Other Fun Stuff

Roller disco is back at the Bandshell! Tunes by DJ Miss Purple Shampoo and Angie Antonela, and your skate hosts All Skates Go To Heaven. All ages and skaters of all abilities are welcome, and non-skaters can enjoy the fun from the deck. Admission is free! Bring your own skates, or rent a pair onsite. Skate rentals are free for Miami Beach Residents with ID, or $10 for non-residents.

Join us for the official launch of “Hágase el verso: Poesía reunida de José Martí,” in honor of the life and work of José Martí—the “universal Cuban,” whose voice continues to shape the cultural and political imagination of Latin America and its diasporas. This edition brings together Martí’s essential poetic works, as well as some rarely seen photographs and documents, while offering readers a renewed encounter with his vision of justice, dignity, freedom, and human solidarity. More than a compilation of poems, this edition invites reflection on Martí not only as a writer, but also as an intellectual, exile, and nation-builder whose ideas remain profoundly relevant today. The panel will feature Sergio Andricaín, Uva de Aragón, and Douglas Gómez Barrueta, and will be moderated by Kelly Martínez-Grandal. The event will include a welcome by Amanda T. Moreno-Schroeder, Esperanza Bravo de Varona Chair and director of the Cuban Heritage Collection. A curated selection of materials from Martí’s treasures will be on display. Following the presentation, there will be a Q&A session with the audience. This event is co-sponsored by Books & Books, Miami Book Fair, and Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial.

Bring an idea. We’ll spec it, plan it, then use AI agents to build it. This is a course on the spec-driven development model, masked as a creative jam workshop. Students are encouraged to come in with ideas for apps or software projects they’d like to create using AI, and we’ll compile 2–3 of the best ideas into the session’s working syllabus (backup ideas provided if needed). Students should ideally come with an AI IDE installed on their machine (Claude Code, Cursor, Antigravity, etc.). If you don’t have one set up yet, we’ll help you get installed and ready. Over the duration of the workshop, we’ll craft execution plans for each idea using the spec-driven development model—and once the specs are solid, we’ll fire up AI agents to execute the plans and manifest the ideas into real creations. You’ll leave understanding why planning before execution matters when working with agents, plus practical techniques for prompting AI agents to increase the probability of successful output.

Machine Learning Monday: Cybersecurity 101, Staying Safe in a Digital World As our lives become increasingly digital, understanding how to protect ourselves online is no longer optional — it’s essential. This edition of Machine Learning Monday shifts focus to the fundamentals of cybersecurity, exploring how everyday users can navigate the digital world with greater awareness and confidence. Join us on Monday, May 18th for a special beginner-friendly session featuring Liz Mejia, educator, strategic partnerships and events specialist, and Key Opinion Leader in crypto, for an interactive workshop on digital safety, cyber awareness, and practical tools for protecting your online presence. Liz will guide attendees through the essentials of cybersecurity, from understanding how hackers think to recognizing common threats like phishing, social engineering, and online manipulation. Drawing from her background as a political scientist turned blockchain investor, educator, and community builder, she brings a real-world perspective to how digital systems impact our everyday lives. This hands-on session will also cover practical skills you can start using immediately, including creating strong passwords, using password managers, identifying suspicious links, securing your devices, and setting up two-factor authentication. Attendees will also gain a clearer understanding of data privacy, why security policies matter, and how to stay compliant both at home and in the workplace. This session reframes cybersecurity not as a technical barrier, but as an empowering tool that helps individuals take control of their digital lives with confidence and clarity.

Join Johnny Lamb Jr., a maintenance mechanic at the University of Miami who earned a Certificate of Apprenticeship in Horticulture and Landscape from the United States Department of Labor, for an insightful presentation on bonsai trees. Discover the art, history, and science behind bonsai tree cultivation, including species selection, pruning, wiring, soil, and watering essentials.

Ray Santamaria has worked as lead technician for Facilities and Operations at the University of Miami for over 10 years. He is also the proud owner of honeybee colonies certified by the Apiary Division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Come share Ray's passion, discover the world of bees, and learn the basics of beekeeping.

Join Nyabi Benjamin and Elida Velado Salazar for an engaging, hands-on workshop that blends creativity, sustainability, and a touch of green inspiration. Open to University students, faculty, and staff, this session invites you to give an old book new life by transforming it into a sustainable planter. Learn the basics of crafting your planter, explore simple design techniques, and discover how to choose and care for the plant you’ll take home. All supplies are provided, and no crafting experience is required.

Explore the world of South Florida’s native species and discover how everyday actions can help protect them. Join Amy Leonard from Pelican Harbor Seabird Station for an engaging, educational session that highlights the wildlife, conservation, and community impact at Miami’s oldest bird rehabilitation facility. Learn about the history of the Seabird Station, explore the diversity of patients in our care, and understand the most common injuries we treat. You’ll also discover simple, meaningful ways the University community can support local wildlife.

Join us for an evening with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Mirta Ojito as she presents her latest book, “Deeper than the Ocean.” Ojito will be in conversation with Chantel Acevedo, acclaimed novelist and University of Miami English professor. In “Deeper than the Ocean,” Ojito delivers a sweeping, multigenerational historical novel that examines the power of a mother’s love, the burden of family secrets, and the resilience of identity across time and place. The story follows Mara Denis, a journalist who, while on assignment in the Canary Islands uncovers a startling truth about her ancestry that upends everything she believed about her family. As she traces her roots from Cuba to Spain and the United States, Mara embarks on a deeply personal journey shaped by loss, love, and the search for belonging. Moving between the early 20th century and the present, and spanning the Canary Islands, Cuba, New York, and Key West, the novel also revisits the tragic legacy of the Valbanera, known as the “poor man’s Titanic.”

DVCAI Back-Chat: What’s in Your Container? Date and Time Thursday, April 23, 2026 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET Location Online via Zoom Zoom Meeting ID: 240 501 7214 You can also join from DVCAI’s website:  www.diasporavibe.org/backchat  Price Free to attend Donations to Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator are encouraged. Event Description Join Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator (DVCAI) for Back-Chat: What’s in Your Container?, a quarterly online conversation exploring the experiences of diasporic cultural producers, scholars, and artists who have benefited from DVCAI’s programs and support since 1996. As DVCAI celebrates 30 years of nurturing and amplifying artists from the Caribbean and Latin American Diaspora, this special session offers space for dialogue, reflection, and connection across community, culture, and contemporary art. This session features artists Breeana Thorne, Jevon Brown, Lance Minto-Strouse and Myah Smith. Back-Chat invites community members, artists, and arts supporters into a thoughtful virtual gathering centered on creative exchange and shared experience. Register for free at linktr.ee/dvcai. Donations to support DVCAI’s work are encouraged. About Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator (DVCAI) is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to promoting, nurturing, and cultivating the vision and diverse creativity of emerging artists from the Caribbean and Latin American Diaspora through experimentation, exhibitions, artists-in-residence programs, international cultural exchanges, Artist Catalyst Awards, and dialogue in contemporary art. DVCAI partners with funding and presenting organizations to enhance residency experiences in the Caribbean, nationally, and internationally. For more information, please visit  https://www.diasporavibe.org . Contact Tanya Desdunes Executive Director  tanya@dvcaiteam.org