Miami is a city undergoing a profound cultural renaissance, yet its literary history often remains in the shadows of its neon glitz. Poetry City follows an unassuming everyman and cultural catalyst, Oscar Fuentes—known to many as “The Biscayne Poet”—and Nicole Tallman, the County’s Poetry Ambassador, as they lead a collective of writers on a quest to rediscover the voices of Miami’s past.

The film captures the raw, process-oriented gatherings of a “band of poets” (Arsimmer McCoy, Trey Rhone, and Caridad Moro-Gronlier) as they explore archives and debate the lineage of their craft. This intellectual pursuit is grounded by Oscar’s endearing interactions with the community: writing immigration-themed poetry at charity galas, sharing poignant stories of his father’s dementia at Vizcaya, and teaching children on a sun-drenched sandbar in Biscayne Bay.

Featuring appearances from literary giants like Richard Blanco and Mitchell Kaplan, Poetry City demonstrates how the County’s commitment to the arts has fueled South Florida’s international ascent. The journey reaches a powerful climax at the Miami Book Fair, where the poets stage a theatrical presentation pairing historical works with their own contemporary responses, proving that Miami’s heartbeat is, and always has been, pure poetry.