Blogger and writer Patricia Azze was born and raised in Miami and has been attending the Fair since she was a child. Heavily involved in the local children’s theater scene growing up, she can also claim a stretch as a singer in a girl group.
OK, you have to tell me about the girl group thing.
That was an interesting period of my life! [laughs] When I transitioned from children’s theater into doing some other things, I joined a girl group that was put together here. It was a short but fun stint. As a kid I was really interested in performance, but then I realized that I wasn’t very good at that – I was always better at being the one who wrote the slogans, worked on the programs, and hosted the awards ceremonies. And that’s when I said, “Oh! I think I’m actually a writer.”
I was also very involved in Miami Childrens Theater as a kid – from 8 to 18 – and I just last week went to its performance of “Into the Woods.” I hadn’t been in a while to see one of the shows, so it was really sweet to go back. It was the 20-year anniversary of when we did the show, which made me feel very old. [laughs]
Tell me about Common Threads.
I was involved for a good handful of years, but stepped down as the Miami chair when I went back to school for my MFA. Common Threads is an organization that teaches kids how to cook in areas of need; it’s like an after-school program where they cook through a curriculum of foods from around the world and then sit down and eat it together – and it’s kind of amazing what kids will try when they’re the ones who have prepared it. The curriculum also focuses on nutrition and very well-planned, very affordable meals that a family on food stamps can make at home. It’s a really great organization that continues to do really great work.
Are you still in school for your MFA now?
Yes; I’m currently in the NYU MFA for creative writing program. It’s a low-residency program that takes place in Paris twice a year.
Oh, wow!
I’m based here, so I have work and deadlines to meet while living my normal life in Miami, but then we have these intense residency periods in Paris twice a year where we get together in community and do these very long days of the school part in person.
That’s so cool.
It is cool! I’m kind of in the homestretch now.
How did you first learn about Miami Book Fair?
Growing up it was always a really big cultural force here, and I remember being really young and attending events with my mom, who’s a teacher, and walking through Street Fair with her and my younger brother. It was always kind of a part of the fabric of Miami. As an adult it’s been really nice to come back to it and experience it much more fully.
How long have you been a Friend and why did you become one?
My husband bought me a membership for my birthday, which I thought was the most fabulous gift. [laughs] It was so great! I had been mentioning to him that I’d like to be a member and feel more involved, especially because I knew there were events and programming throughout the year, not just at the Fair. I was like, “home run!”
What’s your favorite FOTF benefit so far?
Obviously it’s nice to be able to go to multiple days of the Fair in November, but there are all these other events year-round, and it’s nice to get these sort of tailored invitations.
Our FOTF liaison, Annalisa Damley, mentioned seeing you at one of our receptions.
Yeah, I went to the “5 Under 35” National Book Foundation event at Books & Books – it was fabulous! The authors were all so talented and they were really diverse picks; it was fun to hear them speak one after the other, and they were obviously very inspiring. I was like, “Well, I’ve aged out of this group as of this year, but …” – [laughs] – it was so interesting to hear them. It’s also always interesting to see writers who haven’t been to Miami before come here and be surprised by what they find.
How do you usually Book Fair?
Now it’s with my husband, and he’s happy to go to whatever I drag him to, which has been fun. [laughs] I sort of go through the very, very long schedule – it’s really wild what you guys do – because there’s truly so many events going on all throughout the weekend. So I have to like, sit down in advance and circle all the names I recognize, and then look up a bunch of the other ones .. there’s just so much to pick from! He lets me kind of take the lead on that and he’s a great companion for the Fair.
So he enjoys it as well.
Yeah, he’s like, “Oh, cool, we’re doing what next?’” [laughs]
Have you had an MBF moment or experience that really stands out for you?
The first one that comes to mind is Patti Smith, who I’ve seen at various events through the years with Book Fair, and it’s always such a treat – especially as she’s someone who seems to have a real relationship with the organization and comes back over and over. To see her work and the work of other authors who return to the Fair again and again develop over the years and across various projects, I think it’s quite lucky that fairgoers can have that experience. She’s such a presence! You get a lot out of an event with her.
Tell me about the last great book you read.
I just finished A Separation by Katie Kitamura; she’s an adviser in my MFA program. I loved it, and I think it’s a book almost anyone could love. It’s a taut thriller – it’s got a bit of The Talented Mr. Ripley energy to it. She is such an incredibly talented writer. I couldn’t put it down.
If MBF came to you and said, “Patricia, who do you most want to see at this year’s Fair?” who would that author be and what would you ask them?
Susan Orlean. She’s written so much about Miami; I’m sure she’d have so much to say if she did a panel at the Fair. She’s my go-to favorite and I’d love to see her. I’d like to ask her if she spends time here and what she thinks about the changes in the city. It’s a city that changes very quickly, so I wonder what her observations are, because she’s kind of the observation queen.
Interview by Elisa Chemayne Agostinho; responses have been edited for space and clarity.
