Literary Arts
“Literally Everyone’s Invited: An Ode to South Florida”
TOM HUDSON is WLRN’s Senior Economics Editor and Special Correspondent. MELODY SANTIAGO CUMMINGS is the Executive Director of O, Miami. We discuss O, Miami’s new book, “Literally Everyone’s Invited: An Ode to South Florida,” and the huge success of ZipOdes.
read moreArt Critic Elisa Turner: “Miami’s Art Boom”
ELISA TURNER is an award-winning art critic and journalist based in Miami. In October 2025 her book, “Miami’s Art Boom: From Local Vision to International Presence,” was published by the University Press of Florida. It chronicles the city’s art scene from 1987 to 2007.
read moreRebecca Friedman: From History to Public Humanities
DR. REBECCA FRIEDMAN is the Founding Director of the Public Humanities Lab (PHL) and a Professor of History at Florida International University.
read moreBob Blumenthal: Grammy Award Winning Jazz Critic
BOB BLUMENTHAL began writing jazz criticism in 1969 while attending Harvard College. He was a contributing editor of the Boston Phoenix (1969-1989) and a contributor to The Boston Globe (1990-2002), and has also appeared in such publications as the Atlantic Monthly, Rolling Stone, the Village Voice, Down Beat, JazzTimes and Jazziz. He won two Grammy awards for best album notes for collections by John Coltrane and Miles Davis.
read moreJulie K. Brown: In Pursuit of Justice
JULIE K. BROWN is an investigative journalist with the “Miami Herald,” best known for pursuing the sex trafficking story surrounding Jeffrey Epstein. She is the recipient of several awards including two George Polk Awards for Justice Reporting. Brown’s book, “Perversion of Justice,” based on her reporting on the Epstein case, was published by William Morrow and Company. The book served as the foundation for a limited series on HBO.
read moreSuper Prolific Author Ben Mezrich
As of July 4th, 2025 BEN MEZRICH (b.1969) has authored twenty-eight books – major international and New York Times Bestsellers, with well over 11 million copies sold. The non-fiction genre he’s created – cinematic and unique true stories of young geniuses battling their way through the grey area between right and wrong, and succeeding at all costs
read moreDavid Dunlap: Documenting Buildings and Lives
DAVID W. DUNLAP is a journalist who worked as a reporter for the New York Times for 40+ years. He wrote a regular column, “Building Blocks,” that looked at the New York metropolitan area through its architecture, infrastructure, spaces, and places. Dunlap has also been documenting the history of Provincetown, Massachusetts, through its architecture, on the website “Building Provincetown,” and in his book on this topic, “Building Provincetown,” (Provincetown Arts Press — 2015, 2021, 2024).
read moreCelebrating Juneteenth 2025
In celebration of JUNETEENTH 2025, we have curated a group of video interviews from the ArtSpeak archives with prominent people in the arts.
read moreAndrew Meyer: M Is for Mentor
ANDREW H. MEYER (b.1948) has served as an entertainment industry executive, film producer, and educator. He has been the President of Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss’ A&M Films, Robert Redford’s Wildwood Productions, and Norman Lear’s Act All Productions. His films include “The Breakfast Club,” Fried Green Tomatoes,” and “Birdy.” Meyer’s memoir, “Walking in the Fast Lane,” was published in 2024.
read moreAce Reporter Arnold Markowitz
ARNOLD MARKOWITZ has been a reporter since 1960 — 34 years with the Miami Herald. He retired from the Miami Herald in 2001, and currently writes a fishing column for the Waterfront Times.
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