The Center for Writing and Literature Spring/Summer 2015

Spring & Summer • 2015

Promoting reading and writing throughout the year by presenting

stellar events open to all.

The Big ReadA month-long reading campaign to

engage reluctant readers. Powered by a grant from the National Endowment

of the Arts. In Spring 2015, we’ll be reading When the Emperor Was Divine

by Julie Otsuka.

Reading

Read to Learn Books For Free

A literacy program that encourages children to read by making free books available in Miami-Dade County’s most

under-resourced neighborhoods. Shelves are located in public health clinics,

neighborhood assistance centers, public housing and elsewhere. More than 3,000

books are given away monthly. The Center depends on book and

monetary donations from the public to keep up with community demand.

Visit thecenteratmdc.org/readtolearn to purchase a low-cost book.

In partnership with The Children’s Trust.

Miami Writers Institute

A yearly creative writing conference featuring

workshops with bestselling and award-winning authors and

publishing professionals.

Creative Writing Program

Continuing education creative writing courses and workshops scheduled during the fall, spring

and summer semesters.

Visiting Authors Readings, lectures and signings

open to the public, plus residencies and workshops

for Miami Dade College students and in public schools.

Writing

Generation Genius StoryArts

A literacy project for children that bridges art-making and reading and takes place in City of Miami parks’ afterschool programs. The Center

distributes free books to participating children at each session.

Miami Book Fair International

Festival of Authors From newbies to Nobel prize winners, these authors — their

readings and discussions — are the heart of the Fair.

Street Fair Three days, a million books, two hundred thousand readers, plus

street performances and delicious food: a celebration unequaled.

Destination: Comics Miami Book Fair’s own comic con! Featuring creator panels, comics-making workshops, publishers and

comics shops.

Generation Genius Children's Alley

Activities in seven pop-up “funrooms” encourage learning, imagination and

exploration of science, visual arts, world cultures, music, and health and fitness.

Generation Genius Writes Creative writing workshops for children and teens in locations throughout Miami,

as well as in their schools. Taught by local and visiting authors.

The SwampAn interactive pop-up lounge

featuring artists and writers from all over Florida. The Swamp reflects the current cultural scene and showcases work that explores the beauty, brains and downright “weirdness” of life in

the Sunshine State. Made possible by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as part of its

Knight Arts Challenge.

Generation Genius Authors Author readings and creative writing workshops for children and teens, at

Miami Book Fair International (best field trips ever!), and in classrooms all over the county. Free books for all, thanks to the

Fair’s generous sponsors.

Ongoing Read to Learn Books for Free Kids living in under-resourced Miami

neighborhoods have little access to books

outside of school. Nearly half of Miami-Dade

County third graders fail to read even at a basic

grade level, and only one-third read proficiently.

Studies show that children with greater access to

books are more likely to read well and succeed

academically.

The Center is meeting this challenge in partnership

with The Children’s Trust. So far, The Center has

placed more than 35 shelves full of children’s

books, free for the taking, in locations throughout

the county where children visit with their parents.

These include public health clinics, community

service centers, public housing, the children’s

courthouse and juvenile justice center, the

Department of Children and Families, and WIC

program offices, among others.

In 2014, Read to Learn Books for Free distributed

more than 117,000 free books.

The Center is actively looking for donations of

new or gently used books to keep the shelves

full. Monetary donations in any amount will also be

gratefully accepted.

To contribute by purchasing a low-cost book or

donating money, or for more information, visit

TheCenteratMDC.org/ReadtoLearn.

Paz Prize for Poetry 2014-2015The Center established The Paz Prize for Poetry

in partnership with The National Poetry Series

in Spring 2012 to celebrate The Center’s 10th

anniversary. The award honors a poet writing in

Spanish and living in the United States.

The second Paz Prize winner, chosen in Fall

2014, is Carlos Pintado for his collection, Nueve Monedas. This winner was chosen by acclaimed

poet, and the prize’s judge, Richard Blanco.

