“There’s something beautifully ‘unserious’ about the flow of life of Miami – vibrant, spirited, sometimes languid in the way days and hours flow together, and devoted more to the enjoyment of life than to its analysis,” say Alexa Ferrer and Grazie Christie.

It was this observation that motivated the two women to give a voice to the city in the form of its first magazine dedicated to longform writing. “We saw a sort of paradox created here in the early 2020s, wherein Miami was increasingly being talked about from a business and vaguely cultural perspective, but the heart, soul and core intelligence of the city remained ephemeral and undocumented,” they tell CR.

Launched in 2023, the Miami Native seeks to captures Miami’s unique spirit, intelligence, and sense of humour by shining a light on the creative people and institutions that define it. “We publish for readers of all kinds, not simply for other writers, and this means commissioning unpublished voices, avoiding layered online discourse which undercuts the pleasure of opening a page, and jumping right in,” they explain.

Along with the essays, profiles, reviews, fiction and poetry that feature inside its pages, chisme – aka gossip – is a vital part of its editorial approach. Comprising 200-words-or-fewer mentions about goings-on in Miami, much like the city itself these can be sordid or sincere in equal measure.

“The basis of most Miami relationships – between friends, co-workers, cousins, frenemies – is the exchange of a combination of information, opinion, and exaggerated nonsense. It may translate directly to gossip, but chisme is so much more theatrical, because in Miami the truth is actually more shocking than fiction,” say the editors.

Meanwhile, the title’s art direction is catered to an audience that is not well-versed in longform, with oversized fonts and charming illustrations featuring throughout. The magazine itself can be rolled to fit in a beach bag or displayed as a coffee table book, and much of its content also appears online to appeal to people’s varied reading habits.

In making its second issue, Spring Break, the editors sought to build on the dichotomic perceptions of the Magic City. “Miami plays along good-naturedly with its reputation for superficiality, but that’s just an act. Miami Beach went to war against Spring Breakers this year, rather cruelly, and we took that as our inspiration, using it as a springboard to explore public land in Miami (or the lack thereof), Florida’s place in America’s leisure landscape, and what it’s like to let go in an environment where there aren’t too many rules anyway,” they add.

Much like the magazine’s iguana mascot (an animal that has become synonymous with the city since they first invaded in the 1960s), the founders admit that they’re prone to darting off, which will no doubt inform how the Miami Native evolves in the coming years.

“Our aim has always been to articulate the existential stakes of Miami for its locals and translate them for the Miami-curious elsewhere,” they explain. “In that vein, we hope to continue expanding our readership nationally and internationally, while also cultivating our Miami community through new writers, book clubs, and in-person events.”

The Miami Native Issue Two: Spring Break is out now; miaminativemag.com