StoryCorps facilitators Jonah Engle and Nadja Middleton are north bound.

Keith DiMartino drives them and the StoryCorps Airstream trailer out of Miami…

…towards Atlanta where the StoryCorps booth reopens March 2nd.

While development in Miami goes ahead full speed, plants and creatures remain bountiful. Marsha Colbert, above, came to our StoryBooth to talk about her love of people and nature. She is a biologist and informed facilitators Jonah Engle and Nadja Middleton about some of the vegetation they have been impressed by since arriving from New York. Besides palm trees, Miami is home to a variety of trees such as Australian Pines, red-berry producing Brazilian Peppers, Royal Poincianas from Madagascar, Yellow tabebuias and Mango trees from India. With a colleague and orinthologist, Marsha was kind to help identify these birds:

Mostly there are boat-tailed grackles, a species where the males are black and the females are brown. There are also European Starlings, a smaller black bird that has white speckled plumage at some times of the year. -Miami’s flora and fauna are apparently as cosmopolitan as its inhabitants! In her email Marsha wrote: “These birds may have been gathering to sing at the end of the day before going to roost for the night. Possibly they were flocking or gathering together in the open, such as on power lines, and then going to sleep in the canopy of nearby trees.”

Below, a favorite picture taken at sunset near Miami, in the Everglades national park.

Reverand Petunia Chung-Segre wanted her daughter Marie to know how much she meant to her and StoryCorps seemed like the right place to make such a declaration. Petunia has been suffering from depression for over a decade but Marie is the reason she does not give up during the most difficult periods. Petunia is also thankful that Marie “has the guts” to talk to her and confront her about her depression. For example, on being pushed to attend a depression workshop, Petunia says: “You were very cruel, I hated you for doing that to me, but I thank you […] I want you to know that and I want the world to know that.”

The picture above was taken right after their 40 minute StoryCorps interview. It will be archived in the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress, alongside the conversation they recorded.

During their daily commute to the StoryBooth, facilitators Jonah Engle and Nadja Middleton often pass by this public art work in Miami’s Design District. According to its designers, Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt, “The Living Room” is meant to be a criticism of the lack of public space and “provide opportunities for human interaction and alternative states of mind”. It appears that for Jonah and Nadja, at least the latter goal was achieved!

Following the advice of StoryCorps participants, facilitators Nadja Middleton and Jonah Engle checked out Little Havana’s Hoy Como Ayer nightclub. To better rock the crowd with his mix of Cuban hip hop and reggae, Descemer Bueno would sometimes come off stage, as illustrated in the photo above. Before moving to the United States a few years ago, Bueno lived in his native Havana. Then came the Spam Allstars. The Miami based band is often on tour, but they are also Hoy Como Ayer regulars. With their latin, funk, hip hop and dub improvisations, they keep the audience dancing and guessing well past these facilitators’ bedtime. Featured in the picture below are flautist and vocalist Mercedes Abal and alto sax player A.J. Hill.

Most people in Miami rely on their cars to get around town.
Near the Haitian Market, however, Miamians were spotted using alternative means of transportation.

A modern replica of Haiti’s famous iron market, this landmark stands in the Heart of Little Haiti, a five minute drive North of the mobile booth. The neighborhood’s storefronts are adorned with colorful murals painted by local artists.

Ed Laake missed our Storybooth while it was stationed in Sarasota last month. He decided to drive all the way to Miami where the booth just opened. He was accompanied by his cousin Mary and his 91-year old aunt Erma. They came to sing and pay homage to the songs Ed’s father wrote and sang. They also brought home-made cookies.

At the end of January, incoming StoryCorps facilitators Nadja Middleton and Jonah Engle took over from Maisie Tivnan and Nelson Simon in Miami. Below, they are seen chatting with StoryCorps participant Donald Stanier who came with his wife Carole. The Storybooth is located in front of the Miami Herald building and directly beside the soon to open Miami Performing Arts Center. The performance space is said to be the biggest project of its kind since the construction of New York’s Lincoln Center. In fact, construction sites abound in America’s second fastest growing metropolis. Nadja and Jonah’s favorite building project thus far is a lovely South Beach castle!