Deedee Finney

Perhaps it happens when the stories housed inside its walls become too expansive, too restless, too alive to remain confined to a single building downtown. Or perhaps it happens when a city itself changes so dramatically that the institution responsible for preserving its history must also evolve in order to remain relevant to the people it serves.

During spring in Miami, poetry is nearly unavoidable. “Poetry is a kind of unkillable human art form,” said Campbell McGrath, a local celebrated poet and teacher. That is especially true during National Poetry Month in Miami-Dade County, when the city subtly reorganizes itself around artful expression in several languages.