The event-packed Street Fair weekend of the Miami Book Fair on the downtown campus of Miami Dade College kicks off today, and we couldn’t be more excited. More than 200 national and international exhibitors are on hand to sell books alongside musical and arts acts, great food options, author events, and all kinds of fun things to make your bookworm heart sing.

Essential weekend info:

• Hours: 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
• Admission: The Street Fair is free for everyone on Friday. On Saturday and Sunday: Adults are $10; 13-18 and over 62, $5; 12 and under free. Miami Dade College students, faculty, and staff with valid ID get into the Street Fair for free every day.
• Children’s Alley: Take the little ones to see live presentations by authors, face painting, stilt walkers, hip-hop training, magicians and other kid-friendly activities in this area of the fair.
• Map and full details: The downloadable PDF guide is an easy to plan your weekend.
• Food: If nerding out makes you hungry, food trucks and a food court are on-site to calm your cravings.
• Metromover: Exit at College Bayside or College North.
• Parking: Free parking at the Miami Dade College Parking Garage, 500 N.E. 2nd Ave.

Weekend Picks

Today on The Porch: At 10 a.m., teens take over The Porch with a teen poetry showcase featuring voices of Miami’s budding new poets. At 6 p.m., The Porch turns into a literary cabaret with House of SpeakEasy, which the Wall Street Journal called “think-y entertainment.” The show brings together writers to riff and ruminate, original story performances by authors, and performances by some of Miami’s most beloved singer/songwriters.

Saturday: Comedy Central’s Abbi Jacobson Might Regret This

Abbi Jacobson – half of the duo behind Comedy Central’s “Broad City” – will be on hand to talk about her book I Might Regret This: Essays, Drawings, Vulnerabilities, and Other Stuff. The collection of essays covers love, loss, work, comedy, and figuring out who you really are when you thought you already knew.

Info: Free, 10:30 a.m.

Saturday: Sports and American Culture Today

Mark Leibovich (Big Game: The NFL in Dangerous Times), Etan Thomas (We Matter: Athletes and Activism) and Steve Almond (Against Football) will tackle the cross-section of sports and American culture.

Info: Free, 4 p.m.

Saturday: Slate Presents “The Waves.” Live in Miami!

Each week “The Waves” – a podcast from Slate – talks through the latest news and culture through the lens of gender and feminism. The Waves will be recording an episode live, so bring your best “Is it sexist?” questions for the Q&A.

Info: Free, tickets required, 5 p.m.

Sunday: Haitian Identities and Caribbean Aesthetics

Miami’s own Edwidge Danticat moderates this panel of four Haitian women writers (including one of our faves, Fabienne Josaphat) will address the impact of their Haitian and Haitian-American identities on their writing and the ways they navigate visibility and erasure to honor Caribbean aesthetics.

Info: Free, 11:30 a.m.

Sunday: Rebuilding Puerto Rico

Get the lowdown on good eats and good deeds when restaurateur and chef Jose Andres discusses his latest book, We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico One Meal at a Time. It describes how a network of community kitchens activated in Puerto Rico after the 2017 hurricanes.

Info: Free, tickets required, 12:30 p.m.

Sunday: Chip Kidd in conversation with Charlie Kochman on Alex Ross’ Marvelocity

Join author and legendary book designer Chip Kidd and Abrams ComicArts Editorial Director Charlie Kochman as they explore the drawings, paintings, photographs, and unpublished stories in the new collection, Marvelocity: The Marvel Comics Art of Alex Ross.

Info: Free, 4 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

Round two. While there are still multiple lawsuits and court challenges underway across the state, it looks like there will be another round of manual recounts in the U.S. Senate and agriculture commissioner races. After yesterday’s results, the difference in the candidates’ vote totals is less than 0.25 percent. Meanwhile, Ron DeSantis held on to his lead in the governor’s race and there won’t be another recount. His opponent, Andrew Gillum, has nearly two weeks to file any kind of legal challenge over the results. (Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Times)

Face Palm. Despite the county’s best efforts to make yesterday’s machine recount deadline, Palm Beach missed the deadline. The issues were mostly due to faulty and old equipment– earlier this week some machines overheated, and could only recount one race at a time. That means Palm Beach elections officials had to report numbers from last Saturday to the state elections department. And late last night it was revealed that Broward also missed the deadline, despite reporting that they got it done. 🤦 (Sun Sentinel)

New home for Ultra. It’s official, Ultra Music Festival is moving from Downtown Miami to two locations near Key Biscayne in 2019: Virginia Key Beach and near the Miami Marine Stadium. Despite objections from Key Biscayne officials, residents, and environmental activists the move was ultimately approved by City of Miami commissioners. The city will receive $2 million from the organizers but the approval also means that the Rapture Music Festival–set for the same weekend–will have to find a new date or a new location. (Miami Herald)

A second chance and a shutdown. Florida voters whose ballots were rejected over issues with their signatures will get another two days to fix the problem, following a ruling by a federal judge. Canvassing boards rejected about 3,700 provisional and mail-in ballots after determining the signature on the envelope did not match the signature on file. Meanwhile, a judge in a separate case ruled that counties would not be able to extend yesterday’s deadline for reporting recount results. (Miami Herald)

A new look. After teasing fans for a few days, the Miami Marlins finally revealed a new logo and color scheme for the team. It keeps the team’s lighter blue and orange colors intact but changes up the letters and includes a slightly more detailed marlin. We’ll let y’all be the judge on how it looks, but if it means more wins for the team then we’re all for it. (ESPN)

Fatal flaws. Design mistakes on the north end of the pedestrian bridge at Florida International University were the main contributor to the bridge’s collapse, according to a report from federal investigators. Experts say the collapse, which killed six people earlier this year, was caused by cracking around a connection point that was apparent after the bridge was lifted into place. Unfortunately work still continued even after officials identified the problem. (Miami Herald)

THAT’S ALL FOR THIS WEEK

But before we go we want to shout out the launch of Startup Guide Miami. It focuses on the 305’s growth as a home for innovation and entrepreneurship and offers tips for people looking to build their business right here in SoFlo.

It includes words of wisdom from plenty of locals like Knight Foundation president Alberto Ibarguën, Chewy co-founder Ryan Cohen, and our very own co-founder Rebekah Monson.

A salute to everyone involved and we’ll see you next week, folks!

– The New Tropic