Pintado will read from his collection at the 2015

Miami Book Fair International.

Submission guidelines for the 2016-2017 Paz Prize

for Poetry will be released in February 2015.

Generation Genius StoryArts!This literacy program takes place at City of Miami

parks’ afterschool centers at Little Haiti Park, Legion

Memorial Park and Charles Hadley Park. Children read

along with artist/literacy educators, then create

artworks inspired by the selected titles.

For more information: TheCenteratMDC.org or

305-237-3940.

/thecenteratmdc @thecenteratmdcpage 6 / thecenteratmdc.org

Irvine Welsh(photo: Jeffrey Delannoy)

February 4


Wednesday, January 146 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus, 300 N.E. 2nd Ave., Chapman (Bldg. 3, 2nd floor), Downtown Miami

Miguel “Mike” Fernandez, author

of Humbled by the Journey: Lessons for My Family and Yours, in conversation with friend and

business partner, NBA legend Magic Johnson | Free. RSVP: thecenteratmdc.org

Co-presented with Books & Books.

Sunday, January 184 p.m. | Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables

A reading by Sean Strub on Body Counts: A Memoir of Activism, Sex, and Survival.


Monday, January 26Daytime: Various Campuses, Miami Dade College

Visiting Author: Poet Laura McCulloughMcCullough, author of Rigger Death & Hoist Another (poems), will work with students at

various MDC campuses. Free books will be

distributed to the students.

Presented in partnership with Florida Literary Arts Coalition (FLAC)

Thursday, January 298 p.m. | Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables

A reading by Joshua Davis on Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream.


Monday, February 210 a.m. | MDC North Campus, 11380 NW 27 Ave., Lehman Theatre, Miami

African American Read-In with Visiting Author and Entrepreneur Felecia HatcherHatcher will discuss How to Start a Business on a Ramen Noodle Budget with students and

community leaders as part of the ninth annual

African American Read-In @ MDC.

The goal of the African American Read-In is to

help make literacy, education and community

a significant part of Black History Month. The

Center will distribute free copies of How to Start a Business on a Ramen Noodle Budget to event

participants.| Free and open to the public

Monday, February 2

8 p.m. | Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables

A reading by Anita Diamant on

The Boston Girl.


Wednesday, February 411 a.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus, 300 N.E. 2nd Ave., Downtown Miami

Visiting Author and Entrepreneur Felecia Hatcher on the Business of Start-upsHatcher will speak to MDC students at Wolfson

Campus about entrepreneurship and discuss

her book How to Start a Business on a Ramen

Noodle Budget. Free copies of her book will be

distributed to participating students.| Free and open to the public

Wednesday, February 48 p.m. | Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables

A reading by Irvine Welsh from his latest

novel, The Sex Lives of Siamese Twins.


Thursday, February 5 (through March 5)

The Big Read: A Community Shared Reading Program Powered by the National Endowment for the Arts

The Center celebrates reading February 5-

March 5, 2015, with The Big Read, featuring

events and activities inspired by the novel, When

the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka. Events

Reading Miami Book Fair Writing

will include a visit to the Morikami Museum and

Japanese Gardens, book discussions, author

lectures, haiku poetry workshops for teens, and

a discussion about the internment of Japanese

Americans during WWII and how that historical

moment relates to other civil rights violations,

past and present.

| See pages 16 - 21 for full schedule. Visit theCenteratMDC.org for more information.

Thursday, February 57 p.m. | Lyric Theater, 819 NW Second Ave., Miami

The Big Read Kick Off:

Visiting Author, Historian and Activist Dr. Peniel E. Joseph Dr. Joseph will deliver a public lecture on civil

rights, Why #BlackLivesMatter: Reimagining the

Civil Rights Movement in the Age of Obama. He

will also work with students at MDC Kendall and

Wolfson campuses.

