Are you loving this week’s Miami Book Fair – the leading literary festival in the United States– and looking for ways to support their work throughout the year? We have a couple ideas for you.

DONATE DURING GIVE MIAMI DAY

Today is Give Miami Day and one of the biggest annual giving events in the country. Hosted by The Miami Foundation, Miamians have until midnight tonight to donate money to the organization of their choice, and we’re here to suggest that the Miami Book Fair should be at the top of your list. Miami Book Fair has a fundraising goal of $20,000 and those funds will be used to purchase more than 20,000 books in English, Spanish, and Creole, as well as books for children with disabilities. Check out how to donate to the Miami Book Fair campaign here.

BECOME A MIAMI BOOK FAIR MEMBER

Becoming a member of the Miami Book Fair comes with many benefits. At the “Reader” level, you can purchase tickets two weeks in advance of the general public programs, receive a complimentary ticket to an “Evenings With” session and free admission the Street Fair. Membership starts at $100. Become a member.

Now for our picks on what to check out at the fair:

Today: Drink & Draw @ The Standard

A totally drawsome (drawing + awesome) night of cocktails and comics. Illustrators that can actually draw will go marker-to-marker in a book-themed competition, then you get a shot at working in teams to create your own illustration.

Info: Free RSVP required, 7 p.m.

Today on The Porch

The Porch opens at 5 p.m. with music, food trucks, and giant outdoor games. First Draft (writing + drinking) kicks off at 6 p.m. and Miami-born author Alex Segura is joined by other crime writers at 7 p.m. Between readings, the Gold Dust Lounge Band keeps it sultry with its blend of “surf noir” and “shoegaze Americana.”

Tomorrow: Boris Izaguirre presenta su nueva novela

Writer, screenwriter and Venezuelan television presenter Boris Izaguirre has developed a successful professional career in both Spain and Latin America. This year at the fair Izaguirre will share his autobiographical novel where he builds a life that is sometimes complicated but always exciting.

Info: Free, 7 p.m., event in Spanish

Sunday: Identity, Faith and Family: A GLBTQI+ Memoir

Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith and Family tells the story of Garrard Conley who was forced to make a life-changing decision: either agree to attend a church-supported conversion therapy program that promised to “cure” him of homosexuality; or risk losing family, friends, and the God he had prayed to every day of his life. Now a movie out this fall, Conley will appear in conversation with Miami Film Festival Executive Director Jaie Laplante.

Info: Free, 2 p.m.

Full details for these and additional events can be found on MiamiBookFair.com. If you head to the fair, be sure to share your favorite moments using #MiamiBookFair2018.

PRODUCED BY THE NEW TROPIC CREATIVE STUDIO WITH MIAMI BOOK FAIR

Yesterday we answered a few of your questions about the Florida recount, including why it’s taking so long, and today we’ve got answers to a few more.

First, here’s an important heads up. Today at 3 p.m. is the deadline for counties to report the results of their recounts to the state elections department. Many have already completed that process and once those numbers are in, there will be an official decision on which races will go to a manual hand recount.

And now here are some answers to your questions:

I am getting messages from local organizations to help recount votes. Is that legit? Who is conducting the recount? And if it has to go to the next round, who will actually do that recount?

The recount has been handled by county elections staff and a canvassing board, who oversees the process. In Miami-Dade, the canvassing board includes the supervisor or elections and two county judges. They’ll also oversee the manual recount and set up counting teams to handle the work. Local organizations may be reaching out because state law allows for certain people to be present to “object to any decision of the counting team” but those people don’t actually do the counting. Watching this process is also open to the public.

If the recount results determine that the opponent is actually on the winning side, but the margin is still extremely slim, can the Republicans argue for another recount?

No they can’t, but they can file a legal complaint. Matt Caldwell, the Republican candidate for agriculture commissioner, and Gov. Rick Scott, the GOP candidate in the U.S. Senate race, have both filed lawsuits that could delay a final decision on a winner in those races.

What if the counties don’t finish their count by their required deadline?

State law says that those counties will have to report the results of their initial count (the numbers they reported on Nov. 10) and give the state elections department a formal explanation for why they missed the deadline. But no matter what, the counties have to keep counting even if they don’t get it done by this afternoon.

Thanks to readers Jamie Maniscalco, Christine, and a few readers who asked to remain anonymous, for these questions. The final voting results from the counties are due Sunday at noon and the state elections department will finalize things on Nov. 20. Our guess? Given the growing number of lawsuits across the state, things probably won’t be finalized for a while.

Scott steps aside. When all the recounting is done by next week, a board of state officials, including the governor, will finalize all the results. But Gov. Rick Scott is on the ballot this year. That’s why after facing some pressure from activist groups, he’s planning to remove himself from the board so there won’t be a direct conflict when finalizing the results of the U.S. Senate race. (Miami Herald)

Borscht is back. The colorful characters behind the Borscht Corporation officially announced the lineup for its upcoming film festival. The fest will be held next spring and will feature various film categories, including movies by directors whose parents were born in foreign countries, films by LGBTQ directors or about LGBTQ issues, and a #NoBroZone films (That means films by artists who identify as women and have no men involved). (Miami New Times)

Some Key opposition. City of Miami commissioners will be voting today on moving Ultra Music Festival from Downtown Miami to two sites on the road to Key Biscayne–near Miami Marine Stadium and Virginia Key Beach. Residents and elected officials in the mostly affluent village are not super thrilled about the idea. The village produced a video that focused on Ultra’s past issues with crime and heavy drug use but organizers say those issues are in the fest’s past and they think Key Biscayne’s campaign is unfair. (Miami Herald)

Not everybody loves the sunshine. The effects of climate change on the environment and our weather are pretty easy to see and document. But the impact on humans is harder to see even though it has affected people with chronic health problems. Here in SoFlo the hotter temperatures have caused people with breathing issues, and other ailments that are made worse by the heat, to limit their exposure to the sun by living in darkness in their own homes. And poorer patients often can’t afford air conditioning or go to cooler public places like libraries or malls. (WLRN)

DRUMROLL PLEASE

Congratulations to Cathy Bernstein! She’s the lucky winner of two tickets for a trip to either Pinecrest Gardens or Jungle Island, courtesy of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Stay tuned for more giveaways in the newsletter and we’ll see you tomorrow!

– The New Tropic