Tattoos sting. So what better way to offset the pain than a serenade of spoken word and craft cocktails? That's the premise behind Friday's Animal Spirits event, where you can hear some epic poetry, sip some Hemingway punch, and possibly score a free tat, too.
Friday evening, poet Tom Healy and legendary tattoo artist Duke Riley (collaborators on new tome Animal Spirits) and poet and editor Kevin Young will all make appearances at the Freehand Miami as part of the O, Miami poetry festival's line up.
For adventurous attendees, there are 14 spots available for a permanent reminder of their love for the literary. Two artists will be inking on site at a pop-up parlor. While the tattoo is free, spots can be reserved online for $10. Then, you'll get to choose from a series of design options, all in the literary/Miami/animal spirits genre, in keeping with the event's theme.
As far as the cultural quotient, poets Tom Healy and Kevin Young will both give readings. Young is the editor of recently published anthology The Hungry Ear, which is devoted to poems about food and drink. He'll likely read some odes at the event, he told Cultist.
While he wasn't able to make the festival's previous incarnation, he's stoked about his participation in this one.
"I'm excited -- I sort of moved heaven and earth to make sure I could come to this one," Young says.
The Broken Shaker dudes will supply the cocktails (at a discount) and options will include the Hemingway & Pilar punch, a concoction of Absinthe, rum, local citrus and honey.
Chef Steve Santana will serve up gratis hors d'oeuvres. Namely, Southern style faves including fried chicken & waffles with spicy maple syrup and Old Bay shrimp & grit bites.
If you haven't partaken in its magic, O, Miami, is the currently ongoing local ode to poetry happening citywide. It consists of a whole host of events, from cocktail hours to parades to readings, and it's happening through Sunday. So seriously, don't miss it.
The event kicks off at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 26 at the Freehand Miami, 2727 Indian Creek Dr., Miami Beach. It's free of charge and bound to be one hell of a conversation starter. Visit omiami.org.
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