Peniel E. Joseph is Professor of History at Tufts

University and the author of various books. He

is a frequent national commentator on issues of

race, democracy, and civil rights who appears on

C-SPAN’s Book TV, NPR, and PBS’s NewsHour.

| Free and open to the public. This event is part of The Big Read. For more Big Read events, see pages 16 - 21.

Thursday, February 12 6 – 8 p.m. | MDC Museum of Art + Design, Freedom Tower, 600 Biscayne Blvd., Downtown Miami

A reading by visiting author and artist Bernard Cooper on

his new memoir, My Avant-Garde Education, to

celebrate the opening of the exhibition of his

digital images, Fountains & Galaxies. A reception

will follow the reading.

| Free for invited guests, Friends of the Miami Book Fair and MOA+D members. $5 suggested donation for public at the door.

Presented in partnership with MDC MOA+D.

Friday, February 13 6 – 9 p.m. | MDC Museum of Art + Design, Freedom Tower, 600 Biscayne Blvd., Downtown Miami

Master Writing Workshop with Bernard Cooper| Registration $50. To register and for more

information: thecenteratmdc.org or 305.237.3940

Presented in partnership with MDC MOA+D.

Saturday, February 14 12 – 4 p.m. | MDC Museum of Art + Design, Freedom

Tower, 600 Biscayne Blvd., Downtown Miami

The Big Read’s Big Knit!

Knit for Me, Haiku for You with Mixed Media Artist Carlos AlejandroWrite haikus or very short poems or sentences

about “hope” on strips of fabric. Keep a strip

for yourself and weave the other one into to

the community chain, knit by Alejandro to form

a chain of collective well-wishing. Participants

will learn simple knitting techniques. Knit for Me,

Haiku for You is inspired by 90 Miles: A Project

by Carlos Alejandro.

| Free and open to the public. This event is part of The Big Read. For more Big Read events, see pages 16 - 21.

Presented in partnership with MDC MOA+D and WAIL (Word And Image Lab) Wednesday, February 18


A reading by Sara Blaedel on The

Forgotten Girls.


Thursday, February 196:30 – 8:30 p.m. | Books & Books Bookstore and Cafe at Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Downtown Miami

First Draft: A Literary SocialWrite a story. Have a drink. Write a better story.

This is how it goes: participants are led in a short,

themed writing prompt, then everyone gets

some time to write their stories. Those who want


DR. Peniel E. Joseph (photo: Kelvin Ma)

February 5


Kate DiCamillo (photo: Candlewick Press)

March 11


to will read their work aloud. We’ll take a break

to drink and socialize (your first drink is on the

house!), then we start the whole process over

again. Theme: Obsessions: Love, Lust or Louis Vuitton — everybody has one. Come write about

(and drink to) yours!| Free. RSVP required: thecenteratmdc.org

Tuesday, February 24 (through March 31)6:30 – 8:30 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus, 300 N.E. 2nd Ave., Downtown Miami

6-week Creative Writing Course: Writing About Work with Roxanna Elden“People love to read about work. God knows

why, but they do.” - Stephen King, On Writing.

Jobs are often fertile ground for writing material,

and those who write about work frequently

find loyal audiences. We will examine a variety

of work writing done well, including career

confessionals such as Waiting, worksite-based

novels such as The Firm, popular work-related

blogs, and even work humor, such as Dilbert. The

course will include in-class writing exercises as

well as instructor and peer coaching for ongoing

projects.

| Registration $125. To register and for more information: thecenteratmdc.org or 305.237.3940

Thursday, February 26 (through March 19)6:30 – 8:30 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus, 300 N.E. 2nd Ave., Downtown Miami

Exquisite Writing: Poets Write Memoir with Neil de la FlorIn this poetry workshop, participants will be

guided in using surrealist techniques to unearth

ideas, images, textures and colors in order to

revive memories in vivid detail. These techniques

will be used to enrich our writing and make our

personal stories come to life. This workshop is

recommended for writers who enjoy word-play

and are not afraid of experimentation. Format will

include individual and collaborative work.

