TKH Renee recites her Zip Ode during O, Miami and WLRN's Zip Ode Finale at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens on April 26, 2023. Zip code: 33168. Riding a bike / to open mic / night / close to every place I like / cruising by the freeway, music on all day."
This year brought the return of in-person Zip Odes at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens.
For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, we gathered together in one place to read poetry and celebrate all of the poets who shared their odes to home with us and the O, Miami Poetry Festival.
With the help of our [Your Poem Here] campaign, nearly 2,490 Zip Odes were submitted — more than double the amount of poems we received in 2022. (That year, we received 1,188.)
The majority — 2,120 poems — were from Miami-Dade County. 196 came from Broward. 52 Zip Odes were submitted from Palm Beach, exactly the same as 2022. 116 Zip Odes were out of town submissions, 40 of which came from other places in Florida.
Themes included ventanitas, visits to the beach, traffic and magic. At least 90 Zip Odes were submitted by Miami-Dade students.
More than 300 guests joined us to listen and enjoy our spotlight Zip Ode poets recite their five-line poems. Jessica Bakeman, WLRN's director of enterprise journalism, emceed the evening.
Chantal Lawrie
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O, Miami
The Finale began with the Biscayne Nature Center presenting the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Poetry Award to poets Yaddyra Peralta and Houston Cypress.
In addition to poetry, Melissa Gutierrez, who goes by @westofchester on Instagram, and Ingrid Schindall also joined us with their O, Miami Poetry Festival projects.
If case you need a reminder, A Zip Ode is an original form invented by O, Miami and WLRN, designed to transform your zip code into an occasion for place-based, lyrical celebration. Feel inspired to write one of your own?
Here are some of our favorite photos from the Finale.
Liliana Mora
Ingrid Schindall guides a guest in making a sheet of paper from previous O, Miami Festival totes.
A selection of recorded spotlight poems from week 1 and week 2
Liliana Mora
Cynthia Collins reads her spotlight Zip Ode at O, Miami and WLRN's Zip Ode Finale at Vizcaya Late on April 26, 2023. Zip code: 33133. "You walk outside / Hot and sticky / Like / The kind of / Weather you wear."
Chantal Lawrie
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O, Miami
Crystal Espinosa reads her Zip Ode in front of the audience at O, Miami and WLRN's Zip Ode Finale at Vizcaya Late on April 26, 2023. Zip code: 33125. "How can we / be called Little / Havana / when we / always do everything so big!
Chantal Lawrie
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O, Miami
Edda León (pink shirt) waits to be called up to read her Zip Ode. Her poem was selected as one of our favorite among more than 2,000 submitted this year. Zip code: 33176. "I think I / miss where I'm / from / pero el tequeño y los buenos días / me hacen sentir just like home"
A selection of spotlight poems from Week 3 and Week 4
Chantal Lawrie
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O, Miami
An elementary school student named Giovanny read his spotlight Zip Ode poem during the Finale at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens on April 26, 2023. Zip code: 33139. "Waves are crashing / Birds are squacking / People / Hotness in air / It was so hot my Icee melted everywhere"
Chantal Lawrie
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O, Miami
Jose Luis Garcia reads his Zip Ode at O, Miami and WLRN's Zip Ode Finale at Vizcaya Late on April 26, 2023. Zip code: 33012. "Batas de Casa / En la tendedera / (nada) / Contigo / Un paraiso"
Chantal Lawrie
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O, Miami
People watch and listen to Zip Ode poets read their poems during O, Miami and WLRN's 2023 Zip Ode Finale at Vizcaya Late on April 26, 2023.
Chantal Lawrie
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O, Miami
Xiomara Forbez recites her Zip Ode and answers one of Jessica Bakeman's questions in front of the audience during O, Miami and WLRN's 2023 Zip Ode Finale at Vizcaya Late on April 26, 2023.
Chantal Lawrie
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O, Miami
LeeBetsy Charon recites her Zip Ode during O, Miami and WLRN's 2023 Zip Ode Finale at Vizcaya Late. Zip code: 33174. "In the car / with my kids / headed / to an indoor playground nearby that hopefully / serves wings and beer."
Liliana Mora
Sonesh Chainani reads his Zip Ode poem in front of the audience at O, Miami and WLRN's Zip Ode Finale at Vizcaya Late on April 26, 2023. Zip code: 33155. "The rain starts / As I'm biking / Home. / Everything is wet and noisy. / A dog barks in Spanglish."
Chantal Lawrie
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O, Miami
Luz Rossy (right) won O, Miami and WLRN's [Your Poem Here] billboard contest. Her Zip Ode was on display on a billboard across from the Kaseya Center, where the Miami Heat play, for three weeks in April. Zip code: 33125. "My name came / from my abuela / and / she said / we can share it forever."
Chantal Lawrie
Guests watch and listen as spotlight Zip Odes poet recite their poems during O, Miami and WLRN's Zip Ode Finale at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens on April 26, 2023.
Katie Lepri Cohen is WLRN's engagement editor. Her work involves distributing and amplifying WLRN's journalism on social media, managing WLRN's social accounts, writing and editing newsletters, and leading audience-listening efforts. Reach out via email at klcohen@wlrnnews.org.
Jessica Bakeman is Director of Enterprise Journalism at WLRN News, and she is the former senior news editor and education reporter. Her 2021 project "Class of COVID-19" won a national Edward R. Murrow Award.
![Luz Rossy (right) won O, Miami and WLRN's [Your Poem Here] billboard contest. Her poem was on display on a billboard across from the Kaseya Center, where the Miami Heat play, for three weeks in April.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6e50d70/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x4000+0+0/resize/840x560!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb3%2F65%2Fa7ed67ae4019b7b6d5a641d30503%2Fzip-odes-2023-chantal-lily-179.jpg)
