The Betsy Hotel Presents 8th Annual Escribe Aquí/Write Here Festival
The Betsy Hotel in partnership with The Institute for Immigration Studies at Barry University publisher Suburbano Ediciones and BooksandBooks is pleased to present The Betsy’s 8th annual Escribe Aquí/Write Here Festival from August 1-31, 2022 in Miami Beach. This year’s curator is SoFla Latinx LGBTQ poet, Caridad Moro-Gronlier, author of Tortillera: Poems (Texas A& M Press, 2021) and includes:
10 artists (poets and musicians) awarded residencies in The Betsy Writers Room, July 31 to August 30, 2022.
1 live (and streamed) literary event, hosted by Caridad Moro-Gronlier, August 31, 2022.
1 Zarzuela/Opera pop up event, presented with Miami Beach Classical Music Festival, August 18, 2022.
11 evenings of live Latin Jazz featuring virtuoso pianists, August 1-31, 2022.
The Betsy’s Escribe Aquí/Write Here, seed funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation (in 2015), honors artists who ‘do their work’ at the intersection of arts, culture and identity and gives a special nod to those working in Miami, where over 70% of homes are bi-lingual Spanish speakers. Noted 2022 program curator and Poet Caridad Moro, ‘The ethos that guides the Escribe Aquí/Write Here Festival is not only in keeping with my work, but also a celebration of the intersection and cross-cultural representation that exists very specifically in Miami.’ Moro personally selected participating poets for the 2022 program and will host one culminating literary events. For more info click here.
Festival artists receive free room and board in The Betsy Writer’s Room, a space that pays homage to the late English-language poet Hyam Plutzik a 3-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize (and father of Betsy hotel owner, Jonathan Plutzik). Celebrating its tenth anniversary season of service to artists, The Betsy Writers Room has hosted over 1000 visiting artists, including Poet Laureates, MacArthur Genius Winners, and National Book Award Winners. Obama Inaugural (Latinx) Poet, Richard Blanco, who is also the Poet Laureate of Miami Dade County, is a three-time alum of The Betsy Writers Room.
Featured Artists
Participating poets in The Betsy’s 2022 Escribe Aquí/Write Here Festival, selected by Caridad Moro-Gronlier, include: Elisa Albo, Francisco Aragon, Clayrre Benzadon, Silvia Curbelo, J. Bruce Fuller, Mia Leonin, Alexandra Relagado. Participating musicians include: Edgar Pantoja and Olegario Diaz.
Community Partners 202
The Betsy Hotel, The Betsy Community Fund, PG Family Foundation, Suburbano Ediciones, BooksandBooks, Barry University Institute for Immigration Studies, Miami Beach Classical Music Festival, and Florida International University’s Inspicio Arts Magazine.