TIPS FOR
Open Mic Performers
The first time someone steps up to the mic, it can take some encouragement. Or a dare. Or Dutch courage.
Some of us needed all three.
Early-stage poets and singers typically have jitters and doubts and questions, like what’s the best way to intro my poem? What do I do at the end of my set? How can I get more comfortable at the mic? Should I bring my mom/dad/friend/boss/neighbor?
Well, here’s some answers, gathered from open mics that span 10 years, nearly 3 dozen states, and countless performances—from the awkward to the honest, the magical, and the weird.
Don’t stress. You got this.
Open Mic at Navio’s Hobby Lounge — Livonia, MI
One of my favorite metaphors for open mic is that it’s the Swiss Army knife of entertainment. If that’s true (it is), then the open mic I found in Livonia, MI, is the super deluxe version — fully tricked out with gizmos and features that make playing out just a little...
New sh¡t! The how and why of open mic debuts
If you’ve ever been to a slam, odds are that at least once someone stepped up to the mic and quietly said, So, this is some new shit. At which point the whole room shouted, NEW SHIT! And odds are, the energy shift was memorable. I don’t know how far back that...
No Cherished Outcome: An Open Mic Credo
Fair warning: I am an unapologetically ardent fan of Elizabeth Gilbert. Not just her gorgeous novels and Gen-X-feminist-zeitgeist memoirs, from which I’ve reaped multiple come-to-goddess wake-up calls. Not just her masterful prose, to which I will die aspiring. More...
Recommended Reading for Open Mic Hosts and Organizers: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Somehow, since the invention of the modern open mic (whenever that was), the known universe has produced exactly one book titled How to Run an Open Mic. Published in 2017 by one Mr. John Locke and available only on a megalithic capitalist website to which I refuse, on...
Slam Free or Die — Manchester, NH
A while back I compiled some advice for aspiring hosts and organizers about how to name an open mic show. (Granted, it’s a rarefied problem, but if you ever need help, I gotchu.) Anyway, the post lists a handful of shows with cool names, including one that was still...