Miami, Literary Paradise

The Culture Edit, November 18th-December 1st

Author

Susan Bannon
November 17, 2024

When people hear “Miami,” they don’t typically think “books.” But they should! Because our city is home to the Miami Book Fair, which over the past forty years has grown into the largest (and absolutely the best) literary festival in the country. Last year, over 200,000 reading enthusiasts attended, making it Miami’s largest cultural event of the year - bigger than Ultra, bigger than Art Basel.

The festivities kick off this afternoon with a free opening day block party, featuring DJ sets, live performances, food stalls, cocktails, stacks of books for sale and author talks by some impressive folks, including Alice McDermott, Don Lemon and the team behind Cocaine Cowboys. Over the next seven days, MBF will welcome over 400 authors, covering every genre under the sun. Headliners include Erik Larson, Amy Tan, Stacey Abrams, Jeff Vandermeer, and Connie Chung (being interviewed by husband Maury Povich). The week wraps up with the annual Street Fair, running Friday through Sunday from 10am-7pm, which turns the streets of downtown into a literary wonderland of book stalls, author signings, live readings, panels, and performances, plus a special Children’s Alley and outposts of local favorites like Sweat Records and Dale Zine. Honestly, there’s so much going on at the Book Fair, I have no hope of covering it all here. Just take a look at the schedule, find something you’ll love, and get yourself there!

This is also your last week to catch King James at Gablestage, a touching play on male friendship that’s technically about basketball. It’s been getting great reviews, like in this piece by Artburst. There are five days left of performances, so book those tickets now.

As you’re perusing this week’s newsletter, you’ll notice there’s not a whole lot going on in the “next week” section. That’s because it’s Thanksgiving, and the city will be focused on getting turkeys on the table and collectively holding its breath in the days before Art Week. Starting that Sunday, however, the floodgates open and it’s wall-to-wall events til January. (I’ve been saying for years that we should spread things out a bit, but nobody listens to me.)

Final note: now that basketball season is up and running, we need to keep an eye on the home game schedule for the Heat. On those dates, you absolutely want to avoid being in a car anywhere near downtown in the hour before tipoff. The first such date is this coming Sunday at 6pm. If you’re going to be at the street fair for the Miami Book Fair (and you should be!), plan to leave by 5pm if you want to drive out of there. Or take the train!

Let’s get planning...

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Ongoing Theater

King James at Gablestage - Final Week!

Gablestage’s season opener is a basketball story, or at least a story about how basketball can help two Lebron superfans from Cleveland navigate their tumultuous relationship. A clever, fast-paced comedy by Pulitzer finalist Rajiv Joseph, King James is told over twelve years, from James’ rookie season for the Cavaliers through the championship.

Performances through November 24th, Gablestage at the Biltmore, $40-$60

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Tick, Tick… Boom!

Actor’s Playhouse opens its 37th season with Tick, Tick… Boom!, the “other” musical by Jonathan Larson (who also wrote Rent and tragically died of a heart defect the day it opened). Packed with great songs like Therapy, this autobiographical work follows Jon, a young composer trying to balance the need to create with life’s complications and heartbreak. Performances run through December 8th.

8pm, Actor’s Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, $40

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

November 17th - 24th

The 41st Annual Miami Book Fair

We’ve been waiting and it’s finally here! The Miami Book Fair kicks off Sunday, November 17th with a free block party and continues through the 24th, presenting hundreds (that’s right, hundreds) of acclaimed authors in three languages, talking politics, pop culture, prose, poetry - and of course, selling autographed books. The fan favorite street fair runs from Friday, November 22nd thru Sunday, November 23rd from 10am-7pm, featuring book stalls, food trucks, performances, and outposts of local favorites like Sweat Records and Dale Zine. With the addition of The Lost Chapter, a pop-up cocktail lounge with local DJ’s, it’s a proper party.

