An Open Mic for the books
Last night my partner Daulton and I ventured out to our open mic venue. We knew it was cold, snowy, and windy, and honestly, we didn’t have a lot of high expectations for turnout. Colder weather is a killer for open mics and understandably so!
But, last night (February 17th, 2024) we had 21 people who signed up for our open mic, and nearly 40 people in attendance.
When we started this Mic, we had only a few goals in mind.
Create a free, safe and open space for people of all backgrounds to share their experiences, writing, music etc. A space where you know what you are getting into when you show up, where you will be accepted and never judged. A space where you can be you, unapologetically.
Escape the cycle of open mics where people were treated unfairly. Unfortunately, there were mics where guests and open micers were treated poorly by the spaces available to them or felt like a space wasn’t welcome to poets in general. We wanted to change that and provide a space where each and every person is treated like family.
We have hosted 15 open mics under Nowhere as Promised and we are very happy to say that we have accomplished our goals and have received so many lovely messages about our space (Names have been blurred for privacy)
These are only a few of the messages we have received over the past 2 months, and to say I am grateful is an understatement. Seeing young adult and teenage attendees go up in front of everyone and absolutely kill it has been the greatest feeling in the world. Watching our friends perform new pieces and share their stories, it absolutely warms our hearts.
One of the parts of running a mic that I’ve personally gotten questions about is how we handle everything.
and the answer is that we don’t! If you’ve ever been to our mic, you have probably seen me running around like a crazy person ensuring everything is set up and greeting people! I definitely have my manic moments to the extent where the second I get up in front of everyone I panic and forget everything I planned! It’s definitely an experience!
But that being said, thank you, from the bottom of my heart to every person who has shown up to the mic. We wouldn’t have this venue without you all. every single person that comes out is extremely appreciated. We never do this for us, we do this for you. the people who want to hear poetry and music, the people who love to write and listen. This isn’t just our mic. It's YOUR mic. and we are here to serve you and your needs!
Thank you, for giving our lives purpose. We wouldn’t be here without you.
And a HUGE thank you to our features from last night! Shannon Frost Greenstein and Niki Elizabeth! Shannon is an incredible friend and poet, it’s an honor to get to see them perform. Niki has been our biggest supporter of us and our mic and to see them writing and doing more with their poetry is a delight.
Love always,
Your grateful hosts
Florence and Daulton
