Open Mic

We started the Open Mic in 2013 to fill a need.  The Gloucester Writers Center  had built a large community of interesting and interested people.     We had a schedule full of remarkable readers.  What was missing was the chance to hear the people of our own community and to welcome new voices to join us.  We wanted to give our audiences a chance to share their own work.

Over the past year the Open Mic has become a place for a wide variety of voices to be heard.  In one night you may hear a story about growing up in Gloucester, a child’s poem about the environment, a piece of a memoir, and a poem about a notorious Lanesville drunk.  We have heard a breadth  of work unmatched in most forums.

There is a generosity in listening, in respecting each others’ voices at the Open Mic.   Over the past year we have built a community which looks forward to hearing the progress of longer works, listens intently to the poems and stories of newcomers and old friends alike.   It is on this readiness to welcome different voices that the community has continued to grow.

The Open Mic has the democracy of public transportation.   Any given month one may find a teacher, a grandmother, a child, a musician, and our poet laureate all in the same room, sharing with each other, listening to each other.    We have built our ranks by welcoming all ages, all classes, all stories.  We welcome you to come add your  voice.

Sign up at the door.  Each reader gets 5 minutes.