| Registration $100. To register and for more information: thecenteratmdc.org or 305.237.3940

Saturday, February 28 (through May 2)10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus, 300 N.E. 2nd Ave., Downtown Miami

10 Creative Writing Labs (a.k.a Get that Project Written!) with Anjanette Delgado If you’ve taken writing courses, but find that

inspiration to put things into practice wanes

faster than you can get back to your laptop, then

this course might be for you. Participants read

work specific to the day’s session, then work

on short, directed writing assignments, followed

by opportunities to share their work and receive

feedback during the course.

| Registration is $20 per session (one week) or $160 for all 10 sessions. To register and for more information: thecenteratmdc.org or 305.237.3940

Tuesday, March 3


A reading by Eddie “Piolin” Sotelo

on Speak Up!: Finding My Voice Through Hope,

Strength, and Determination.


Thursday, March 58 p.m. | Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables

A reading by Phil Klay on Redeployment.

Co-presented with Books & Books. Wednesday, March 11

A Reading by Visiting Author and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Kate DiCamillo, from Flora and Ulysses.

As part of the Read to Learn Books for Free

program of The Center and The Children’s Trust,

Dicamillo will participate in a special event for

children at a bookshelf site. For more information

about Read to Learn Books for Free, visit

thecenteratmdc.org/readtolearn.



/thecenteratmdc @thecenteratmdc

Tuesday, March 178 p.m. | Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables

A reading by Kent Russell on I Am Sorry

to Think I Have Raised a Timid Son.


Wednesday, March 186:30 – 8:30 p.m. | The Butcher Shop, 165 N.W. 23rd St., Wynwood, Miami



themed writing prompt, then everyone gets some

time to write their stories. Those who want to, will

read their work aloud. We’ll take a break to drink

and socialize (your first drink is on the house!), then

we start the whole process over again. Theme: Murder (mystery + mayhem)

| Free. RSVP required: thecenteratmdc.org

Thursday, March 198 p.m. | Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables

A reading by Tom McGuane on Crow Fair.


Friday, April 38 p.m. | Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables

A reading by Les Standiford on Water

to the Angels: William Mulholland, His Monumental

Aqueduct, and the Rise of Los Angeles.

Co-presented with Books & Books. Thursday, April 9 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. | Visit thecenteratmdc.org for location




some time to write their stories. Those who

want to, will read their work aloud. We’ll take a

break to drink and socialize (your first drink is

on the house!), then we start the whole process

over again. Theme: Poetry| Free. RSVP required: thecenteratmdc.org

Thursday, April 16


A reading by Chantel Acevedo on The

Distant Marvels.


Monday, April 278 p.m. | Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables

A reading by Norah Vincent on Adeline:

A Novel of Virginia Woolf.


Wednesday, May 6 (through May 9)MDC Wolfson Campus, Downtown Miami

Miami Writers Institute Creative writing and publishing workshops over

four days with renowned authors and publishing

professionals Kate Christensen, Rachel Deahl,

Andy Kifer and others.

| Registration and complete information available February 1 at: TheCenteratMDC.org

Thursday, May 7 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. | The Democratic Republic of Beer/180 Bistro, 501 N.E. 1st Ave., Downtown Miami




some time to write their stories. Those who

want to will read their work aloud. We’ll take a

break to drink and socialize (your first drink is

on the house!), then we start the whole process

over again. Theme: Changes| Free. RSVP required: thecenteratmdc.org

Monday, May 188 p.m. | Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables

A reading by David Downie on A Passion for

Paris: Romanticism and Romance in the City of Light.


page 14 / thecenteratmdc.org

First Draft: A Literary Social



Event Highlights Thursday, February 5 7 p.m. | Lyric Theater, 819 NW Second Ave., Miami

Big Read Kick Off!

