MIAMI — The O, Miami Poetry Festival is kicking off today and will last throughout the entire month of April across the city. Two Miami-based creatives will be featuring individual works that fuse poetry and consciousness.
The goal of the festival, according to organizers, is to have Miami residents interact with poetry in captivating ways through installations, community gatherings and site-specific events.
Visual artist Michelle Lisa Polissaint will make an appearance each Saturday throughout April at the Urban Oasis Project’s Farmer’s Market in Legion Park. During sessions, she will embroider a poem on garments and items brought by residents as part of a project titled “Invisible Threads/Strong Ties.”
Fellow visual artist Najja Moon will have her cousin’s poetry featured inside a photo booth that will travel throughout the city. The poem, titled “Portrait at 34,” will address the untimely death of Moon’s cousin, Kamilah Aisha Moon, herself also an award-winning poet recognized in literary circles.
The festival, which will feature events both virtually and in-person, will also have multimedia performances, ceramic crafting sessions and a drag poetry slam.
The complete list of events, along with locations and online registration links for virtual programs, is available on the festival’s homepage.
Revision: This article has been revised from the original version based on information provided by Polissaint. Najja Moon is not Haitian-American, as a PR representative had previously stated. She is African-American.