
Our special Nov. 7th, 2015 open mic at the Marienbad Restaurant in downtown London, as part of the WordsFest of Literary and Creative Arts, was expected to be fairly full, but not this packed. I stopped counting at 80, but the total was probably about 90!! More chairs had to be brought up to the 2nd-floor Fireplace Room, but even then some people were standing at the back.
Whoever heard of such a large gathering of poetry lovers!
Many of those in attendance had walked over from the museum, which ended its last Words event of the day just before ours began. After focussing for hours on serious poetry, most only wanted to relax. The readers’ poems began to reflect that, some putting away their more arty works and bringing out their raunch and humour. The laughter at times was quite loud.
Unlike those attending our regular London Open Mic Poetry Nights, the majority of this audience was quite young, which presumably explains the small sum in the donation jar. Ah, yes--those carefree years of youth. I’m so old I can hardly remember mine anymore, but it’s fun to watch others tumble through theirs.
Open mic readers not photographed: Shelly Harder (photographer was lost in thought), Brittany Renaud (ditto), Stan Burfield (didn't think to stop reading for a selfie), Andy McGuire (batteries died just before Andy, the last reader).
Stan
Whoever heard of such a large gathering of poetry lovers!
Many of those in attendance had walked over from the museum, which ended its last Words event of the day just before ours began. After focussing for hours on serious poetry, most only wanted to relax. The readers’ poems began to reflect that, some putting away their more arty works and bringing out their raunch and humour. The laughter at times was quite loud.
Unlike those attending our regular London Open Mic Poetry Nights, the majority of this audience was quite young, which presumably explains the small sum in the donation jar. Ah, yes--those carefree years of youth. I’m so old I can hardly remember mine anymore, but it’s fun to watch others tumble through theirs.
Open mic readers not photographed: Shelly Harder (photographer was lost in thought), Brittany Renaud (ditto), Stan Burfield (didn't think to stop reading for a selfie), Andy McGuire (batteries died just before Andy, the last reader).
Stan