What one night in March 2006 did

After years of thinking about it, getting up the nerve, vetting live journal accounts of people involved to see if they were decent enough to deal with, I finally got over myself and went to an open mic night in Columbus.



It was Writers' Block. Six years ago they were located in the Columbus Music Hall in the Olde Town East area of the city. A night, and a time that my life changed. I was pretty hooked from the beginning. Had some good and embarrassing experiences on the mic. Never once have I felt unwelcome.

Later that year, for numerous reasons, including the Music Hall owner's retirement, Writers' Block moved to Kafe Kerouac, and it's been there every Wednesday night since.



It's been a scene of breathtaking poetry and hilarity and I thank everyone who has organized and participated, you keep me from passing the open windows.

Time for a couple of personal plugs. This Friday, tomorrow, I will be on internet radio. Live, at 6PM EST I will be on Speaking of Poetry. Vernell, Izetta and I will be talking about Autism Awareness Month and combining it with National Poetry Month to create a lagoon of happy tears. Here is a LINK to the website. The show streams live, but may become a podcast in a couple of weeks.

This coming Saturday, I will be doing a feature at Westgate Park. The NaPoWriMo Poetry Showcase starts at 2PM and runs for a couple of hours. A number of local poets will be reading. Oh heck here's the whole list: myself, Kinsey Laine Kistler, Alexis Rueall Mitchell, Louise Robertson, Joe "Atticus" Inch, Taye Lamar, Ara Harris, Hanif Abdurraqib. It's in the park's rec center. Admission is free!