Come have a seat in our Florida room. Get comfortable.
Drop into our rattan couch with the floral cushions. Check out the fruit trees through the window. Cuidado, mom just mopped the terracotta floor.
Let’s put some music on. What’re we listening to?
Writer Alexandra T. Vazquez has some ideas.
She uses el Florida as the central metaphor in her book The Florida Room. It’s a place that’s in-between spaces. Here we can talk about how culture and music mix in Florida, and specifically, Miami.
In her book, she traces South Florida’s music history and its influences — and they all hang out together in the Florida room. From soul and R&B to Miami freestyle and pirate radio.
There’s Luther Campbell here. And DJ Laz. There’s KC and the Sunshine Band. And Stevie B.
Her book connects music and traditions that might seem disparate. Like the things you might find in a Florida room.
She’s a professor of performance studies at New York University and recently came home to Miami to kick off this year’s O, Miami poetry festival.
On the April 4 episode of Sundial, Vazquez joined us to talk about music, culture and her own Florida room growing up.
On Sundial’s previous episode, Frost Science's Cary Woodruff told us how he's building the museum's paleontology program. As their inaugural curator, he is traveling around the world to research and dig for fossils that will make up the Frost's own dinosaur exhibit.
Listen to Sundial Monday through Thursday on WLRN, 91.3 FM, live at 1 p.m., rebroadcast at 8 p.m. Missed a show? Find every episode of Sundial on your favorite podcast app, such as Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify.
Stay in touch with us by emailing us at sundial@wlrnnews.org.
