MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. \u2014 In an era when most conversations happen through a screen, more people are choosing to step behind a microphone.<\/p>\n
The first goal is honesty and the vessel is poetry. More clubs are popping up across South Florida to meet demand. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m craving poets. I\u2019m craving a place where we focus on presence rather than performance,\u201d said Stella Amador, founder and curator of Wild Bloom Society<\/a>.<\/p>\n Open mic nights are drawing more self-described \u201csecret poets\u201d out of the audience and onto the stage. It\u2019s how Amador started her journey, creating what\u2019s now become a cultural platform in Fort Lauderdale. <\/p>\n Check out Wild Bloom Society on Instagram. <\/a><\/p>\n At Emily\u2019s Garden Bistro & Wine Bar<\/a>, strangers gather each month to share a few honest words. Many often leave with much more than applause, they find connection and community. Amador wants to see that grow. <\/p>\n \u201cI describe poetry like an 800-pound gorilla sitting on your chest and it needs to come out,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen you write it on the page, there\u2019s a levity that happens, there\u2019s a pressure release. When you share it with a friend, there\u2019s another level of release. When you step on stage – there\u2019s a bigger release.\u201d<\/p>\n The group has grown from a small gathering of locals meeting at a friend\u2019s bakery, into a thriving creative community. They host poetry events, workshops and artistic gatherings \u2014 joining forces with other groups like Miami Poetry Club<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the first one we had about 18 people,\u201d said Amador. \u201cThe second one we had a little bit over 20, and then on the third one we had 40. We outgrew the space within two months and he said, \u2018Hey, I love you, but you gotta go,\u2019\u201d she laughed. <\/p>\n Amador left corporate life to pursue her writing fulltime, completing and publishing her book. She hit the poetry circuits across Miami-Dade County, but says she wanted something in Broward focused on presence more than anything. <\/p>\n Visit Bloombystella.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every Wild Bloom Society experience starts with live music, a featured poet and a microphone for anyone to share.<\/p>\n Participants say anyone can write poetry. Sharing it is the difficult part.<\/p>\n \u201cA poem is just words, but I think a poet is what gives it that personality. It is an art form that is for everyone. Very subjective,\u201d said poet Christian Rodriguez.<\/p>\n To submit an idea for What Connects Us, email whatconnectsus@wplg.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n