Susan Sontag by Susie J. Hogan

About the Event:

When Susie J. Horgan walked into Books & Books to explore her local bookshop, she had no idea that she would spend the next 20 years documenting the ever-growing literary community in Miami. Mitchell Kaplan invited her into the dynamic world of Books & Books and a visual story unfolded.

Through this collaboration, Horgan has captured the bubbling hub of authors, booksellers and readers that make up this vibrant hamlet not unlike Shakespeare & Co. in the 20’s, the Algonquin in the 40’s and City Lights in the 60’s.

This particular collection memorializes some of the greatest writers of our time while highlighting a few iconic figures that have inspired Susie along the way. Socially conscious communities are an ongoing theme throughout all of Horgan’s work. In her instinctual style, she finds poetry in her subjects and their communities.

About the Photographer:

Besides her archive of author portraits, Susie J. Horgan is widely known for capturing the birth of the pivotal DC hardcore punk scene. Susie’s book Punk Love was published by Rizzoli in 2007. Her images have been exhibited in galleries and bookstores in Washington, DC, NYC, Portland OR, Austin and L.A. Her most recent shows were Try Not To Forget at the Betancourt Gallery in Miami curated by Javier Betancourt and Minor Disturbance at 1909 Bookstore/Gallery in Paris curated by Eva Prinz & Thurston Moore/Ecstatic Peace Publishing in 2022, with printed catalogs for both. She will be part of a collective show FromHeretoEternity: Through Her Eyes, The Women Who Photographed Music in 2023.

“I’m an instinctual photographer. I try to capture the essence of an individual and how they interact with their environment. My curiosity and passion play out organically in hopes of capturing an honest moment in time,” states Horgan. 

Susie lives in Miami with her husband Harry Horgan, the founder of Shake-A-Leg, a non profit organization that teaches sailing and water activities to people with disabilities and other underserved populations. They are often found in NYC hanging out with their son Eli.