O Miami Inc

OUR MAIN ACTIVITY IS HOSTING VISITING LITERARY SPEAKERS AND READERS, WHICH WE PROVIDE FUNDS FOR PUBLISHED WRITERS TO TRAVEL TO MIAMI TO GIVE READINGS AND LEAD WORKSHOPS. WE ALSO HOST LECTURES IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY IN CONJUCTION WITH OTHER CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS IN WHICH OUR PARTNERS DONATE THE SPACE AND WE PROVIDE THE TALENT AND PUBLICITY. ONCE A YEAR, WE WILL HOST A POETRY FESTIVAL IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY. WE ALSO PLAN TO WORK WITH AREA SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO INTERACT WITH PUBLISHED AUTHORS.

PRODUCED THE10TH ITERATION OF THE O, MIAMI POETRY FESTIVAL, AN ANNUAL, MONTH-LONG FESTIVAL WITH THE GOAL OF EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY ENCOUNTERING A POEM. THE FESTIVAL PRESENTED 33 EVENTS WITH 13 WORKSHOPS AND 25 POETRY-IN-PUBLIC PROJECTS; HAD AN ATTENDANCE OF 1149, WITH 793 STUDENTS; AND GENERATED 6.7 MILLION IMPRESSIONS.TAUGHT MULTISESSION, FREE POETRY LESSONS IN 33 DIFFERENT CLASSROOMS IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, IN WHICH EACH STUDENT READ THEIR WORK FOR FAMILY AND RECEIVED A CHAPBOOK FEATURING THE CLASS'S POEMS.CREATED ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING FOR 1700 STUDENTS AND PARTNERING WITH 13 SCHOOLS: GIBSON CHARTER, SEED SCHOOL, EMERSON ELEMENTARY, COCONUT GROVE ELEMENTARY, MORNINGSIDE K-8, POINCIANA PARK ELEMENTARY FIENBERG FISHER K-8, NORLAND SENIOR HIGH, BRUCIE BALL EDUCATIONAL CENTER, MATER GARDENS ACADEMY, ST. MARY'S CATHEDRAL SCHOOL, PACE CENTER FOR GIRLS, AND BELAFONTE TACOLCY CENTER.TAUGHT AN IMMERSIVE POETRY WORKSHOP FOR 11 NEURODIVERSE STUDENTS AT BRUCIE BALL HIGH SCHOOL.MANAGED AND MARKETED THE FLORIDA PRISON POET LAUREATE PROGRAM WITH OUR PARTNER ORGANIZA-TION, EXCHANGE FOR CHANGE; SELECTED A NEW LAUREATE, CHRISTOPHER MALEC. HOSTED 2 VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS WITH POETS CAKI WILKINSON AT JOHN A. FERGUSON HIGH & TIANA CLARK AT SEED SCHOOL OF MIAMI.HOSTED A VIRTUAL READING WITH CAKI WILKINSON & TIANA CLARK, SPONSORED BY SOUTH ARTS .MOVED INTO A NEW OFFICE SPACE. HOSTED AN ONLINE SPANISH POETRY WORKSHOP WITH POET LEGNA RODRGUEZ IGLESIAS. PRODUCED "REMEMBRANCE TO ORDER," A BILINGUAL (ENGLISH & SPANISH) POETRY AND GRIEF PROJECT IN WHICH 70 DIFFERENT SOUTH FLORIDA RESIDENTS REQUESTED A FREE, ORIGINAL POEM IN HONOR OF A LOVED ONE WHO PASSED AWAY. 17 FLORIDA POETS WERE PAID TO WORK ON THE PROJECT.AWARDED THE INAUGURAL MAYORAL POETRY COMMEMORATION BY MIAMI-DADE MAYOR DANIELLA LEVINE CAVA .MANAGED AND MARKETED THE FLORIDA PRISON POET LAUREATE PROGRAM WITH OUR PARTNER ORGANIZATION, EXCHANGE FOR CHANGE.HOSTED 25 ENGAGEMENTS WITH K-12 STUDENTS THROUGH IN-PERSON AND/OR ONLINE WORKSHOPS AND READINGS.DISTRIBUTED 5,000 BANDAGES WITH POEMS