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Adult Category winner Michael Ivory is pictured with O, Miami co-executive director Caroline Cabrera.<\/p>\n Adult Category winner Michael Ivory is pictured with O, Miami co-executive director Caroline Cabrera.<\/p>\n
This past winter, more than 500 Miamians, including a 7-year-old, sat down and wrote a love poem to their city, but not just any love poem \u2013 a 14-line sonnet.<\/p>\n
Now, Elevate Cities and Elevate Miami, in partnership with O, Miami and SWWIM, are announcing the winners of \u201cSonnet Boom: Love Poems for Miami.\u201d<\/p>\n
The citywide contest, which launched in January, invited residents to submit original sonnets reflecting their connection to the \u201c305.\u201d The public voting period drew 140,000 votes. Teachers brought the contest into classrooms on their own initiative and, in at least one case, a teacher personally typed every one of her students\u2019 handwritten poems so they could be officially submitted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the biggest contest that we\u2019ve experienced from a community involvement perspective in over 15 years,\u201d said Caroline Cabrera, co-executive director of O, Miami.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving this many votes is wildly impressive and proves that Miamians are hungry to share their story.\u201d<\/p>\n
Submissions were received from 19 states and eight countries, all connected by a shared love for Miami, with poems in Spanish, English, French and Creole. From the rhythmic \u201creggaeton blasting in streets\u201d to the familiar comfort of cafecito and family traditions, the sonnets explore cultural identity, migrations, language, and everyday magic that makes Miami feel like Miami.<\/p>\n
Top Adult Category finishers:
First Place: Michael Ivory (\u201cMagic City\u201d)
Second Place: Clayre Benzad\u00f3n (\u201cMiami (Debutante) Sonnet\u201d)
Third Place: Nyah Hardmon (\u201c305786\u201d)<\/p>\n
Top Youth Category finishers:
First Place: Ava, Grade 10, Ransom Everglades School (\u201cThe Pink Hotel Threw Fire\u201d)
Second Place: Andrea, Grade 10, The Cushman School (\u201cBorder to Boulevard\u201d)
Third Place: Nadine, Grade 8, Miami Arts Charter School (\u201cMagic City\u201d)<\/p>\n
Winners in both categories receive prizes of $2,000 for first place, $1,000 for second place and $500 for third place, along with opportunities for publication and live performance across the city. Read the winning poems at https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1jNE_XCvtH-iVRqcRi2ZGSAa5MUzopCUvTBazoxSsSRo\/edit?usp=sharing<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWhen people write about the city they love, they are doing more than making art, they are building a sense of belonging,\u201d said Eileen Higgins, Mayor of the City of Miami. \u201cSonnet Boom brought Miami together across languages, generations, and neighborhoods, and it proves that our culture is one of our greatest strengths.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is civic pride in action, and it is exactly the kind of community spirit we want to keep building across Miami,\u201d Higgins said. \u201cI am grateful to Elevate Miami, O, Miami, and SWWIM for creating a space where Miamians can be heard and celebrated.\u201d<\/p>\n Youth finalists and winners were selected by a distinguished panel of literary leaders, including Miami-Dade County Poet Laureate Caridad Moro-Gronlier, Inaugural Miami-Dade Poet Laureate Richard Blanco, SWWIM co-founder Catherine Esposito Prescott, O, Miami co-executive director Caroline Cabrera and poet and author Fabienne Josaphat.<\/p>\n While judges selected the primary winners, the public also had the opportunity to vote on their favorite submissions through an online gallery. Michael Ivory emerged as the top recipient of the public vote, further cementing his poem \u201cMagic City,\u201d which vividly describes \u201chibiscus trumpets blaring life\u201d and \u201cmangrove roots prophesying,\u201d as a community favorite.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a time when so much of our lives are mediated by technology, poetry offers something rare: an unfiltered human voice,\u201d said Kim Coupounas, CEO of Elevate Cities. \u201cIt creates space for reflection, for meaning, and for connection, both to place and to each other.<\/p>\n Sonnet Boom is about more than poems; it\u2019s about reminding people that they have a role in shaping the story of their city. That kind of authorship \u2013 and belonging \u2013 feels more important than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n Catherine Esposito Prescott, co-founder of SWWIM, added, \u201cA city is made of the people who love it. This initiative allowed Miamians to see themselves not just as residents, but as creators of the city\u2019s culture.\u201d<\/p>\n The winners and finalists were recognized live during a special community celebration at YoungArts on Apr. 8, coinciding with National Poetry Month. The evening featured live readings of the winning poems, including Ava\u2019s first place youth entry describing \u201csugared tile still cooling from the night,\u201d and Michael Ivory\u2019s reflection on the \u201clanguage of heat like love.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n ABOUT US:<\/p>\n For more Miami community news, look no further than Miami Community Newspapers. This Miami online group of newspapers covers a variety of topics about the local community and beyond. Miami\u2019s Community Newspapers offers daily news, online resources, podcasts and other multimedia content to keep readers informed. With topics ranging from local news to community events, Miami\u2019s Community Newspapers is the ideal source for staying up to date with the latest news and happenings in the area.<\/p>\n This family-owned media company publishes more than a dozen neighborhood publications, magazines, special sections on their websites, newsletters, as well as distributing them in print throughout Miami Dade County from Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Brickell, Coconut Grove, Pinecrest, South Miami, Kendall, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay and Homestead. Each online publication and print editions provide comprehensive coverage of local news, events, business updates, lifestyle features, and local initiatives within its respective community.<\/p>\n Additionally, the newspaper has exclusive Miami community podcasts, providing listeners with an in-depth look into Miami\u2019s culture. Whether you\u2019re looking for local Miami news, or podcasts, Miami\u2019s Community Newspapers has you covered. For more information, be sure to check out: https:\/\/communitynewspapers.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you have any questions, feel free to email Michael@communitynewspapers.com<\/a> or Grant@communitynewspapers.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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