Winner, 2025 Donald Justice Poetry Prize“Deftly choreographed, formally various, and deliciously propulsive.”— Kaveh Akbar“Full of humor and heart.”— Erika Meitner"An intimate and gorgeous portrayal of the Sunshine State.”— Major Jackson"As funny as it is perceptive.”— Publisher’s Weekly

Finalist, National Poetry Series“What a virtuosic, surprising, and deeply moving book this is…terrifying and filled with compassion.”— Gabrielle Calvocoressi“An eclectic and perfectly crafted debut.”— Adrian Matejka“Jocular, erudite, inventive, brash, lyrical, edgy, and smart, smart, smart.”— Campbell McGrath“A distinctive collection by a very savvy poet.”— Billy Collins

Photo by Gesi Schilling

P. Scott Cunningham is a poet and essayist originally from Boca Raton, FL. He is the author of two poetry collections: Self-Portrait as the “I” in Florida (Autumn House, 2026), selected by Major Jackson as the winner of the 2025 Donald Justice Poetry Prize; and Ya Te Veo (University of Arkansas, 2018), selected by Billy Collins for the Miller Williams Poetry Series and a finalist for the National Poetry Series. He is also the author of a forthcoming essay collection, Everything Is the Sea: A Portrait of Miami (UPF, 2027); and the co-editor, with Kristen Arnett, of All This Beauty: An Anthology of Contemporary Florida Writers (UPF, 2027).His work has appeared in The Nation, Harvard Review, American Poetry Review, POETRY, Gulf Coast, A Public Space, The Rumpus, Michigan Quarterly Review, Monocle, RHINO, The Guardian, 68to05, American Way, and others. His translations of Alejandra Pizarnik, César Vallejo, and Frank Báez have appeared in Omniglots, H.O.W. Journal, Waxwing, and The Miami Rail.A graduate of Wesleyan University, he is the founder and former executive director of O, Miami, a non-profit organization that celebrates Miami, FL through the lens of poetry. Named one of "20 Under 40 Emerging South Florida Leaders" by the Miami Herald and one of 51 “brilliant urbanites who are helping to build the cities of America's future" by Fast Company, he has been a featured speaker at The Aspen Institute, The Funder’s Network, Breakout, Creative Many, TedX, Creative Mornings Miami, Miami Book Fair, and the Decatur Book Festival, among others. A short film he ideated and produced, The Sun Like a Big Dark Animal, based on the life and poetry of Alejandra Pizarnik and created by Cristina Felisgrau and Ronnie Rivera, debuted at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. He serves on the board of directors for O, Miami and Bookleggers Library.He lives in Illinois with his wife, the writer Christina Frigo, and their three children.Download author photo & shortened bio

Selected Poems

POETRY magazine, April 2026, “Ode on Humidity”

Poets.org’s Poem-a-day, January 2025, “Florida Snow”

The Rumpus, December 2024 "Landslide," "The Daughter's Album"

American Poetry Review, 2019, "José Fernandez"

Harvard Review, Fall 2022, "Free Jazz"

Harvard Review, January 2016, Three translations of César Vallejo

Selected Essays

Harvard Review, Fall 2025, Issue #63, “I Will Die in Miami in the Sun”

The Guardian, September 2015, Reading American Cities: books about Miami

68to05, November 2022, “Jeff Buckley’s Grace”

O, Miami Poetry Festival

In 2009, just after getting my MFA in Creative Writing, I founded a literary non-profit called O, Miami. The name comes from the combination of the poetic address of the beloved (“O,”) and my beloved (“Miami”). The goal was to create an organization that uses poetry as a means of celebrating the city and engaging its residents. Over sixteen years as executive and artistic director, I collaborated on the production of nearly 1,000 events and projects. Watch some of those stories here. I stepped down from the staff in 2024 and now serve on the board of directors.Visit omiami.org and follow them on Instagram.

O, Miami Books

In 2014, I oversaw the creation of a publishing imprint focused on Miami’s regional identity: O, Miami Books. As publisher and executive editor, I acquired, edited, and creative-directed 26 books in a variety of genres and mediums. Proud of our fiercely local focus, the press's mission is to print books that no one outside Miami would think to make. Check them out in the O, Miami shop.

O, MIAMI TOTE BAGS

Every April, O, Miami releases a new tote bag to correspond with our annual poetry festival. We give them away for free, while supplies last, to anyone coming to an event or participating in a project or workshop. Art directing the tote bag was maybe my favorite part of the job.

Videos

Because much of what O, Miami makes is time-based, ephemeral public art, video has always been an important tool in telling our stories. I executive produced hundreds of short videos for our events and projects and sometimes served as direcotr and editor. Here are a few of my favorites. For more, check out O, Miami’s YouTube.

I'm available for readings, workshops, panels, and conversations.I also give a multi-media talk on the methodology of the O, Miami Poetry Festival called “How to Take the Words Out of a Poem,” featuring videos and photos that tell the story of how O, Miami engages with audiences across geographic and socio-economic boundaries.