Appearing this weekend at Our Voices: Festival of Words in Fort Lauderdale, writer and educator Jericho Brown won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 2020 for his collection “The Tradition,” which takes its name from a 14-line sonnet that weaves themes of tragic death with the names of flowers he planted with his father, a landscaper.
The message in his readings here on Friday and Saturday is that inspiration can come from everywhere.
In an interview on PBS’s “American Masters” podcast shortly after winning the Pulitzer, Brown talked about the creation of the poem, which begins with a gentle recitation: “Aster. Nasturtium. Delphinium. …”
“My dad cut yards for a living. He said he had a landscaping service. My mom used to say he had a yard business. Well actually she said “yahd bidness.” And I, I just thought we cut yards, you know what I’m saying? (Laughs) And that was my life. I got out of school and I got on the back of the truck and we went all around the Shreveport-Bossier area in Louisiana and we cut people’s yards and they paid us and that’s how my parents were able to afford food for us and to buy us clothes.
“Because my dad planted flowers for us, but also for other people, I learned the names of flowers and I figured out what I thought was, as he would say, “purdy,” and there was a deep satisfaction, in planting things for people and watching them grow, over the weeks, going back and forth and seeing the things that you plant thrive.”
Keep reading below for more information on Brown’s appearances at Our Voices: Festival of Words. Here is the title poem from his Pulitzer-winning collection:
“The Tradition”
Aster. Nasturtium. Delphinium. We thought
Fingers in dirt meant it was our dirt, learning
Names in heat, in elements classical
Philosophers said could change us. Star Gazer.
Foxglove. Summer seemed to bloom against the will
Of the sun, which news reports claimed flamed hotter
On this planet than when our dead fathers
Wiped sweat from their necks. Cosmos. Baby’s Breath.
Men like me and my brothers filmed what we
Planted for proof we existed before
Too late, sped the video to see blossoms
Brought in seconds, colors you expect in poems
Where the world ends, everything cut down.
John Crawford. Eric Garner. Mike Brown.
FRIDAY
Friday night lights: The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood will do something different on Friday, setting a stage in the pool at the Guitar Hotel where Grammy-winning DJ Zedd will perform. The extraordinary lighting on the facade of the shapely building, instantly iconic with the Guitar Hotel’s Kardashian-encrusted opening in 2019, will be wired to Zedd’s set and create a special kind of show for people in the area. Tickets for DJ Zedd cost $100+ and include a premium open bar. Visit MyHRL.com.
Ticket window: Grammy-winning country singer Maren Morris this week added a South Florida stop to her summer RSVP Redux Tour at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Sunday, Aug. 18. Tickets start at $56+ at MarenMorris.com. … Compelling podcaster, author and digital personality Drew Afualo (“the Baba Yaga of bigots/misogynists”) brings her Loud Tour to Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, Aug. 9. Tickets start at $32.50+, with meet-and-greet tickets starting at $132.50+. Visit JoinTheRevolution.net. … The touring Taylor Party is bringing Taylor Swift music and all that entails back to Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, June 14, with tickets starting at $15+ at JoinTheRevolution.net.
Lauderdale gets lit: The second annual Our Voices: Festival of Words continues in Fort Lauderdale on Friday and Saturday, with creative literary activities for all ages. The events are presented by local cultural arts organization Art Prevails Project, founded by poet and educator Darius Daughtry. Main events include An Intimate Evening, featuring poet Jericho Brown, currently the director of the creative writing program at Emory University, in conversation with local storyteller Nadege Green, plus readings by Christell Roach and others, at the Broward County Main Library at 7 p.m. Friday (free); and Festival of Words, a family-friendly gathering from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Sam Delevoe Park, with poetry readings (Jericho Brown will be there), arts workshops, kids’ activities, music, food and drink, and more (free). Visit OurVoicesFest.com.
Bottles and burgers: Sidewalk Bottle Shop, the natural wine shop in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Progresso neighborhood, will do another one of those thoughtful things they do on Friday night, hosting a gathering that includes respected Oregon-based wine guy Joe Swick (Swick Wines in the Willamette Valley), Florida-based Honest Makers (purveyor of conscientiously curated boutique wines) and Cowy Burgers, winner of The Very Best Burger Award at the 2024 South Beach Wine & Food Festival’s Burger Bash. Expect “a bunch of beautiful wines.” And smashburgers. The event is from 7 p.m. to whenever. Visit Instagram.com/sidewalk.bottleshop.
The secret is out: The buzz has reached the point where it warrants a trip to Delray Beach to check out Radcliffe’s, the secret-entrance speakeasy supper club at Atlantic Avenue restaurant The Wine Room Kitchen & Bar. A redesign of the restaurant’s 100-year-old taproom, Radcliffe’s has an unmarked alley entrance (the blue door) and requires a code that can be found on the Wine Room’s Instagram storm (updated daily). There is live jazz and R&B, an elevated menu (by chef Blake Malatesta) that includes caviar service, award-winning wines and an array of inventive cocktails. Visit Instagram.com/wineroomdelray.
SATURDAY
Hockey night in Florida: This is opening weekend at The Federal, the new restaurant at the Florida Panthers’ new Baptist Health Iceplex in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Holiday Park (the Saturday-Sunday brunch looks promising). For reservations and information, visit TheFederalFTL.com. On Saturday at 5 p.m. the Cats continue their Stanley Cup playoff series in Tampa Bay, a game that will be shown on The Federal’s many TVs and throughout the Iceplex during a free watch party. If you’re a skater, the Panthers also are hosting a Watch and Skate event, with public skating on the Panthers’ rink from 5 to 8 p.m. while the game is shown on the big video board. Cost to skate is $17. You’ll need to pre-register at FTLWarMemorial.com. Side note: Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor have a bet riding on the series: The losing city will be lit up in the opposing team’s color. Not happening.
Rock and a hard place: One of the most anticipated concerts of the year (maybe it’s me) will find punk icons Social Distortion and Bad Religion performing on Saturday at an outdoor block party in the middle of downtown Fort Lauderdale. Who says Laudy isn’t cool? Taking place outside Revolution Live at 6 p.m., the concert will include Mike Ness and Social D performing classic debut album “Mommy’s Little Monster” in its entirety to mark its 40th anniversary. General-admission tickets cost $48.50+. Events will begin with a free vintage car and motorcycle show at 4 p.m. An after-party at Backyard will include performances by the Bobby Lee Rodgers Trio and Sewerside Bombers. It’s free. Visit JoinTheRevolution.net.
Steak dinner: Palm Beach Meats in West Palm Beach, which has carved out a reputation for its amiable expertise with Japanese Wagyu (ask about the ultra-luxurious Kobe beef), will host its monthly Steak House Night on Saturday, with seatings between 5:30 and 10 p.m. Visit PalmBeachMeats.com.
Saturday night live: Country stars The Brothers Osborne bring their Might As Well Be Us Tour to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood at 8 p.m. Saturday. The Cadillac Three open. Tickets start at $39+ at MyHRL.com. … Jakob Dylan and The Wallflowers play the Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., with locals Sosos (recommended) opening. Tickets cost $56+ at CultureRoom.net.
Rihanna and more: On Saturday at the Arsht Center in Miami, the irrepressible Nu Deco Ensemble will be joined by R&B singer Durand Jones (of Durand Jones & The Indications) and soulful, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Emily King on a program that explores the music of Rihanna. The evening also will include the world premiere of an orchestral work by composer Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. Also a bandleader and session musician, the Los Angeles-based Atwood-Ferguson has worked with a remarkable range of artists, from John Williams, Emanuel Ax and Michael Tilson Thomas to Quincy Jones, Lana Del Rey, Feist, Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, Anderson .Paak, Seu Jorge, Kamasi Washington, Erykah Badu and Barry Manilow. Tickets for the 8 p.m. show start at $75+ at Nu-Deco.org.
Drag stars: Jaidynn Diore Fierce (from Season 7 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race”) will be at the Dania Improv in Dania Beach for the Beyoncé Drag Brunch at 2 p.m. Saturday, a show paying tribute to the singer’s hit country album, “Cowboy Carter” (country attire suggested). Tickets cost $18+. On Sunday at 7 p.m., “Drag Race” legend Alyssa Edwards will entertain at Dania Improv. Tickets cost $45+. Local smarty-pants TP Lords will host both shows. Seating is first-come-first-served general admission. Visit DaniaImprov.com.