Visiting Author, Historian and Activist Dr. Peniel E. Joseph Join us for a conversation on Why

#BlackLivesStillMatter: Reimagining the Civil Rights

Movement in the Age of Obama and Ferguson

with celebrated civil rights chronicler, Dr. Peniel

E. Joseph, as we delve into the moral and ethical

issues of our day. Dr. Joseph is Professor of

History at Tufts University and the author of the

award-winning Waiting ‘Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America. He

is a frequent national commentator on issues of

race, democracy and civil rights who appears on

C-SPAN’s Book TV, NPR, and PBS’s NewsHour.

During the 2008 Democratic and Republican

National Convention, Professor Joseph provided

historical commentary for the PBS NewsHour. His

most recent book is Stokely: A Life.

Presented in partnership with MDC Kendall Campus, The Historic Lyric Theater Cultural Arts Complex in the Overtown neighborhood of Miami, and Books & Books. Saturday, February 14 Noon – 4 p.m. | MDC Museum of Art + Design, Freedom Tower, 600 Biscayne Blvd., Downtown Miami

The Big Read’s Big Knit!

Knit for Me, Haiku for You with Mixed Media Artist Carlos AlejandroWrite haikus or very short poems or sentences

about “hope” on strips of fabric. Keep a strip for

yourself and weave the other one into to the

community chain, knit by artist Carlos Alejandro

to form a chain of collective well-wishing.

The Big Read: February 5 - March 5 The Big Read: A Community Shared Reading Program Powered by the National Endowment for the Arts

The Center celebrates reading February 5 - March 5, 2015, with The Big Read, featuring events and activities inspired by the novel, When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka. Events include a visit to the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, book discussions, author lectures, haiku poetry workshops for teens, and a discussion of the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII and how this chapter in our history relates to other civil rights violations past and present.

In When the Emperor Was Divine, Otsuka addresses themes of race, identity, loyalty and patriotism. In her sparse and beautiful prose, she quietly reveals the ugly underbelly of being “other” in a country which both embraces and rejects its immigrant self.

The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, designed to revitalize the role of reading in American culture.

Visit thecenteratmdc.org or call 305-237-3940 for a full list of events and to request a free book.

page 18 / thecenteratmdc.org /thecenteratmdc @thecenteratmdc

David MuraFebruary 25

30th Miami Book Fair InternationalNovember 17 - 24

Participants will learn simple knitting techniques.

Free copies of The Big Read 2015 official title, When the Emperor Was Divine will be given to participants.

Knit for Me, Haiku for You is inspired by 90 Miles: A Project by Carlos Alejandro

Free. Presented in partnership with MOA+D and

WAIL (Word And Image Lab)

Saturday, February 2110 a.m. - 5 p.m. | Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, 4000 Morikami Park Rd., Delray Beach

Road Trip To Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens Hop on the bus with fellow Big Readers for

a trip to Delray Beach — a day of learning

about Japanese culture and the history of the

100-year-old connection between Japan and

South Florida, including an event in Florida history

that is directly related to the subject of this

year’s Big Read title, When The Emperor Was

Divine. In May of 1942, during World War II, farmland

in the Yamato area (where the Morikami Museum

now stands) that was still owned by Japanese

settlers was confiscated by the U. S. government

for a military installation.

Take a guided tour and experience the splendor of

the Morikami’s six distinct gardens and the museum

that complements them. The gardens, named Roji-

en: Garden of the Drops of Dew, were designed

to be a living exhibit with abundant viewpoints

that give you a chance to stop and enjoy your

surroundings.

The museum’s galleries play host to several

exhibitions of Japanese art and artifacts throughout

the year featuring different aspects of Japan’s rich

and diverse culture.

To learn more about the museum, visit

morikami.org.

The Center will rent a motorcoach to provide

FREE transportation. All participants will receive a

free copy of When the Emperor Was Divine.

| Museum entry: $12 for non-MDC students. $8 for MDC students with Center staff approval. (Regular price of museum entry $15) Space is limited on a first-come, first-served basis. Deadline to register: Feb. 14, 2015 Meet at MDC Wolfson Campus at 9 a.m. Bus leaves at 9:30 a.m.

