Hialeah Haikus: It’s All About the Poetry, Bro

Hialeah Haikus … Chew on that idea for a moment. And before you commit harakiri at the thought of the pairing, just focus on the words, short and purposefully constructed to elicit a strong visceral reaction. Isn’t that the essence of a haiku? You know, it makes sense in a Hialeah…

Miami Squares: A Poetry Night That Partied

Does the idea of “poetry” remind you of your tortured teen years of unrequited love and total social rejection? Or maybe Def Poetry Jam comes to mind, with its singsong sounds and its dark themes of rape and race. Luckily, there are poetry readings that escape cliche and melodrama to…

Lazaro Rodriguez Talks Male Asses, Nighttime Shots, and I Swear

A notably mercurial figure, local artist Lazaro Rodriguez lives in a world of cigarettes and shadows, beer and hot tubs, Gucci Mane, puppy dogs, gay beefcakes, and breakdancing on the beach. Until now, he’s mined that sprawling territory and more for his blogs, “Plan2Cry” and “everybodywasfeelingfine.” This Friday, though, Rodriguez…

Roofless Records Starts Its Very Own Publishing Imprint

In a deadly short span of time, Matt Preira and Dana Bassett of Roofless Records have wrestled the Miami music scene into an affectionate headlock — staging shows at underground spots, releasing strange slabs of vinyl, and being named New Times’ Best Record Label of 2010. And now, Basset is…

Miami Book Fair: Tao Lin

In almost every sense — except the most extreme — Tao Lin’s for sale. Of course, there’s his published output, including the poetry books You Are a Little Bit Happier Than I Am ($14) and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy ($14.95), the short story collection Bed ($14.95), and a novel, Eeeee Eee Eeee…

Miami Book Fair: David Hajdu

Take a look at the biographical blurb and accompanying author photo on the back cover of David Hajdu’s latest book, Heroes and Villains, and you’ll discover that not only is Hadju a professor, but he looks like one. Smiling wryly behind frameless spectacles, the 54-year-old prof (and music critic for…

Miami Book Fair: Novelist Ben Greenman

Normal MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 classid=”clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D” id=”ieooui”> st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Alternative-HTF3-Roman; mso-font-alt:”Courier New”; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:””; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} p.body1, li.body1, div.body1 {mso-style-name:body1; mso-style-parent:””; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-indent:.15in;…

Miami Book Fair: Sportswriter S.L. Price

Former Miami Herald scribe and current Sports Illustrated senior writer S.L. Price makes his living where sports and culture intersect. His 2000 book Pitching Around Fidel was an exploration of the crumbling Cuban sports machine, and the importance of play to a people deprived of basic freedoms. His newest non-fiction…

Relive the Miami Book Fair from the Comfort of Your Own Laptop

The Miami Book Fair may be, uh, in the books, but it’s also on the YouTubes. CSPAN, everyone’s favorite must-watch cable channel, aired some sessions from the fair, and CSPAN Junkie collected them for your viewing pleasure. Scott McClellan: What Happened: Inside the Bush White House The Fight Over Presidential…

Miami Book Fair: Nikki Giovanni

Nikki Giovanni was once known as the princess of black poetry, but nowadays she shares the queendom with the likes of Maya Angelou. Bold, forthright and sharp, Giovanni has paved the way for new generations of young black poets, she celebrated hip hop and recognized its power before many of…

Video: Q&A with Miami Book Fair Co-Founder Mitchell Kaplan

Mitchell Kaplan is one of Miami’s most beloved figures. As the owner of Books & Books, he already had established a headquarters for a then burgeoning literary scene. When he co-founded the Miami International Book Fair 25 years ago, Kaplan helped to further cement the city as a mecca for…

Miami Book Fair Preview: Q&A with Art Spiegelman

Comic artist Art Spiegelman Art Spiegelman- the Michael Jordan of literary comics- headlines this year’s book fair. The artist who created the hugely popular Holocaust comic tome Maus is here touting two new works. The first is Breakdowns: Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@&*!, a re-release of a…

Miami Book Fair Preview: Q&A with Dennis Lehane

Mystic River author Dennis Lehane Dennis Lehane, author of best-sellers turned box office hits Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone, is as Boston as the Dropkick Murphys and “Sweet Caroline” at Red Sox games. But he’s actually a South Florida guy, too. Lehane studied at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg…