Book Fair and Thanksgiving
Yesterday was a day of giving thanks and I am certainly thankful for so much in my life.
We kicked off Thanksgiving day at the annual Winternational Thanksgiving Parade in North Miami. We walked two blocks, stood at our usual spot and enjoyed the festivities. Nicholas was so excited to see all the usual team mascots and of course got selfies with all of them! (See pics above).
Then we went back home and my daughter Elizabeth and I got busy cooking a feast of turkey breast, mashed potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts, corn muffins and pecan pie. It all turned out great and my sister Mari who was with us this year for Thanksgiving enjoyed it immensely, as did the rest of us. She brought the delicious ham you see in the picture above.
Last weekend, I spent Saturday at the Miami Book Fair and I’m so glad I went to listen to some great panelists and enjoy the street fair because Sunday was a wash out.
First I attended the Exchange for Change talk with a panel led by founder Kathie Klarreich who I know well. I so respect her organization and she had a four-person panel, all of which told compelling stories of life during and after incarceration and what the program has meant to them. I also found out about several organizations doing similar work and that was encouraging. Click on the link above to learn more about E4C.
That was followed by the O, Miami Poetry Festival hosted talk/panel, led by community activist and former journalist Nadege Green. They were discussing O, Miami’s anthology “More Than What Happened: The Aftermath of Gun Violence in Miami,” which Nadege edited. On the panel were several of the book’s contributors, a group of individuals directly affected by gun violence. The discussion took an emotional toll on all in the room, myself included. But it’s a conversation that needs to continue. Click here to read a description of that talk. And by all means, go to O, Miami’s site and buy a copy of the book to support this worthy cause and our local writers.
Then on Sunday, since it was pouring rain, rather than stay home and take naps and binge watch television, I decided to head to the movies. I really wanted to see “Wakanda Forever” and it didn’t disappoint. It was loooongggg, clocking in at 2:41 but totally worth it. Amazing storytelling and a great example of the Afrofuturism movement. Definition of Afrofuturism: a movement in literature, music, art, etc., featuring futuristic or science fiction themes which incorporate elements of black history and culture.
Finally, if you haven’t yet visited Miami’s Underline, a massive city project to convert the 10-mile stretch under the Metrorail into a linear park, you’ve got a chance on Dec. 1. That’s when a sculpture garden by local artist Typoe will be unveiled. The event is happening from 10 a.m. to noon at the corner of SW 1 Ave. and 8 St. Click here to learn about The Underline.
On Tuesday I planned to attend a fun event in Little Havana, the 10th Anniversary of El Fresco Studio but I decided to pass. However, I had already written about the art bash in a pre-event post for the Artburst Miami blog, click here to read about it. And check out their Instagram to see great pics from that evening.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thank YOU the readers for following along on my blog. Have a wonderful weekend and week!
