As coffee orders are being shouted, people rush to find a seat and wait for the event to begin. StoryBrew Coffee Cafe’s Open Mic Night is hosted once every month to showcase the talented poets, singers, musicians and performers in the community.
From book excerpts to poetry readings and guitarists to singers, this is a night for the community to gather with a warm cup of coffee and enjoy the performances.
On Feb. 13, the second Open Mic Night of the year featured Julie Kane, an American poet and scholar.
Kane read some pieces of her new book titled “Naked Ladies.”
“This is my sixth book of poetry. It’s new and selected, which means that it selects some of the best poems from my five previous books, and then it’s got a section of new poems at the end,” Kane said.
Her inspiration behind the name “Naked Ladies” is the nickname given to the Spider Lily flower. She explained that she was also influenced by American women confessional poets like Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton.
“I think of them as naked ladies because they were never afraid to really tell you about their lives, even the embarrassing things. So in that sense, I think of them as naked, nakedly honest,” Kane said.
Her new book can be found online along with some of her past work.
Along with poetry, songs were also performed that night. A student from Northwestern State University of Louisiana sang one of her very own songs “Family Dollar” which caused the audience to have a chuckle and be delighted by her musical talent.
Phillip Voorhees, a freshman vocal performance major, shared that StoryBrew Coffee Cafe was the first business to offer him an opportunity to promote his song. His artist name is PJ Voorhees.
“The song ‘Family Dollar’ is one I wrote two years ago. I was traveling around the United States and I noticed there were so many Family Dollars and thought, well there’s some poor souls that have to work there,” Voorhees said. “And so I came up with the story in my head about somebody who’s working at the Family Dollar because it’s just the best option and they needed some money to pay for college.”
This is a song that is relatable to every college student struggling to pay for college. If you want to check it out click here.
Closing off the night was Mary Striegel, the organizer of the Open Mic Nights and added that this was one of the biggest nights they’ve had since they started three years ago.
Striegel’s poem “This Isn’t a Pretty Poem” is one of her protest pieces.
“Times are changing and I’m not sure that people are going to get what they thought they were going to get. We have government leaders that are not always what they appear to be,” Stiegel said.
Attending Open Mic Nights can allow you to forget about the outside world for a moment with your favorite brew and listen to many talented individuals. Stay up-to-date on events by following StoryBrew’s Facebook and Instagram profiles.
