Ready to share

Back in my late teens and early twenties, I spent more than a fair amount of time bopping around the local watering holes of Charlottetown. And when I was looking for some mid-week fun, Baba’s open mic could always be relied upon to have a crowd kicking around. Musicians and singers, both up-and-coming and established, gathered along with those of us who were there to clap and woo them on. But it was always musical acts.

While Wednesday evenings at Baba’s can still draw a crowd of enthusiastic listeners and musicians, the acts are now more varied than they were ten or fifteen years ago. There are comics, interpretive dancers, theatrical interludes, puppeteers and poets. It’s become a space where all kinds of folks looking to practice their craft have an opportunity to do so. 

I first learned about this through watching Kinley’s Instagram stories. She is the witty and welcoming host of the evening, sharing little snippets of each performer. As someone who had recently decided to come out of their poetic closet, I was intrigued.

April is Poetry Month, and I had challenged myself to hit up spaces where I could read, despite my terrible stage fright. I quickly learned that Baba’s wasn’t the only place where you could find yourself on stage sharing your work. Bookmark periodically hosts the most lovely catered poetry open mics in conjunction with book releases at Merchantman’s Next Door venue. That was a terrifyingly full house, but the crowd was warm and receptive to all. 

The next open mic I learned about is held in conjunction with the PEI Writers’ Guild at the beautiful and delicious Gallery Coffee House & Bistro. 

On the fourth Thursday of every month from 7–8:30 pm, the main room transforms into a space for local writers to share their works—mainly poetry, but I’ve also heard essays, excerpts of books in the works, and short stories. There is usually a full list of readers, each allotted about five to seven minutes to share their pieces. The crowd is always encouraging, spurred on by the enthusiasm of host Shawn Hogan. 

I make it a point to go to Baba’s at least once a month; I’d probably go more if I weren’t lame, generally exhausted—and also kind of cowardly. Still working on that stage fright. I’m told I don’t actually turn the shades of red my face feels while I’m up there, but I have my doubts. This past month though, the last couple of acts, including mine, had to be cut because of the hard twelve o’clock ending. Lesson learned. The same goes for The Gallery—if you’re keen to read, sign up early! You can email anytime during the month to secure your spot through openmic@peiwritersguild.com. 

So if you’re picking away at something and ready to share, get out there. There’s crowds of like-minded folks waiting in rooms to cheer you on—we want to hear it!