Poetry luminary Langston Hughes wrote a poem about Black resistance and resilience in Deep South Jim Crow Miami— “The Ballad of Sam Solomon” is an ode to Sam Solomon, a Miami resident and civil rights activist who defied the klan by encouraging Black voters in segregated Overtown to cast their ballots in the 1930s.

Join us at Books & Books in Coral Gables for this subversive poetry cypher. We invite Miamians to write and share their disruptive poems that resist, that challenge the status quo, that document past or current fights and wins, that tear down all the —isms. This is an invitation to speak up and resist.

Thursday, April 10
Books & Books
Coral Gables, Florida

7:30P – 8:00P | Mingling, Poetry Writing, and Live Music

8P | Welcome Grounding

8:10P | “Ballad of Sam Solomon” Poetry Reading, Open Mic

9:15P | End

A poignant story woven with humor, Consistent Gardeners, explores identity, community, and what it means to truly hold space for liberation. It features new music from Hued Songs and original poem by Arsimmer McCoy.

What happens when a group of Miami musicians has just three days to create a new justice anthem? Follow a preacher’s kid, semi-retired opera singer, and a dreamer as they lead an experiment to find out what it takes for artists’ ideas to flourish in the face of adversity.

Wednesday, April 23, 2025 | 7P

O Cinema

Miami Beach

OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival