Programs Director Lissette Mendez built in one of the parking lots in downtown, and we filled it with programming,” she ex- plains. “We built a theater on site that fit 300 people, complete with a stage, lights — every possible piece of equipment and amenity that you could imagine.” The fair worked with local artists and orga- nizations for the programming. In the end, it was eight days of music, art, and unforgettable stories. Despite the Swamp not returning in 2022, the beloved Children’s Alley is again taking place behind Building 1 of the Wolfson Campus. “It’s three days of all kinds of hands-on ac- tivities, whether it’s art or robotics or music — it’s all very family- and kid-oriented,” Mendez says. In 2020, when the in-person event had to shuffle to rearrange all their programming to go virtual, Mendez remembers a standout in- stallation by local artist Christina Patterson. “She is just brilliant,” says Mendez, throw- ing her hands in the air. “In 2020, she created a shadow puppet theater piece set in the Ever- glades. It was part whimsy, part ecological fairy tale. “Everything is really made up of stories. Whether it’s a song or art or a visual art piece or theater. And so, you know, what other ways can we tell stories, experience stories? And so [Pat- terson’s piece] was really another highlight.” Although it hasn’t happened yet, Mendez is looking forward to launching a new pro- gram this year that will surely be a staple in her Miami Book Fair repertoire. “We’re working with Miami-Dade County to launch the poet laureate program for the next two years, which is called Miami’s Fa- vorite Poems.” As part of his duties as poet laureate for Miami-Dade, Richard Blanco will be touring the city and doing presentations where he’ll invite ordinary folk to read and submit their favorite poems. “It’s a way for Blanco to reach out and en- gage with the general community, not just the literary community, and to give everyone a chance to talk about poetry,” Mendez says. (Hear Blanco speak during his “Poetry for the People” event on Sunday, November 20.) “One of the goals of the Book Fair is to en- sure that everyone in this community feels that there’s a space for them where they can come and find books and ideas that they can connect with. That’s why we’re so varied in what we offer.” Miami Book Fair. Sunday, November 13 through Sunday, November 20 at Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus, 300 NE Second Ave., Miami; miamibookfair.com. Ticket prices vary. Living Out Loud T Harvey Fierstein’s memoir offers a glimpse into the American icon’s life. by Mathew Messa ony Award-winning actor and playwright Harvey Fier- stein has long been an American cultural icon. The 70 year old has graced the stage as Edna Turnblad in the Broadway production of Hairspray and Albin in the 2010 revival of La Cage aux Folles. He’s also appeared in Block- buster films like Mrs. Doubtfire and Independence Day and has lent his voice to the character of Yao in Disney’s Mulan. In his memoir, I Was Better Last Night, Fierstein looks back at his upbringing in 1950s Brooklyn and his place in the downtown New activist groups such as the Gay Activist Alliance and Street Trans- vestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR). He has no reservations about his opinion of Florida’s governor. “DeSantis is just a windbag, but he comes off as a know-it-all, and people love that,” Fierstein says. “It’s a terrible thing, but people like stupid people because they like to feel superior.” Fierstein’s 1983 musical based on a French play by Jean Poiret, La Cage aux Folles, won six Tony Awards. The play centers around a gay nightclub owner and his drag queen partner, whose son invites his fiancée’s ultra-conservative parents over for dinner. If the plot sounds familiar, it’s because it was adapted to the screen in the 1996 film The Birdcage starring Robin Williams, which takes place at a fictional drag bar in Miami Beach. The Magic City makes an early appearance in Fier- stein’s book, where he recounts a story his mother told him as a child about his father’s greedy step- mother. She hoards his grand- father’s wealth af- ter his death and moves to Biscayne Bay, where she meets an unfortu- nate fate. Apart from this early story, he recalls Miami being the subject of many household conver- sations through- out his childhood. You have to live really loud. Tell people they’re wrong. “I have photographs somewhere of my grandmother and uncle going down to Miami every winter,” Fierstein says. While his grandmother and uncle later moved to Cali- Harvey Fierstein York City scene. He also chronicles his storied life as an award-win- ning actor, playwright, and gay-rights activist, who has bumped el- bows with everyone from pop culture titans like Andy Warhol and Madonna to LGBTQ rights icon Marsha P. Johnson. Fierstein will attend this year’s Miami Book Fair alongside his editor, Peter Geth- ers, to discuss his book and the spectacular life he’s led so far. With his extensive background as an activist, Fierstein offers simple yet wise instructions for Florida’s LGBTQ rights activists, who in the past six months have seen the passage of HB 1557 — also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill — and formal complaints filed by Gov. Ron DeSantis against Wynwood drag brunch spot R House, among other partisan attacks by lawmakers. “Advice is really easy to give and hard to take: You have to live really loud. Tell people they’re wrong,” Fierstein tells New Times. In his book, Fierstein gives vivid accounts of living in New York City during the 1969 Stonewall Riots, which inspired him to join fornia (“There was no Disney World yet”), Fierstein dubs the connection between New Yorkers and Florida the “An- tique Trail.” “You come to New York, and you make your fortune, you buy all this fancy shit, and then you retire, and you take it to Florida,” he theorizes. “You croak. They sell it off in Florida at auction; it gets sent back to New York and into stores again.” Fierstein also explains the origin of his unmistakable raspy voice in his book, which resulted from damage to his vocal cords. Most widely recognized as Yao, a character in the animated Disney film Mulan — and more recently featured in the animated Netflix sitcom Big Mouth — Fierstein says his voice helped distin- guish him from other actors, so he quickly came to accept it. “Anything that makes you identifiable usually works for you as an actor,” he says, “A lot of actors just want to completely disappear into a character, but you and I both know, [for example], that’s Meryl Streep, I don’t care how much makeup you put on her.” An Evening with Harvey Fierstein and Peter Gethers.8 p.m. Wednesday, November 16, Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus Auditorium (Building 1, Second Floor, Room 1261), 300 NE Second Ave., Miami; miamibookfair.com. Tickets cost $15. 2 9 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC |MIAMI NEW TIMES miaminewtimes.com | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | NEW TIMES MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 NOVEMBER 10-16, 2022 Courtesy of Miami Book Fair Bruce Glikas
