The Poetry Coalition, an alliance dedicated to increasing the visibility of poets and poetry and to demonstrating the art form's ability to address timely and important issues, is meeting in Miami from November 15 to 17 in part to help draw attention to two recent dramatic advances in American poetry: a report by the National Endowment for the Arts which demonstrated that poetry readership has nearly doubled in the past five years, and a historic philanthropic investment in the art form. The Academy of American Poets, which coordinates the Coalition, received $2.2 million from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and O, Miami —the organization that is hosting the gathering and which produces an annual poetry festival— received $1.25 million from the Knight Foundation.
As part of the national gathering, a poetry reading with Pulitzer Prize finalist Campbell McGrath, Poet Laureate Fellow Raquel Salas Rivera, and Presidential Inaugural Poet Richard Blanco will be held on Friday, November 15 at 8 p.m. at the Pérez Art Museum Miami. This event is free and open to the public.