Years of Poetry
Sunday, Nov. 24, at 11 a.m. | Building 8, Third Floor, Room 8303
Join Joy Castro and Carlie Hoffman for a special 90th anniversary reading and conversation, highlighting questions of national identity, migration, displacement, and belonging. This event, moderated by Mary Sutton, offers a unique perspective on the evolving landscape of American poetry.
Selfhood and the Deep Compassion of Poetry
Sunday, Nov. 24, at 12 p.m. | Building 8, Third Floor, Room 8303
Poets Jubi Arriola-Headley, Ana María Caballero, and Pablo Medina explore themes of identity, self-reflection, and engagement with the world through their latest collections. This event promises a deep dive into the intersections of personal experience and broader societal issues.
A Messy Survival, A Reprise of Joy
Sunday, Nov. 24, at 1 p.m. | Building 8, Third Floor, Room 8303
Miami Book Fair’s own inaugural Emerging Writer Fellow in Poetry Gabriel Ramirez (2021) presents his debut poetry collection, If Pit Bulls Had a God, It’d Be a Pit Bull, which examines how violent prejudices can be met with and redirected by a holy tenderness. After two years of artistic silence, Bluff is Danez Smith’s powerful reckoning with their role and responsibility as a poet in the wake of the pandemic and protest following the murder of George Floyd in their hometown of the Twin Cities.
Three Poets Laureate in Conversation
Sunday, Nov. 24, at 2 p.m. | Building 8, Third Floor, Room 8303
Join us for a poetry reading and conversation on the role of the localized poet laureate in service to the community with poets Laureate Diannely Antigua, Traci Brimhall, and Caridad Moro-Gronlier. This panel, moderated by Nicole Tallman, poetry ambassador for Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, will explore how poetry can serve as a bridge between personal expression and public service.
Rupture and Repair: Poetry of Displacement and Transformation
Sunday, Nov. 24, at 3 p.m. | Building 8, Third Floor, Room 8303
Poets Armen Davoudian, Saretta Morgan, and Diana Khoi Nguyen explore themes of displacement, identity, and transformation through their latest collections. Offering a powerful look at the intersections of personal history and broader cultural movements.
Hard-Won Holiness: A Reading and Conversation with Jessica Jacobs and Ava Nathaniel Winter
Sunday, Nov. 24, at 4 p.m. | Building 8, Third Floor, Room 8303
Jessica Jacobs and Ava Nathaniel Winter discuss the intersection of religious traditions, queer identity, and cultural histories in their poetry. A nuanced exploration of faith, identity, and the power of poetic expression.
Fiesta de Poetas: A Celebration of Latino Poetry
Sunday, Nov. 24, at 5 p.m. | Building 2, First Floor, Room 2106
This event celebrates the publication of Latino Poetry: The Library of America Anthology. Featuring readings by contributors, this celebration will showcase the depth and diversity of Latino poetry from the 17th century to the present day, concluding with a dance party. Featuring Diannely Antigua, Richard Blanco, Sandra M. Castillo, Adrian Castro, Ariel Francisco, Rigoberto González, Farid Matuk, Pablo Medina, Deborah Paredez, Gabriel Ramirez, and Alexandra Lytton Regalado. Introduction by Caridad Moro-Gronlier, poet laureate for Miami-Dade County. Moderated by Max Rudin, president and publisher of Library of America. Presented in partnership with the Library of America
About 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, generating discourse on contemporary literature and current issues of international importance. Throughout the rest of the year, Miami Book Fair hosts an ongoing schedule of activities, including The Little Haiti Book Festival; creative writing and publishing workshops; author presentations; reading campaigns; and 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 programming is made possible through generous support from the State of Florida and the National Endowment for the Arts; City of Miami; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council; Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; Miami-Dade County Public Schools; Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau; Miami Downtown Development Authority; and Friends of the Fair; as well as many corporate partners. Miami Book Fair: Building community, one reader at a time. Follow the Miami Book Fair on social media @miamibookfair #miamireads.
Miami Book Fair contact: Lisa B. Palley, Palley Promotes, 305-761-1339, lpalley@bellsouth.net.