Miami Lit

By Meryl D’Sa

Miami Lit These titles by Miami authors explore questions of identity, heritage, self-discovery and the ties that bind through uniquely diverse voices.

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite

Get swept away in the magic, rhythm and mystery of Haiti by experiencing it all through the eyes of an enigmatic protagonist. Threaded together with letters, transcripts, emails, postcards and diary entries, Alaine explores the country and her connection to it through history and culture. The trials of divorce, race, mental illness and even voodoo all come to life with masterful tenderness and authenticity.

Looking Over the Edge by Caroline de Posada

A family vacation in the Black Mountains of New Jersey goes awry when parents and young children suddenly find themselves at the edge of a treacherous cliff. In the blink of an eye, life and death hang in the balance. How will they make it through, and what will they learn about themselves in the process? Find out in Caroline de Posada’s gripping and uplifting adventure.

Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz

Ordinary Girls is a fierce, honest and raw coming-ofage memoir that employs music and lyricism to tackle topics of depression, colonialism and sexual identity. Set in the housing projects in Puerto Rico and Miami Beach, Ordinary Girls is a story about family, friends, mental health and love that delves into the profound impact of violence, culture and history.

Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

Linking together past and present, 1958 and 2017, Next Year in Havana tells the story of when young writer Marisol Ferrera returns to Cuba to scatter her grandma’s ashes. A trip that should have been openand-shut becomes a journey of discovery when Marisol finds herself unearthing a family secret of forbidden passions and political turmoil that will help her come to terms with her identity.

Don’t Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno

Rosa Santos is known to be cursed by the sea, keeping boys and love always at bay. Navigating the pull of expectations and reality, truth and secrets, family and love, a young Cuban American woman struggles with the ambivalent emotions she and her family experience about the troubled land of her ancestors.

MIAMI BOOK FAIR INTERNATIONAL

The Miami Book Fair International is an annual eight-day literary affair that takes place in Downtown Miami every November. The fair hosts more than 400 authors and poets who come to town to offer readings, writing and publishing seminars, and literary workshops. With access to off-the-press books, author signings and more, it’s a literary gathering for book lovers.