Betsy Hotel South Beach is proud to present Three Poets/Three Generations
Sunday, April 29, 2012 at 7 pm
The Betsy South Beach
1440 Ocean Drive
Miami Beach
www.thebetsyhotel.com
Closing Event for National Poetry Month part of homage to Betsy’s poetry muse, Hyam Plutzik. The event, which marks the close of National Poetry Month, will feature readings by award-winning poet and president and publisher of Ecco Press/HarperCollins, Daniel Halpern; MacArthur Genius Grant winner, poet Campbell McGrath; and O, Miami founder, poet P. Scott Cunningham. The evening’s program also includes a special screening of a movie short by Oscar-nominated directors Christine Choy and Ku Ling Siegel, showcasing iconic American poet Stanley Kunitz reading Hyam Plutzik’s poem, Sprig of Lilac. This was Kunitz’s last public interview before his death at age 99. This year marks the centennial of Hyam Plutzik, who was the father of Betsy owner Jonathan Plutzik and whose poetry appears in various places throughout the property including pillows at nightly turndown, and in room libraries. The Betsy’s Second Annual Poetry Party on the Roof Deck will follow the readings at 9 pm. The event is free and open to the public.
The evening invites a look at the connections between poets and their teachers. The featured poets share an intergenerational connection; Daniel Halpern was a student of Stanley Kunitz; Campbell McGrath was Halpern’s student, and Cunningham studied with McGrath. Les Standiford, the director of the Florida International University Creative Writing Program will lead a Q&A session at the conclusion of the program.
The Betsy has been the epicenter of National Poetry Month in Miami this year, in association with O, Miami,and the University of Wynwood Visiting Poets Series, and many other regional partners, featuring poets in residence, public readings, and community service. Two-time U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins was Betsy’s first poet in residence for National Poetry Month on April 1. Other visiting artists included emerging poets Melissa Broder, R. Dwayne Betts, Malachi Black, and Ariana Reines, who enjoyed residencies in the Betsy’s new Writer’s Room. Poet Daniel Halpern arrives on April 28.
