The SWWIM Reading Series at The Betsy Writer's Room kicks off their 10th year of poet residencies and readings, running September 2025 through April 2026. This prestigious residency program brings nationally acclaimed poets including Taylor Byas (Maya Angelou Book Award winner), Rita Mookerjee, Joan Kwon Glass, and Allison Blevins to Miami Beach's iconic literary sanctuary, The Betsy Writer's Room at The Betsy Hotel.
Each month features a visiting poet in residence at The Betsy Writer's Room, culminating in intimate readings paired with Miami's dynamic local literary voices. The series opens with a special collaboration between SWWIM and Matwaala, featuring Nina Sudhakar and Carolene Kurien on September 11th, setting the stage for a season of powerful cross-cultural and cross-generational dialogue.
SWWIM's mission to sustain and celebrate women poets finds perfect expression in this partnership with The Betsy, creating a living archive of contemporary poetry while positioning Miami as a global literary destination. From Taylor Byas's award-winning explorations of Black experience to Lesley Wheeler's environmental poetry, each reading promises to showcase the diverse voices shaping American poetry today.
This series offers audiences rare access to emerging and established poets in an intimate setting, fostering meaningful connections between writers, readers, and Miami's thriving arts community. Presented in partnership with The Betsy Hotel, SWWIM and MATWAALA, and with support from the Jorge Perez Family Foundation CreARTE Grant.
Join us for a special collaboration poetry reading with SWWIM x Matwaala featuring Nina Sudhakar + Carolene Kurien
In honor of our 10th anniversary, we are delighted to announce a partnership with Matwaala, which is also celebrating a decade of supporting writers.
Matwaala was launched in 2015 to increase the visibility of diasporic South Asian poets (from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Afghanistan) in the mainstream American literary landscape. The name Matwaala in a transferred sense suggests the intoxication of poetic creativity. Matwaala showcases the diversity within the South Asian community—and within the Indo-American community.