Street Fair 10am-7pm Friday thru Sunday, Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus and environs, Free

Neighborhood: Downtown

Thursday, November 21st

Jean Caze on The Plaza

To kick off their “Vibes Live” Festival, the Arsht Center welcomes Haitian jazz trumpeter and composer Jean Caze (pronounced the Creole/French way, like “zhan koz”) for an open air concert on the plaza. A magnetic performer, Caze has shared the stage with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, and Arturo Sandoval. Caze and his six-piece band will put on a night of jazz improvisation, spiced up with Haitian rhythms and audience interaction. Come early to catch the happy hour drink specials from 6-7pm.

7:30pm, Thompson Plaza at the Arsht Center, $20-$30

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Also on November 21st: 

  • The Bass Museum welcomes opera singer Maria Elena Vallejo and artist Pablo Cano for a free performance with Cano’s handmade marionettes.

  • Perez Art Museum Miami screens Jamaican crime classic The Harder They Come, starring Jimmy Cliff, as part of its Floating Films series, outdoors on the terrace.

Friday, November 22nd

LnS Gallery celebrates the opening of a solo show of new work by Colombian artist Jerónimo Villa, pictured above working on a new piece for the show in his Bogotá studio. In Villa’s work, raw materials like sandpaper, wood, and carborundum are transformed into powerful geometric artworks. His latest work, Los Héroes Caídos Op.3, explores the concept of Moksha - a journey of liberation and new purpose.

Opening Reception 6-9pm, LnS Gallery, Free

Neighborhood: Coconut Grove (sort of)

Nearby Eats: Eva, Krüs Kitchen, Bellini, Bartaco (save a spot in line and have a drink upstairs while you wait) | Drinks: Mayfair rooftop, Level 6, Bodega (speakeasy, door at the back behind the counter)

Also on November 22nd: 

  • Huang Yi & KUKA, a futuristic work by Taiwanese dancer and engineer Huang Yi (see below), opens at MDC’s Koubek Center.

  • The “Vibes Live” Festival continues on the plaza at the Arsht Center, with South Florida bluegrass trio Low Ground.

  • Miami Book Fair takes over the streets of downtown with music, food, authors, merch, and lots of books!

Saturday, November 23rd

Huang Yi and KUKA

Live Arts Miami proudly presents Huang Yi & KUKA, a groundbreaking work by acclaimed Taiwanese dancer, choreographer, and mechanical engineer Huang Yi. Huang conceived, built, and programmed KUKA, a robot that executes his choreography in duet with him. A sensation at TED, Huang’s work has expanded to include more dancers and a broader exploration of the future of human-machine artistry. *You can also hear Huang speak on upcoming innovations in art and tech at the Miami Book Fair earlier on Saturday.

8pm, MDC Koubek Center Theater, $35

Neighborhood: Little Havana

Nearby Eats: Bargean (new!), Lung Yai Thai Tapas (if you’re willing to wait), Ahi Sushi Bar, El Rincón Asturiano | Drinks: Cafe La Trova, Ball & Chain, Bar Nancy

Also on November 23rd: 

  • Bach specialist Shunske Sato leads the New World Symphony in a concert of work by J.S. Bach, his son J.C. Bach, and J.C.’s remarkable student, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

  • Pan American Art Projects opens Jorge Rios: for my next trick… in its Little River space with an opening reception from 6-9pm.

  • The Diaspora Vibe Afrobeat Allstars bring the sound of 1970’s Nigerian big bands to the Arsht Center for the final night of its Vibes Live Festival on the plaza.

  • Catch a rare performance by the Rock Bottom Remainders, a very literary band whose musicians include the likes of Stephen King and Dave Barry, on day two of the Miami Book Fair’s Street Fair.

Sunday, November 24th

Mozart + Bach

New World Symphony welcomes Bach specialist Shunske Sato, making his NWS debut, for a special concert showcasing the evolution of genius through generations. Sato will lead the NWS Fellows through a Baroque program that explores how the brilliance of J.S. Bach inspired his son and fellow composer J.C. Bach, who later inspired a budding student - the young prodigy Mozart.

