Every so often, a guest comes on to The Miami Book Hub podcast and reminds me why I started this program in the first place. Oscar Fuentes—better known around town as the Biscayne Poet—was one of those guests.
Oscar is a poet, performance artist and art curator whose work feels inseparable from Miami itself. He writes about the neighborhoods that raised him, the people he loves, the strange beauty of Florida and the fragile, fleeting nature of memory. As he put it, “I’ve dedicated a few of my years to write what I see, to pay attention to my surroundings.”
That idea—paying attention—became the through line of our conversation.
We talked about his books, each of which seems to map a different part of his world. Relics of the Heart grew from his father’s Alzheimer’s and Oscar’s desire to preserve the family stories his father once told. Poetry City is a love letter to the neighborhoods and community that shaped him. Geography of Light explores family, relationships and memory. And Biscayne Inferno turns its gaze toward the strange, untamed, mythological version of Florida that those of us who live here know all too well.
At one point, after Oscar read from Geography of Light, I told him what struck me most about his work: “You’re not just seeing what’s happening. You’re seeing what’s under it. You’re seeing how it is a metaphor for life.”
His answer was simple and profound: “Permanence is an illusion, and the only choice we have is to be present.”
Oscar also brought along the object that has become almost as recognizable as his hat: his vintage typewriter. For years, he has used it to write personalized poems for strangers, asking only for a name and three words describing how they feel – or how they want to feel. He calls the typewriter a tool that connects him to the community.
Naturally, I had to try it.
My three words, coming just days after my own book launch, were grateful, hopeful and creative. A few minutes of clacking keys later, Oscar handed me a poem that ended: “Now here you are, bigger than the sun, connected to something bigger than you. And there is nothing else you can do but to continue being grateful.”
Yeah. I’m framing it.
What I loved most about our conversation was the reminder that creativity does not always require escaping the familiar. Sometimes it asks us to look more closely at what is already around us: our streets, our families, our memories, our contradictions, our city.
Miami gives writers no shortage of material. Oscar Fuentes has made an art of noticing it.
To learn more about Oscar Fuentes and his creative works, visit TheBiscaynePoet.com.
To watch the full conversation and explore more episodes, stories and literary resources from The Miami Book Hub—Miami’s Home for Readers, Writers & Resources—visit TheMiamiBookHub.com. Please watch, listen, like, subscribe and share.
Until next time… keep reading, keep writing, and stay curious, Miami!
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