by Anna Weaver | Jun 14, 2017 | All Posts, US open mics
Yeah, that’s right, Hawaii. When I declared this open mic tourist thing to be A Thing, my sights were set only on the lower 48. And I’d have been plenty happy with that. But when my older sister paved the way for a seriously amazing family vacation on the Big Island,...
by Anna Weaver | Apr 24, 2017 | All Posts, US open mics
Usually, open mic tourism takes me to pretty big metro areas—Chicago, NYC, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Oakland, OKC. State capitols, cultural hubs, places with lots of bars and coffeeshops and art galleries and poets and musicians and all else it takes to spin up a regular...
by Anna Weaver | Apr 15, 2017 | All Posts, US open mics
Either I’m getting better at this or I’m on a hella lucky streak. Because once again I find myself adding another open mic to my Gotta Get Back There Someday list. This time, it was the standing Thursday event at Books & Brews in northwest Indianapolis. A business...
by Anna Weaver | Mar 7, 2017 | All Posts, US open mics
Pretty much every time I head out on an open mic road trip, I invite my two closest open mic-loving friends to come with. Not just because I adore their company, but also because having a witness makes a magnificent night so much the better. And as Kansas City proved,...
by Anna Weaver | Jan 28, 2017 | All Posts, US open mics
By now, I figure I’m fairly good at spotting signs of a promising open mic. For example, when I pass a guy playing a melodica on my way in. Or when the regulars are utterly undeterred by dire tornado warnings. Or when the venue has a bookshelf labeled “Lending...
by Anna Weaver | Oct 22, 2016 | All Posts, tips for open mic hosts, US open mics
The Triangle—where I call home—has its share of strong, steady poetry events—slams in Durham and Chapel Hill, page poet affairs at bookstores in Chapel Hill and Fearrington Village, and a monthly series brilliantly titled “Two Writers Walk Into a Bar.” (That one’s not...
