On April 1st, O,Miami, which began as a 2011 poetry festival co-created with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, will host a special reading by former United States Poet Laureate Billy Collins. Once called the “most popular poet in America” by The New York Times, Collins is a favorite with audiences everywhere for his humorous and heartfelt poems. Collins will be joined by emerging poet Melissa Broder.

Broder is the first of four young poets who will be staying at The Betsy Hotel’s “Writer’s Room”: a brand-new live-work residency at The Betsy Hotel dedicated to local and visiting writers. After Broder, The Betsy Hotel will welcome Reginald Dwayne Betts, Malachi Black, and Ariana Reines. All born between 1979 and 1982, these four poets represent a diverse cross-section of the next generation of American poetry.

“The Writer’s Room is an exciting new project by The Betsy Hotel,” P. Scott Cunningham says, “and an incredible opportunity for us to present a unique window into contemporary American poetry.”

Each poet will spend 5-8 days in the Writer’s Room creating and revising new work. He or she will also present a public reading at The Betsy Hotel’s B Bar, while some of the poets will be engaging with the Greater Miami community by meeting with students and veteran’s groups.

The month concludes on Sunday, April 29th at The Betsy Hotel with a reading featuring poet and Ecco Press founder Daniel Halpern and MacArthur Genius-award winner Campbell McGrath.

“Once again, O,Miami will help engage South Florida in great prose, and remind of us how enriching it can be to our minds and our lives,” said Dennis Scholl, Knight Foundation’s vice president/arts.

For tickets and information, visit www.universityofwynwood.org/events.

O, Miami is a biennial poetry festival created by the University of Wynwood and founding sponsor the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The mission of O, Miami is for every single person in Miami Dade County to encounter a poem during the month of April. The first month-long festival took place in 2011, and will continue in April 2013. For more, visit omiami.org.

THE JOHN S. AND JAMES L. KNIGHT FOUNDATION supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit KnightFoundation.org.

THE BETSY HOTEL is a boutique hotel located in South Beach, Miami, on world-renowned Ocean Drive. Literature is the cornerstone of arts programming at The Betsy South Beach with a legacy rooted in the work of the late poet Hyam Plutzik (1911-1962), a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and father of Chairman, Jonathan Plutzik. Each room at the hotel has a small library of poetry and other books, and a poetry bookmark is placed on each guest’s pillow every night. For more, visit http://www.thebetsyhotel.com/.