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When I was in high school, I remember attending an Open Mic Night at a local coffee shop and listening to weird poetry I didn’t understand with at least one person going on and on for over a half an hour. Not only that, but I was horribly afraid to speak in public. I would suddenly find myself out of breath even before I spoke one word, my hands trembling to the point of other people noticing, sweating profusely, and my heart throbbing about the only thing I could hear.
Writing itself implies the written expression, but to me it is much deeper than that- it is finding and expressing the innermost voice. The voice that is too scared to speak, afraid of what it might say or what the repercussions might be. When I was little, there were misunderstandings about my writing- and I had to go underground, as many children do with their voice. I wrote under the covers at night, in my “writing closet” lined with notebooks on the wall, notebooks hidden in school lockers. Many years later, I realized other people were afraid of my writing because it would make them look at little truths they did not want to see or acknowledge.
When Barton and I moved to Raleigh and I made the jump to full time writing, facilitating journaling workshops and began speaking with Barton at conferences, I knew that learning how to be comfortable speaking and leading a group of people was absolutely necessary. I joined a social networking group and just about keeled over when it was my turn for the 30-second introduction. 
Instead of shying away, I began to attend as many meetings as I could as well as monthly Open Mic Nights. Why? Because it was an ideal opportunity for me to work on speaking in public. I also found that when I read my writing aloud in public, I could see what wasn’t working, where my voice would falter, where I would trip myself up. Many times I would take my pen out and edit a poem after reading it at Open Mic.
Open Mic Nights provide an outlet for me to practice reading my work, give a platform for my voice and others who are there, listening. Not only that, but I was in a room of others supporting the written word, many working on their own poetry or manuscripts. There is an instant shared love of the written word, and to be in a supported environment gives me motivation to write more, craft better, dive deeper.
In the Triangle, I assist Alice Osborn organizing NCWN Sponsored Open Mic Night and Writers’ Night Outs- the next one is Friday, June 18th from 7-9pm at Scout and Molly’s in North Hills. 
I’ll be reading from my memoir to be published this fall: Chrysalis Colors of the Rainbow: A Journey Through Mother Loss. This Open Mic has special meaning to me since donations will be going to the MS Society (my mother had MS). Come, find out what an Open Mic is all about, and whether you are reading or listening, hear what other writers have to say.
Friday June 18th 7-9pm at Scout and Molly’s (at North Hills)
4421 Six Forks Road, Raleigh, 27609
$10 Suggestion Donation to benefit the MS Society
The first 15 readers to sign up with Alice (
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) will have a chance to read, 5-min each of any genre- poetry, non-fiction, fiction. Refreshments provided. RSVP with Alice at
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.
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