We Believe We Can Fly

If only we had a dollar for every time we heard a variation on this sentiment: “Fill-in-the-blanks will change the city!” Or “If there were a few more like so-and-so, downtown Miami would be a cultural and nightlife mecca.” We’re sad to say it, but we calendar editors have seen our share of high hopes and lofty aspirations destroyed by Miami apathy and lack of support. So has poet, writer, all-around smarty-pants, and (full disclosure) Miami New Times freelancer P. Scott Cunningham. He is the main man behind the University of Wynwood, “Miami’s only discredited university,” as he calls it. The U of W is kicking things off with a lecture series titled “In All Likelihood These Dreams Will Be Crushed: Ambitious Cultural Projects by Young Miamians.” You get the idea — this series of illuminating talks will highlight the ambitious, hardworking local geniuses’ ongoing efforts to class this city up a bit.

The series will take place the second Saturday of every month (so afterward, guests can stumble out into the street for the gallery crawl). This Saturday night’s initial “class” will feature Lauren “Lolo” Reskin, flame-haired proprietress of Sweat Records. Sir Cunningham and attending classmates will attempt to understand how she keeps her business afloat in an era of widespread musical piracy, digital downloads, and insufferable Auto-Tune ditties. Upcoming lectures will include the men of the Miami World Cinema Center and Claire Breukel of Locust Projects. There will be a quiz, the object of which is to answer every question incorrectly, and lectures will be preceded and punctuated throughout by the imbibing of affordable vino. Admission is — you guessed it — free. Class is in session from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Brikolodge Seminar Room. Visit www.universityofwynwood.com.
Second Saturday of every month, 2009