Friday, November 7, 2008

Friday's Open Mic


In just hours, I’ll be hosting our open mic event. Open mics have a curious history. For so many writers that I’ve come to know, there’s a love-hate relationship. There’s camaraderie and vulnerability that happens when you bleed in front of strangers. Yet, one of my writer-friends recently pointed out that the thing about Open Mic is that most people don’t listen to the poetry, they scramble through their notebooks to decide which poem they will read while their fellow poet labors to get through his first stanza.

I’m a bit torn on this as I’ve cut my teeth as a poet at open mics, or was it in a poetry book? I digress. I do believe that people should listen to poetry whenever its being read, be it a reading at the Folger’s or an open mic at the Writer’s Center. I’ve always tried to avoid wholesale generalizations.

What’s your take on Open Mics?

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