The Betsy - South Beach and Books & Books Bring Literary Life Back to Miami Beach
- rcastro05
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
Miami Beach is getting a new literary heartbeat. The Betsy - South Beach, long recognized as a cultural hub for writers and artists, is partnering with iconic independent bookstore Books & Books to launch a free, year round monthly literary series that brings nationally acclaimed authors to South Beach.
Beginning Sunday, January 25, the series will feature monthly author talks, intimate conversations and public salons hosted at The Betsy, all open to the community. The collaboration marks the return of Books & Books programming to Miami Beach following the pandemic era closure of its Lincoln Road location and celebrates a two decade partnership rooted in a shared belief in the power of literature to build community.
Events will take place on the last Sunday of every month at 4 p.m. in Bbar, The Betsy’s underground art-filled venue. Each gathering will feature a visiting author selected by Books & Books in collaboration with major publishers, followed by audience questions. Signed books will be available for purchase, and admission is free with required RSVP. Valet and street parking will also be available for attendees.
The inaugural event on January 25 welcomes Alia Hanna Habib, a prominent literary agent and author of Take It from Me: An Agent’s Guide to Building a Nonfiction Writing Career from Scratch. Known for representing Pulitzer Prize winners, National Book Award finalists and MacArthur Fellows, Habib brings an insider’s perspective to publishing, making her a fitting first guest for a series centered on storytelling and craft.
Additional events are scheduled monthly through December, with all confirmed dates as follows:
Sunday, February 22 at 4 p.m.
Sunday, March 29 at 4 p.m.
Sunday, April 26 at 4 p.m.
Sunday, May 31 at 4 p.m.
Sunday, June 28 at 4 p.m.
Sunday, July 26 at 4 p.m.
Sunday, August 30 at 4 p.m.
Sunday, September 27 at 4 p.m.
Sunday, October 25 at 4 p.m.
Sunday, November 29 at 4 p.m.
Sunday, December 27 at 4 p.m.
The Betsy is celebrated for its immersive cultural experiences rooted in the legacy of mid-century poet Hyam Plutzik, a three-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and father of The Betsy co-owner, Jonathan Plutzik. Partners since 2006, Jonathan Plutzik and Mitchell Kaplan—founder of Books & Books—believe that literature is a vital tool for building communities across cultures and time.
The Betsy is celebrated for its immersive cultural experiences rooted in the legacy of mid-century poet Hyam Plutzik, a three-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and father of The Betsy co-owner, Jonathan Plutzik. Partners since 2006, Jonathan Plutzik and Mitchell Kaplan—founder of Books & Books—believe that literature is a vital tool for building communities across cultures and time.
In 2009, Plutzik and Kaplan curated The Betsy’s first book collections together, creating the hotel’s original 60 in-room libraries. Since then, the hotel’s literary offerings have grown to include more than 130 individually curated guest-room collections, as well as a 24-hour property library featuring several thousand titles. This program celebrates a longstanding deep partnership between two South Florida-based, family-owned and operated businesses that have earned global reputations for increasing access to the written word and supporting wordsmiths at all stages of their careers.
“We are thrilled to bring Books & Books back to Miami Beach through this meaningful collaboration,” said Jonathan Plutzik, co-owner of The Betsy. “This partnership deepens our mission to serve as a place where literature lives—not just on the page, but in conversation, community and creative expression. We’re proud to offer a space where people can come together to be inspired, share ideas and celebrate the written word.”
“There is no place more fitting than The Betsy to host this kind of literary gathering,” said Kaplan. “The hotel’s passion for literature and the arts mirrors our own, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with an institution like The Betsy that so deeply values storytelling, community and cultural engagement. This collaboration brings something special back to Miami Beach—and we couldn’t be more excited to share it.”
The hotel’s literary spirit is expressed throughout the property—from curated in-room mini libraries and an expansive property library maintained by an in-house librarian to poetry readings, salons, and meaningful partnerships with leading literary organizations.
Literature is also embedded in the hotel’s design. The “Book Elevator,” a dramatic art installation by Max Steven Grossman, showcases a towering collage of book spines featuring titles by visiting and legacy authors. Outside, “The Betsy Poetry Rail,” a permanent installation in the breezeway adjacent to the hotel, features the engraved words of 12 celebrated poets—including Langston Hughes, Donald Justice and Hyam Plutzik—highlighting the richness of Miami’s literary heritage.
Complementing these elements is The Writer’s Room, a working studio space where each visiting author in the new series will stay and write during their time at The Betsy. Inspired by the writing rooms of pre-war hotels (quiet havens for letter-writing and reflection), the space has hosted more than 1,500 writers and interdisciplinary creatives since 2012, reaffirming The Betsy’s role as a gathering place in South Florida’s literary landscape. Many of the works created by these writers during or after their stay can be found in the hotel’s library, further enriching the property’s living collection.
The new monthly literary series is made possible through the generous support of the Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation’s CreARTE Program, The Betsy Hotel, the Books & Books Literary Foundation, the Betsy Community Fund at The Miami Foundation, and the Plutzik Goldwasser Family Foundation.