MIAMI BEACH, FL (January 12, 2026) – The Betsy - South Beach, internationally recognized as a leading literary arts hotel, announces the launch of a new monthly literary series in partnership with Books & Books, Greater Miami’s iconic independent bookstore. Beginning Sunday, January 25, the year-round series will bring nationally acclaimed authors to The Betsy for a residency in The Betsy Writer’s Room and curated community conversations once a month, all free and open to the public.

The series marks the return of Books & Books’ beloved literary programming to Miami Beach, following the closure of its Lincoln Road location during the pandemic. It also champions a 20 year partnership between Betsy co-owner Jonathan Plutzik and bookstore entrepreneur Mitchell Kaplan, both pacesetting leaders of distinguished South Florida business concerns – with a profound commitment to the power of literature to build community.

Events will take place on the last Sunday of every month at 4 p.m. in Bbar, The Betsy’s intimate underground art-filled venue. Each salon-style gathering will feature a visiting author - selected by Books & Books in partnership with major publishers -, and an audience Q&A.

Admission is free with RSVP. Signed copies of books will be available for purchase. Valet and street parking will be available.

The series debuts on Sunday, January 25, with Alia Hanna Habib, a prominent literary agent and author of Take It from Me: An Agent’s Guide to Building a Nonfiction Writing Career from Scratch. Known for representing Pulitzer Prize winners, National Book Award finalists and MacArthur Fellows, Habib offers an insider’s perspective on the publishing world, making her the ideal inaugural guest for a series dedicated to the power of storytelling.

Additional confirmed dates include:

• Sunday, February 22 at 4 p.m.

• Sunday, March 29  at 4 p.m.

• Sunday, April 26 at 4 p.m.

• Sunday, May 31 at 4 p.m.

• Sunday, June 28 at 4 p.m.

• Sunday, July 26 at 4 p.m.

• Sunday, August 30 at 4 p.m.

• Sunday, September 27 at 4 p.m.

• Sunday, October 25 at 4 p.m.

• Sunday, November 29 at 4 p.m.

• Sunday, December 27 at 4 p.m.

Authors will be selected in collaboration with Books & Books and its global publishing partners.

The Betsy is celebrated for its immersive cultural experiences rooted in the legacy of mid-century poet Hyam Plutzik, a three-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and father of The Betsy co-owner, Jonathan Plutzik. Partners since 2006, Jonathan Plutzik and Mitchell Kaplan—founder of Books & Books—believe that literature is a vital tool for building communities across cultures and time.

In 2009, Plutzik and Kaplan curated The Betsy’s first book collections together, creating the hotel’s original 60 in-room libraries. Since then, the hotel’s literary offerings have grown to include more than 130 individually curated guest-room collections, as well as a 24-hour property library featuring several thousand titles. This program celebrates a longstanding deep partnership between two South Florida-based, family-owned and operated businesses that have earned global reputations for increasing access to the written word and supporting wordsmiths at all stages of their careers.

The hotel’s literary spirit is expressed throughout the property—from curated in-room mini libraries and an expansive property library maintained by an in-house librarian to poetry readings, salons, and meaningful partnerships with leading literary organizations.

Literature is also embedded in the hotel’s design. The “Book Elevator,” a dramatic art installation by Max Steven Grossman, showcases a towering collage of book spines featuring titles by visiting and legacy authors. Outside, “The Betsy Poetry Rail,” a permanent installation in the breezeway adjacent to the hotel, features the engraved words of 12 celebrated poets—including Langston Hughes, Donald Justice and Hyam Plutzik—highlighting the richness of Miami’s literary heritage.

Complementing these elements is The Writer’s Room, a working studio space where each visiting author in the new series will stay and write during their time at The Betsy. Inspired by the writing rooms of pre-war hotels (quiet havens for letter-writing and reflection), the space has hosted more than 1,500 writers and interdisciplinary creatives since 2012, reaffirming The Betsy’s role as a gathering place in South Florida’s literary landscape. Many of the works created by these writers during or after their stay can be found in the hotel’s library, further enriching the property’s living collection.

The new monthly literary series is made possible through the generous support of the Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation’s CreARTE Program, The Betsy Hotel, the Books & Books Literary Foundation, the Betsy Community Fund at The Miami Foundation, and the Plutzik Goldwasser Family Foundation.