ON THEM, CALLED PEDIATRIC POETRY "CURITAS," TO KIDS RECEIVING COVID-19 VACCINATIONS AT JACKSON HEALTH SYSTEMS HOLTZ CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL. RELEASED THE FINAL VOLUME OF JAI-ALAI MAGAZINE, ISSUE #1, A DECADE LONG LITERARY JOURNAL FEATURING NOTABLE POETS WRITING IN RESPONSE TO YOUTH POETS FROM O, MIAMI'S EDUCATION PROGRAM. CO-PRODUCED OPA-LOCKA LIGHT DISTRICT, A COLLABORATION BETWEEN O, MIAMI AND OPA-LOCKA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION THAT PROJECTED TEN POEMS ONTO SIDEWALKS AND BUILDINGS IN DOWNTOWN OPA-LOCKA, IN ADDITION TO SEVERAL LIVE EVENTS THAT FEATURED THE OPA-LOCKA RESIDENTS WHO WROTE THE POEMS.CREATED OUR FIRST POETRY BEER: SLTY CNSNNTS WITH UNBRANDED BREWING, 600 UNITS MADE. INSTALLED PLASTIC POETRY WITH FREE PLASTICS AT NORLAND HIGH, THE FIRST OF A MULTI-PART SERIES OF POETRY MURALS COMPRISED OF UPCYCLED PLASTIC SOURCED THROUGH COMMUNITY CLEAN-UPS. RELEASED LIMITED-EDITION MOTHER'S DAY AND FATHER'S DAY TOTE BAGS WITH ZAK THE BAKER, EACH ONE FEATURING POEMS BY MIAMI-AREA STUDENTS. CO-PRESENTED A POETRY SUMMER CAMP PROGRAM FOR FOUR MIAMI-AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WITH THOMAS ARMOUR YOUTH BALLET, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NON-PROFIT EXCHANGE FOR CHANGE. PRODUCED "BLOOMING NAMES," A FLOWER+POETRY MEMORIAL HONORING THE NAMES AND LIVES OF BLACK INDIVIDUALS LOST TO GUN VIOLENCE. CREATED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OPA-LOCKA CORPORATION DEVELOPMENT CORP, THE ACTIVATION INCLUDED A LIVING FLOWER SCULPTURE, THERAPEUTIC MINDFULNESS PROGRAM, COMMUNITY POETRY LESSONS FOR 34 LOCAL RESIDENTS, AND SOUND HEALING SESSION.CONDUCTED A COMMUNITY CALL FOR POETRY IN COLLABORATION WITH UNDERLINE THAT GATHERED 443 POEMS FROM MIAMI-DADE RESIDENT AND K-12 STUDENTS AS PART OF A PHASE 1 PUBLIC POETRY ACTIVATION. CREATED AND PRODUCED A NON-PARTISAN "GET OUT THE VOTE" CAMPAIGN CALLED #KIDSCANTVOTE.ATTENDED AND PARTICIPATED IN THE ANNUAL ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING OF THE POETRY COALITION, A GROUP OF THE TOP 23 POETRY-RELATED NON-PROFITS IN THE COUNTRY. CO-PRODUCED, AS PART OF THE POETRY COALITION, "IT IS BURNING./ IT IS DREAMING./ IT IS WAKING UP.: POETRY & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE," A SERIES OF PROGRAMS IN ELEVEN CITIES THAT REACHED AN AUDIENCE OF MORE THAN 300,000 INDIVIDUALS NATIONWIDE.PRODUCED A PROJECT FOR THE CITY OF COCONUT GROVE CALLED GROVE ODE BANNERS, IN WHICH WE DESIGNED 100 DECORATIVE BANNERS FOR COCONUT GROVE'S DOWNTOWN LAMPPOSTS. EACH BANNER FEATURED AN ORIGINAL POEM BY A GROVE RESIDENT. THE BANNERS WERE DISPLAYED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS BY THE CITY.PRODUCED "WRITING MIAMI," AN ONLINE WRITING WORKSHOP THAT TAUGHT STUDENTS ABOUT HOW TO WRITE ABOUT THEIR HOMETOWNS.