Rhyme Time with O’Miami Poetry Festival

Since its founding 13 years ago, the O, Miami poetry festival has blossomed from a once-a-year event to a year-round celebration of poetry. “We build community around the power and joy of poetry,” says Melissa Gomez, the communications director of O, Miami.

In honor of National Poetry Month, the nonprofit has packed April full of community events, like its Zip Odes contest, Poetry in Pajamas open mic, and the popular placing of poetry “parking tickets” on vehicles throughout the Magic City. Writer Christina Frigo heads the latter project.

“We’ve hung back a little bit and waited for people to come see [the tickets], and the response is just overwhelmingly positive,” Frigo says. “They’re disappointed or angry or frustrated, and then they pick it up, [have] a little moment of confusion, and then this pure joy spreads across their faces.”

In addition, O, Miami has commissioned its largest art installation with Wish Upon a Poem . The interactive piece by artist and coder Yucef Merhi gives three users in three different locations a way to create a poem together by rubbing a magic lamp.

“We throw, in my opinion, the biggest party in Miami-Dade that celebrates Miami and its people,” Gomez says of the month’s festivities. “Every April, our mission is for everyone in Miami-Dade County to encounter a poem.”

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