Of all the actions I've taken, all the roles I've fulfilled, all the jobs that seemed important at the time: soldier, cop, bookseller, poet, screenplay writer, editor–none has been more gratifying or more helpful to my community than starting open mics where women can celebrate their voices and tell their stories to an active listening audience.
I have hosted an open mic in every town in which I've lived for the past 15 years. I took over Cafe of Our Own from Laura Hope-Gill who started it in Asheville, NC sometime in the mid-90's. It became a huge success with a faithful following of 50-60 women attending and as many as 15 women reading on a Saturday night at Malaprop's Bookstore downtown.
Moving further out into the Black Mountains with my partner, I wondered where I would start my next open mic. To my surprise, just 20 minutes away was another independent bookstore called Blue Moon Books in Spruce Pine, NC– population 2000. There I began Eve's Night Out on the fourth Friday of every month. We had a great group of women who came from as far away as Johnson City, TN and from Asheville, NC. The readers set a high bar for fine poetry and wonderful stories, and they are still meeting today just down the road in Burnsville, NC.
Now, here I am in Fayetteville, AR hosting HOWL (Herwords Out Loud, or Her Out Words Loud, if you're picky about that sort of thing). We have anywhere from 20 to 40 regular attendees, both men and women, those who read and those who listen. We meet at Nightbird Books, Fayetteville's independent new bookstore owned by Lisa Sharp, the third Sunday of every month. I've had as many as 12 readers and singer-songwriters perform in one night. Our voices range from the practiced performance poet to the woman who shakily reads her poem for the very first time.
Our ages range from 16 to 76. We are lesbian and straight and somewhere in between. We are daughters and mothers and grandmothers, but most of all we are sisters in the word. We are giving birth to our stories, poems and songs and we are proud of our lives, even when what we have to share is hard. We are survivors and cheerleaders. We are learning to love and forgive and create and recreate together. We are making something bigger together than the sum of our parts. HOWL is the center of our community where we mourn our losses and celebrate our accomplishments with writing. This reading is a vital heartbeat in the community of women here in Fayetteville, just as it was in Asheville and in Spruce Pine.
You, too, can start a women's open mic reading – anywhere you live, no matter where you are. This post is about how to do just that. It's easy. The hardest ingredient to fill is your commitment. "If you build it, they will come." Here's the recipe for a "cafe" of your own:
1. One or two women who take on the host's position. That means someone who introduces the readers, keeps the flow going, reads her own work or that of other women poets in between readers or when there's a shortage. These must be women of commitment and passion, willing to send out a once-a-month email or flier and remind the community that the event will be happening.
2. Keep the same date every month. Do not change the time or place unless absolutely necessary. Have the reading no matter what, barring terrible weather. Changes confuse everyone and makes it difficult for new people to find you. Get on face book and on other calendars of events.
3. A space that is friendly to you and supports your event. I love independent bookstores best because they are the perfect place for readings. Being surrounded by books is comforting and it is the host's duty to encourage participants to shop at the bookstore who is generously giving their space so your event can happen. A good cafe is also a plus. Mutual benefit is always a good idea. You want them to want your event to happen in their store.
4. An audience who learns to listen actively. I have had the best audiences in the world, I think. No one talks when a reader is at the mic (even if there is no mic).They are listening with open minds, hearts, even their bodies lean forward into the words of their sister who has found the courage to stand before them and share something as personal as a poem or story about their life. Applause is optional. Usually a poet will ask not to be applauded if they don't want it. Otherwise we clap, or hoot and holler if the reading calls for that and we get excited.
5. Invite a special guest once in awhile; an author or published poet. These writers inspire us and raise the bar for our own writing. There's nothing like a monthly deadline and listening to the work of others to make our own writing better.
6. I make my readings women only. I have been challenged on this point. Men are invited to be part of the audience. And believe me, those men who come to listen to women read are admired and appreciated. Women need a space that feels safe in order to share what is intimate to them. There can be no competition, only acceptance. And so, I keep the space behind the mic for them and for them alone. They read their own work, or they can read work written by another woman. I maintain that this is essential to women's empowerment. Their ability to branch out and read to larger audiences begins here, at HOWL or Eve's Night Out; at a Cafe of Their Own.
Begin here. Begin now. Show up and keep going even if it's 5 people at first. Sit in a circle until it grows large enough to have an audience and a mic. Every person counts. Just keep showing up and let people know you are doing it. If your host has the passion and commitment to creativity, women will come. And if they come once, they will return. Good luck! If you have questions, leave a comment and I will get back to you. Or go to the HOWL Women's Open Mic page on Face Book.
Power to the women--write on!