2pm, New World Center, $40-$165

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Nearby Eats: Casa Tua, Blue Ribbon Sushi, Paya | Drinks: Water Lion at the Sagamore, Brother’s Keeper

Also on November 24th:

  • Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion presents Back to Beethoven, with a two-piano arrangement of Beethoven’s Fifth performed by Ukrainian classical stars Olha Chipak and Oleksiy Kushnir.

  • Central Fine Gallery opens Ayiti Toma III: Spiraling, Silence, and Sirenes, with a reception from 6-8pm.

  • The final day of the Miami Book Fair’s Street Fair (be out by 5pm to avoid Heat Game traffic)!

Happening NEXT Week:

Really, not much! But if you’re determined to escape turkey leftovers, football, and holiday decorating, you have two ongoing theater productions to choose from: Tick, Tick…Boom! at Actor’s Playhouse and Carmen at Faena Theater, plus these…

Monday, November 25th

An Evening with Chef Ana Quincoces

Books & Books welcomes celebrity chef Ana Quincoces to discuss her new cookbook, Modern Cuban: A Contemporary Approach to Classic Recipes. Quincoces has appeared on The Today Show, The View, and countless Food Network shows, but you may know her best from The Real Housewives of Miami. Modern Cuban aims to help a new generation of chefs perfect their sofrito, while teaching even experienced cooks how to adapt these classic recipes to the needs of modern diets - vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, even ketogenic. It’s hard to imagine a keto-friendly arroz con pollo, but if it exists, it’s in this book!

7pm, Books & Books Coral Gables, Free

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Saturday, November 30th

Infinity Machine at the Bandshell

Prepare yourself for Art Week with the soothing sounds of Infinity Machine, a shamanic sound healing performance that combines meditation, dance, and ambient music. Collaborators John MacLean (aka The Juan MacLean) and DFA Record’s Greg Droggitis (aka Gee Dee) improvise with a range of analog, vibrational instruments and synth-derived sounds, in response not only to the crowd and each other, but also to the “physical/non-physical space” between them. Produced by the Rhythm Foundation as part of its Bandshell Laboratories program, this performance includes immersive visuals and choreographed dance by Sandra Portal-Abreu. Bring your yoga mat to follow along with the meditation.

8pm, Miami Beach Bandshell, $47

​​Neighborhood: North Beach

Sunday, December 1st

Progressive Art Brunch: Art Week Kickoff

Here we go! Miami’s hometown galleries put their best foot forward for Art Week, but you can get a jump on the international art crowd and see them first with this special edition of the Progressive Art Brunch. As per usual, you’ll have five hours (11am-4pm) to see the current exhibits at fifteen local galleries sprinkled throughout Allapattah, Little River and Little Haiti. Typically, some type of sparkling wine is available at each stop, which can get a bit messy if you don’t take time to stop for lunch.

11am-4pm, Various Galleries, Free

Neighborhoods: Allapattah, Little River, Little Haiti

Nearby Eats: Hometown BBQ (Allapattah), the Citadel (Little River), Walrus Rodeo (Little Haiti) | Drinks: Off Site, Magie

Planning Ahead:

Miami's most anticipated events sell out and those new restaurants you want to try book up. For the ultimate plan-ahead guide, you have my complete Highlights of the Fall Season, but if that’s too much trouble, you can just plan for these two…

December 5th - 22nd

Black Santa

City Theatre and the Arsht Center present the Southeastern Premiere of Black Santa, an absurdist comedy about the ways racial assumptions can claim even our most benign cultural figures. After a 3rd grader named Sharifa publicly declares to fellow classmates at her exclusive private school that “Santa Claus is a black man from Detroit,” all hell breaks loose and the school’s sole black teacher is tasked with creating an ad campaign to make Santa white again.

Carnival Studio Theater at the Arsht Center, $56-$61

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Saturday, December 7th

A Seraphic Fire Christmas

In the spirit of giving, Seraphic Fire gives its audience what it wants - a holiday concert, complete with candlelight and a fan favorite playlist featuring Ave Maria and Adeste Fideles.

7:30pm, St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church, $65-$85

Neighborhood: The Roads

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