Last night during the Abe’s Penny Live exhibition at the New World School of the Arts ArtSeen Gallery, three local poets rocked the house. Maureen Seaton, Emma Trelles and I read poems from our latest books that centered on various themes including Miami’s nightlife, The Queen of South Beach, the summer heat, love, loss and—of course—Jersey City!

Trelles got the crowed worked up when she closed her reading with a song, which was no surprise because Trelles used to perform in a local band. With just a little effort, Trelles got the audience to clap in synchronicity—and we held the tempo—as she sang one of her poems. It was a beautiful, unexpected moment that underscored the underlying purpose of O, Miami—to bring poetry to life for the residents of Miami-Dade County and, most important, to show the vitality of the literary arts community in South Florida. Yes, we are alive and singing.

O, Miami and National Poetry Month is almost over, but almost doesn’t mean the best events have passed. In fact, poet-actor James Franco and United States Poet Laureate W.S. Merwin are scheduled to perform next week plus a series of events throughout the city. (See details below.)

Schedule of Events:

When: April 22 – 6:00 pm What: Aberrant Language and the Design of Everydayness Where: The Wolfsonian-FIU Who: Matthew Abess Info: Following the 6 pm gallery tour, Matthew Abess will introduce Rewriting the World and engage with the audience about matters of poetry, persuasion and the language of everyday life. Wine reception to follow; event is free and open to the public. For more information, click here.

When: April 23 – 8:00 pm What: Borscht Film Festival Where:  Adrienne Arsht Center Info: Poetry trailers will run before the films being screened at the Borscht Film Festival.

When: April 24 – 7:30 pm What: Poets of the Unreeled: Outdoor Movietelling Where: The Dorsch Gallery Who: Walter Lew + shadoWord poets Info: Eight Miamian and Californian poets perform their own scripts to excerpts from famous films, TV episodes and music videos projected in the Dorsch’s yard. Drawing on the history of live voice-acting and narration of films (the katsuben stars of Japan, anticolonial pyônsa of Korea, Weimar-Germany Kinoehrzähler, etc.), these works move CinePoesis to a whole new level. With electronic musical accompaniment by Eden Grey and clips from archival benshi and pyônsa performances.

When: April 26 – 7:00 pm What: Abe’s Penny Live Closing Where: NWSA ArtSeen Gallery Who: TBA Info: We celebrate the final chance for local poets to write poems in our student-made photography/writing room installations with performances by a couple of local favorite music groups.

O, Miami is a countywide poetry festival inaugurating in April 2011. Its goal is for every person in Miami-Dade County to encounter a poem during the month of April. Preview all events at www.omiami.org.