If you think you can’t get down with short stories, then you haven’t read Mia Alvar. Her debut short story collection, In the Country, was published in June featuring Filipino characters living under martial law in their own country in the 1970’s and working and saving up in the Middle…
On Saturday afternoon, hundreds flocked to Wynwood for the Miami Book Fair International’s mural unveiling party. The MBFI departed from their traditional poster format to do something a bit more edgy this year, turning to the streets of Miami for inspiration. The commissioned mural, entitled Three Muses, was painted by…
Physical and symbolic lines have long divided the island of Hispaniola. On the one side is Haiti, on the other, the Dominican Republic — two vastly different countries that have had a turbulent history. The Dominican Republic, which has a population of about 10 million, has both benefited from and…
On Thursday night, as the rest of the nation put on layers of wool clothing and ate hot soup (or whatever it is people do when winter is on the prowl) artists and supporters of the arts braved North Miami Beach flooding and October humidity for a poolside soiree. Set…
Read any good books lately? For lit nerds and wordsmiths, October begins the real countdown to Miami Book Fair International (MBFI), which runs from November 15 through 22. For one week, the Magic City get its Woodstock, its Comic-Con, its World Series, its U.S. Open. Big names like Isabel Allende,…
Since 2006, Lip Service has been a way for members of the Miami community to tell and hear live stories. Started by Andrea Askowitz and Esther Martinez, it also has its local roots in one of Miami’s most beloved spots. “When I came to Miami (from Los Angeles) I was…
Born in Bombay, India, Salman Rushdie has made a name for himself over the last few decades in both traditional and nontraditional ways. The traditional: Win the Booker Prize. Get knighted. Non-traditional: Work with U2. Go into hiding after publishing The Satanic Verses and appearing on an Al Qaeda hit…
For the first USpeak Flash Fiction & Poetry Performance Series of the 2015/16 year, students and the community at large are in for a treat. Local writer and new University of Miami Creative Writing faculty member Chantel Acevedo is back after years away, and will read from her new book,…
Last week, Cannonball Artist-in-Residence Christopher Cozier led a public talk titled “Actions Between Territories.” Cozier, an artist, writer, and curator living and working in Trinidad, is part of the Residency Program of Cannonball—a non-profit arts organization in Miami that, “offers dedicated time, space, resources, and technical/administrative support to conduct research, produce…
“Havana vanities come to dust in Miami. On the August night in 1933 when General Gerardo Machado, then president of Cuba, flew out of Havana into exile, he took with him five revolvers, seven bags of gold, and five friends, still in their pajamas.” -Miami by Joan Didion Many outsiders…
Ever feel like people don’t get you or where you come from? Ever feel like the city you call home doesn’t belong in the U.S., doesn’t belong anywhere? Congratulations: You must be from Miami. The following seven books are about the city you call casa, about the best and worst…
For the first time since its inception in 2011, Jai-Alai Magazine is accepting online submissions in short essays, poetry, fiction, translation, and art. New Times spoke with the magazine’s editor José A. Villar-Portela to discuss writing, and why Miami “is a place that’s no place.” New Times: How did you…
Feeling a little blasé about your bookshelf contents? Want something fresh to read but don’t know where to start? Ready to get that new Harper Lee novel, but want something more obscure as well? The following seven book recommendations have a little something for everyone, from families in exile to…
To celebrate the publication of Harper Lee’s second novel, Go Set a Watchman, Books & Books is partnering with the Coral Gables Art Cinema for a free screening of 1962’s To Kill a Mockingbird on Tuesday. Starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, Horton Foote won an Oscar for his adaptation…
Just like sea levels, Miami’s book culture is on the rise. Ever since the first Miami Book Fair International was held in 1984 (originally dubbed Books by the Bay), the fair has steadily grown into what is today—namely, an eight-day playground for authors, publishers, agents, writers, readers, and everyone in…
This month, Bridges to/from Cuba—a writing blog with the goal of ending the “emotional” embargo between the U.S. and Cuba—launched. Soon after, cofounders and writers Ruth Behar and Richard Blanco took a week long tour of the island to spread the word and introduce each other to friends, relatives, and…
Last Thursday night in the Coral Gables Congregational Church of Christ, it’s possible that more than one person had a spiritual experience, albeit the kind you find with a literary reading. Amongst the pews, candles, and bibles, Elmaz Abinader, Staceyann Chin, Junot Diaz, Kim Euell, Ruth Forman, Marjorie Lui and…
Have a tale you’ve always wanted to share? The Moth StorySLAM sure hopes so. Created as an offshoot of the New York based series which is recorded live and transmitted via podcast and as “The Moth Radio Hour” on WLRN (91.3 FM), participants offer true, first-person accounts on a predetermined…
No matter how you slice it, Cuba is a complicated topic to breach — especially if you live in Miami. Depending on where you were born, when (if) you came over, and what generation you fall into, the island has always been close, yet seemingly of another world. For all…
On a sweltering summer night in Miami, is there anything better than listening to a discussion about books, small presses, and the history of Jai-Alai? Last Thursday, an eclectic mix of mostly young attendees settled atop plush couches in The Standard Spa, Miami Beach lobby for a lecture given by…
Rejoice, Miami. We’re about to get a hell of a lot more literary starting June 21. For over 15 years, Voices of Our Nation Arts Foundation (VONA) has offered workshops to writers of color, launched community writing programs and events, hosted faculty readings, and more. Originally based out of San…
On Monday night, Books & Books and Temple Judea hosted a discussion between beloved YA writer Judy Blume and WLRN’s editorial director and arts reporter Alicia Zuckerman. There aren’t too many authors that can draw a crowd of die-hard, life-long readers, but Blume—whose books include the childhood classic, Are You…
