The Open Mic and our critical need for community--

Trotting out some poems at the Open Mic yesterday was sort of fun! I've read a few poems here or there, but only at closed group things, the conferences I've attended with friends or the online workshops and classes I regularly participate in. The group was a smallish one at the Coop, but for the space, it was full. I knew only a couple of people there, but all were kind and some were openly complimentary, so that was nice.  It was a decent debut, I think. My friend Ruth came from about an hour away, too, and she also participated (though she hadn't planned to)-- that was fun! Ruth makes me laugh; in an off-the-cuff comment she made midway through her set of songs, she mentioned that open mics are nice because they are open mics, and if "you want to juggle pigs, go ahead and do your thing." I can't help but laugh: she totally nailed down the egalitarian nature of community talent-gathers like open mic events. 

The next one is scheduled for February 22nd, and I plan to be there. My book should be in my hands right about then, too. I spoke with the person in charge of organizing events at the Coop, and she thought it would be a good idea to host my book launch/ signing there! Quite likely, some time mid-week, possibly the last week of February. Maybe a weekend afternoon; we'll see what the calendar has available. We can announce the time and date at the Open Mic event. And the Coop also stocks and sells local authors' books... and I have a name to get in touch with for that. Amazing. 

Clearly, I'm not about to give up my day job, but this is a fun little adventure. I will still try to schedule a couple more public events, hopefully at the library(ies) in the area. I'd like to be a part of growing an awareness of poetry beyond National Poetry Month. I'd love it if there were a local writing group I could work with. I don't want to organize that. I just want a place and people to write with-- we'll see. 

Yesterday's event convinced me that the best thing we have, and one of the more powerful antidotes we have against the gathering darkness in our country, is community. We can hide in our homes and lower the shades, or we can step out, step up, and gather together in ways that sustain us. At least for now, we can. If we don't claim our space, it will be taken from us, I fear. 

I'm planting my flag right here.

C