Plant yourself here: The spring edition of the Vegan Block Party returns to Esplanade Park in downtown Fort Lauderdale on Saturday from 2 to 8 p.m., with more than 60 vendors, a wide range of plant-based food and drink, family activities, contests and giveaways, and more. Admission is $10, or free for kids age 10 and younger. Visit VeganBlockParty.com.
Saturday laughs: Sam Ramsdell, of Connecticut, apparently has the Guinness World Record for the world’s biggest mouth (female division). What do you even do with that? You become a comedian, a singer and a TikTok star who can fit an entire apple in her maw. On Saturday at 8 p.m., Ramsdell will bring her relatable brand of humor to the Rose & Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center at Nova Southeastern University in Davie. Tickets cost $20+. Visit BrowardCenter.org.
Mac at Mizner: You can catch revered songwriter and longtime Jimmy Buffett collaborator Mac McAnally at Mizner Park Amphitheater in Boca Raton on Saturday during the Pope-A-Palooza Tunes for Tuition Music Festival, a fundraiser for Boca Raton’s Saint John Paul II Academy Alumni Scholarship Fund. Taking place from 4 to 11 p.m., the concert will include music from locals Wolfhawk, The Resolvers and The Associates Band. A variety of beer, wine, cocktails and food will be available. Tickets cost $75 at Tinyurl.com/macatmizner.
Sweet stuff: 4 Rivers Smokehouse in Coral Springs is serving a few new limited-time offerings that feature barbecue sauce made with Cheerwine, the fizzy cherry soft drink that originated in North Carolina. I am intrigued. The new items include Happy Chicken Tender Sub ($7.99), Cheer on Ribs (half rack $18.99, full rack $33.79) and Cheer on Wings (10 wings, $13.99), which all can be drizzled with Cheerwine BBQ Sauce. The Pork Steak Sandwich ($8.49) is marinated in Cheerwine, then drizzled with Cheerwine BBQ Sauce. Visit 4RSmokehouse.com.
SUNDAY
For a cause: On Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., the Cove Brewery in Deerfield Beach will host Waves of Change, an afternoon of live music, local vendors, raffles and plenty of beer, to raise money for the Louis & Anne Green Memory & Wellness Center at Florida Atlantic University, which helps families and individuals affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Visit Instagram.com/covebrewery. … Later on Sunday, Crazy Uncle Mike’s in Boca Raton will be the setting for Rockin’ to Knock Out Parkinson’s from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m., a fundraiser for the nonprofit D.O.B. Parkinson’s Charity. The night will include eclectic performances by The Livesays (Petty/Springsteen-adjacent rock), ReaXtion Band (R&B party jams), Juanabe (’80s pop/rock), Metalucious (hilarious metal) and UnRavel (young female-fronted classic rockers). Tickets start at $40+ at CrazyUncleMikes.com.
Dog day afternoon: This is the Sunday that the Flamingo Flea — engaging curators of cool stuff — turns things over to dog people for the Puppy Brunch at Tarpon River Brewing in downtown Fort Lauderdale. There will be vendors (need a dog walker?), games, adoptions (with Animal Aid Inc. and Boxer Friends Inc.), the Paws Got Talent Show (sign up on-site or here), and food and drink by TRB. The event is from noon to 4 p.m. Visit FlamingoFlea.com.
All ears: The 24th annual Sweet Corn Fiesta returns to Yesteryear Village at the South Florida Fairgrounds west of West Palm Beach on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with carnival rides, live music and competitive corn-eating that attracts nationally ranked gobblers (as seen on ESPN). The event is a salute to the farmers of Palm Beach County, who are among the most productive corn farmers in the United States. Proceeds from the event benefit local agriculture education programs and area food banks. Admission is $10, or $5 for children age 6 to 11; free for children 5 and younger. Ride wristbands cost $10 or $15 for two. Visit SouthFloridaFair.com/sweetcornfiesta. (Insider tip: If you’re not in the carnival mood, boxes of sweet corn, about 48 ears each, will be available just outside of the entry gates for $25. For attendees, the box costs $20.)
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on Instagram @BenCrandell and Twitter @BenCrandell.
