O, Miami Poetry Festival: So Many Sweet Edible Spins

Haiku Master in Miami

Join us for Haiku Master in Miami, an evening of Japanese poetry, culture, food and drink Tues., April 25 at The Kampong from 6:30-9:30. Poet and photographer Kit Pancoast Nagamura, who has lived in Japan for 25 years and appears regularly on NHK World’s TV program HAIKU MASTERS, will share the elements of traditional haiku. Participants will explore the gardens and return to present their creations on stage. The evening also showcases Japanese culture in South Florida, including: Ikebana – the traditional art of flower arranging – by Mieko Kubota, formerly artist-in-residence at the South Florida Folklife Center of HistoryMiami. She will use some of the tropical foliage found on the grounds of The Kampong; Japanese arts and crafts on display courtesy of the Miami Friends of Japanese Garden, supporting Ichimura Miami-Japan Garden on Watson Island; handmade wood and linoblock prints of Japanese pop culture by Miami artist and illustrator Brian Reedy; Okonomiyaki, savory Japanese pancakes, from Lan Pan Asian, and other tastes; Matcha Coco samples from Yoko Matcha; Special Japanese-inspired cocktails by Gio Gutierrez and Gabe Urrutia of Spirited Miami; and The Miami Beach Botanical Garden, hosting Japanese Spring Festival Sun., April 30. Get tickets here.

• Edible Odes, poems of 40 words or fewer that memorialize South Florida foods, will be read at Vizcaya Village on April 26.
• Festival Finale Party on Sat., April 29 at the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center plaza features live music, food trucks, cocktails, surprise poetry engagements and a Poetry Bus curated by Afrobeta.

For a full list of this year’s events, visit omiami.org.