5 Local Authors to Check Out at the Miami Book Fair

It's not hard to be inspired by our kooky corner of the country — after all, there's a reason the Florida Man meme persists. Nobody perhaps knows this better than the scribes that call South Florida home. From poetry to nonfiction works, the Magic City remains a worthy muse.

At this year's Miami Book Fair, there will be at least 34 authors from across the Sunshine State. That's in addition to the hundreds of out-of-state literary powerhouses and more than 200,000 expected attendees during the eight-day festival. However, if your 305 'til you die, here are five local authors you want to make some time for during the literary extravaganza.

Ana Menéndez

Los Angeles-born Menéndez was raised in here, went to school here, and, though she's lived all over the world (Egypt, India, Turkey, Slovakia, and the Netherlands), she calls Miami home. As an associate professor at Florida International University with joint appointments in English and the Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab, she's helping mold young minds. In her latest novel, The Apartment: A Novel, she tells a typical Miami story: the search for freedom and the power of community that spans decades of residents in one Florida apartment. Intergenerational Stories: On Family & Resilience. With Patricia Engel, M. Evelina Galang, Cristina García, and Ana Menéndez. 2:30 p.m. Sunday, November 19, at Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus, 300 NE Second Ave., Miami (Room 3209, Building 3, Second Floor).

Chris Potash and Joey Seeman

The punk genre and its origins are often thought of as synonymous with New York and CBGB, but South Florida made some notable contributions, too. Authors and Miami natives Joey Seeman and Chris Potash participated and documented the first, second, and subsequent waves of musicians, indie labels, DJs, and more throughout the years. Their book Punk Under the Sun: '80s Punk and New Wave in South Florida features never-before-seen photographs, dozens of fliers and other souvenirs, a discography, and a who's who of people and places that created South Florida's alternative culture. Miami: Punk Rock City. 3 p.m. Saturday, November 18, at the Magic Screening Room at the Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus, 300 NE Second Ave., Miami (Building 8, First Floor).

Geoffrey Philp

Jamaican novelist, playwright, and poet Geoffrey Philp relocated to Miami in 1979. He's written a novel and six poetry collections so far, so his seventh, Archipelagos, is his take on poetry during the onrushing global disaster. Philp's poems span past and present, and his powerful poems will resonate with many readers. Voice of Jamaica: Exploring Race, Identity & Memory. With Geoffrey Philp, Dale Mahfood, Safiya Sinclair, and Sharon Corinthian. 4 p.m. Sunday, November 19, at Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus, 300 NE Second Ave., Miami (Room 8302, Building 8, Third Floor).

Kenisha Anthony

Miami native Kenisha Anthony is more than your typical Magic City influencer; she's also a writer, philanthropist, and social worker looking to change Florida's broken child welfare system. Anthony entered the foster care system here as an abandoned child of drug-addicted parents at the age of 4 and bounced from home to home, eventually aging out. Now a college graduate, she's also an advocate for change in the child welfare system, and her book, Labeled: Ward of the State, is a memoir that shines a spotlight on life through the lens of a survivor. Changing the Narrative, Empowering Youth. 1 p.m. Sunday, November 19, at Miami Dade Collge Wolfson Campus, 300 NE Second Ave., Miami (Room 8203, Building 8, Second Floor).

M. Evelina Galang

While M. Evelina Galang wasn't born in Miami, she lives and teaches here. Her seventh book, When the Hibiscus Falls: Stories, features familiar figures from some of her other novels and stories, and it tells stories that are close to home for many Floridians: family, community, and the connection between generations of women that make the move from small Philippine villages to the hurricane-beaten coast of Florida. Intergenerational Stories: On Family & Resilience. With Patricia Engel, M. Evelina Galang, Cristina García, and Ana Menéndez. 2:30 p.m. Sunday, November 19, at Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus, 300 NE Second Ave., Miami (Room 3209, Building 3, Second Floor).