Is it possible to get all 2.5 million people in Miami-Dade County to encounter a poem in just thirty days? Who would even try?

University of Wynwood is proud to announce the most ambitious project in its three-year history: O, Miami, a county- wide celebration of contemporary poetry.

How Pedestrian – Poems on the Street

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O, Miami is a month-long effort to get every single person in Miami-Dade County—all 2.5 million of them—to encounter a poem. Designed and produced by University of Wynwood, O, Miami is made possible through generous support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

“O, Miami will help engage South Florida in great literature, and remind us all how important and enriching poetry can be in our lives,” said Dennis Scholl, Knight Foundation’s vice president/arts.

Beginning April 1st and ending April 30th, Miami-Dade County will be flooded by over 30 events and 23 projects that bring poetry to a new audience. Over fifty poets from around the world will participate, in addition to 30 partner organizations and a vast array of cultural curators.

“Traditionally, you ask the audience to come to your festival,” says O, Miami Director P. Scott Cunningham, “We tried to design a festival that comes to the audience.”

Events include

-Poetry readings by United States Poet Laureate W.S. Merwin, the actor James Franco, Tony Hoagland, and Iraq War Veteran Brian Turner

-Poet Anne Carson collaborating with choreographers Rashaun Mitchell and Jonah Bokaer from the Merce Cunningham Dance Company

-The Anthology of Rap—Yale University Press’s definitive text on hip-hop lyrics—presents an evening of rap and poetry

-Dual language readings by Forrest Gander, Victor Rodriguez Nunez, and Raúl Zurita

-Eating Our Words, a night of food and poetry inside of Key Biscayne’s Bill Bagg State Park

-Abe’s Penny Live, a month-long exhibition of Miami photographers designed to incite new work by local poets (with original “writing spaces” designed by New World School of the Arts students)

Projects include

-“Herald Bloom”, a poetic spokesperson for The Miami Herald who will be writing original verse versions of the day’s news published on miamiherald.com and on Twitter @heraldbloom

-Poetry Society of America’s Poetry in Motion program on Miami-Dade County buses, featuring a poem by Charles Simic in English beside brand-new translations of that poem in Spanish and Creole

-A “Poetic Guide” to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens, created by local Miami poets and installed inside the Gardens throughout the month of April

-“One Poem, One Community”: a poetry postcard created by Florida Center for the Literary Arts and featuring a poem in English and Spanish by W.S. Merwin that will be distributed throughout Miami-Dade County

-“Now Taste This!” Poetry in Miami area restaurants curated by Jen Karetnik

-“How Pedestrian” Random Miamians will be stopped on the street and asked to read a contemporary poem; then the videos will be posted to omiami.org

-Poetry banners in Everglades National Park

-Poems in Miami-Dade County schools and prisons

O, Miami begins on the morning of April 1 with a dedication ceremony and special announcement at the Ziff Ballet Opera House courtyard at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and culminates in a four-day celebration titled “Final Lines” at the Frank Gehry-designed New World Center on Miami Beach.

“Final Lines” begins on Wednesday, April 27th with a bilingual reading by Forrest Gander and Victor Rodriguez-Nunez. Thursday, April 28th features the poetry of James Franco and Tony Hoagland, moderated by Campbell McGrath, and also includes a late night event hosted by Literary Death Match that will feature New Yorker editor Ben Greenman and Miami author Patricia Engel. On Friday, April 29th, the main hall at New World Center welcomes Yale University Press’s “The Anthology of Rap”, followed by a late night performance at Purdy Lounge by Andrew Whiteman from Broken Social Scene and Andrew Yeomanson, aka DJ Le SPAM of the SPAM All-Stars. “Final Lines” culminates on Saturday the 30th with poets Brian Tuner, Raúl Zurita, Jill McDonough in the afternoon and W.S. Merwin and Carla Faesler in the evening.

Additional information—including a schedule, partners, and participants—can be found at www.omiami.org.

Principal Sponsors: John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Miami-Dade County, The Miami Herald, El Nuevo Herald, WLRN, Books & Books, and Miami Design District.

About O, Miami The goal of O, Miami is for every single person in Miami-Dade County to encounter a poem during the month of April 2011. O, Miami is produced by the University of Wynwood and funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. For more, visit omiami.org.

About University of Wynwood University of Wynwood curates events and projects that advance contemporary literature in Miami, FL. Founded in 2008 by P. Scott Cunningham, University of Wynwood combines the guise of a university with the infrastructure of a non- profit arts organization in order to produce innovative programming. For more, visit universityofwynwood.org.

About Knight Foundation The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation advances journalism in the digital age and invests in the vitality of communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Knight Foundation focuses on projects that promote informed, engaged communities and lead to transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.