For more information, please call 305-237-3940.

Wednesday, February 25 7 p.m. | Books & Books, 265 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables

Big Read Keynote

Author David Mura on Japanese American Internment During WWIIDavid Mura is a writer, memoirist, poet and

performance artist who brings a unique

perspective to our multi-racial and multi-cultural

society. A Sansei or third-generation Japanese

American, Mura has written two memoirs: Turning

Japanese: Memoirs of a Sansei, which won a 1991

Josephine Miles Book Award from the Oakland

PEN and was listed in the New York Times

Notable Books of Year, and Where the Body

Meets Memory: An Odyssey of Race, Sexuality

and Identity. Mura’s second book of poetry, The

Colors of Desire, won the Carl Sandburg Literary

Award from the Friends of the Chicago Public

Library.

Mura’s memoirs, poems essays, plays and

performances have won wide critical praise

and numerous awards. Their topics range from

contemporary Japan to the legacy of the

internment camps and the history of Japanese

Americans, to critical explorations of an

increasingly diverse America.


Road Trip To Morikami MuseumFebruary 21

Knit for Me, Haiku for You with Mixed Media Artist Carlos AlejandroFebruary 14

Ongoing Big Read EventsFebruary 5 - March 5Follow us on Pinterest and check out our Big

Read boards! We’ll be celebrating all things

Japanese and much more. You can also be a part

of our Big Read Twitter chats and get up-to-

date info on all of our upcoming events. Join in

the fun on Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr too!

#NEABigRead

| Facebook: /TheCenteratMDC Twitter: @thecenteratmdc Pinterest: /thecenteratmdc Instagram: @miamibookfair Tumblr: thecenteratmdc.tumblr.com

The Big Read: Book DiscussionsDiscussions of When the Emperor Was Divine by

Julie Otsuka will take place at various branches of

the Miami-Dade Public Library System.

| Visit www.thecenteratmdc.org or www.mdpls.org for exact information.

The Big Read Online ResourcesGo to www.thecenteratmdc.org to find

resources on our homepage that will help

you learn more about the WWII experience of

Japanese Americans, including links to:

- film documentation of life in the internment

camps, as well as non-camp life events of some

Japanese American families

- digitized collections of the Japanese American

National Museum

- teaching and other resources of the National

Center for the Preservation of Democracy

- bibliography of other books about the WWII

internment experience of Japanese in the U.S.

The Big Read Big Book GiveawayWant to join The Big Read? The Center will give

away copies of When the Emperor Was Divine

throughout the month. Come to our Big Read

events, “like” us on Facebook or Tweet us and

sign up for our newsletter.

Miami Writers

Institute

Creative Writing and PublishingIntensive three- and four-day work-shops limited to 15 writers, plus talks on the marketplace and evening socials in Miami hotspots.

2015 faculty: Andy Kifer, Rachel Deahl, Kate Christensen, and others!

Complete information available February 1: thecenteratmdc.org or 305.237.3940.

10th Annual

SAVE THE DATE!May 6-9, 2015

Miami Dade College District Board of Trustees Helen Aguirre Ferré, Chair • Armando J. Bucelo Jr., Vice Chair

Marili Cancio • Jose K. Fuentes • Benjamín León III • Bernie Navarro • Armando J. Olivera

Eduardo J. Padrón, President, Miami Dade College

Miami Dade College is an equal access/equal opportunity institution which does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, color, disability, national origin, marital status, religion, age or veteran’s status. Contact the

office of equal opportunity programs/ADA coordinator at 305-237-0269 for more information.

300 N.E. Second Ave., Miami, Florida 33132-2296

With the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.

Supporters of The Center for Writing and Literature @ Miami Dade College include:

The Center for Writing and Literature @ Miami Dade College thanks its partners:

Documents

The Center for Writing and Literature Spring/Summer 2015