Watch CBS News

O,Miami Poetry Festival Looking To Inspire All Of South Florida In Several Ways

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Look up, look down, look all around.

Poetry is in the air everywhere, all this month in Miami!

Its O,Miami Poetry Festival, back now for its 8th year with one goal in mind, says founder Scott Cunningham.

"Our goal in the month is for every single person in Miami to encounter a poem. We do two things; poetry in public places, where we bring poetry to people in most creative ways we can, and we also do events that we hope introduce poetry to new people," said Scott.

At the Colony Theater in Miami Beach, the marquis gets a poem by fourth grader Khalani Wright.

"So the people at The Colony and Miami New Drama allow us to put up a poem by a kid on a marquis, and this is Khalani Wright. He's a fourth grader, he wrote this poem and now it's on marquis so hopefully people walk by Lincoln Road and they can get inspired by it," Scott said.

You'll literally go bananas over all the poetry you'll find. Yes, there's a sticker with poems on fruit!

"I'm going to put a fruit sticker on your orange so your orange becomes more poetic. This reads 'happiness is a beautiful fruit you can drink,'" said Scott.

You might find them at your local supermarket or fruit stand.

Some are written by master poets, others by kids, or anyone with the goal of spreading joy.

Many events are planned, like the Poetry in Pajamas Party on April 12th, and you'll find poems where you don't expect them, like the windshield of your car. What looks like a parking ticket is actually a soothing sonnet.

"So I'm going to see this on my car and say 'oh blank,' and then I'm going to be happy actually," said CBS4's Lisa Petrillo, laughing.

"I hope so," said Scott. "That's the goal."

O,Miami Poetry Festival is a time to appreciate prose wherever you are.

"We want to celebrate Miami and the people who live here and hopefully spread some joy and have people put a smile on their faces," he said.

So remember the next time you see that ticket on your car windshield, look closer and you might find a little joy instead of dread.

For more info visit: http://www.omiami.org/

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.