Thursday brings opportunity to test written work against live audience at The Roasting Shed. Their Poetry Open Mic promises community and poetic exchange in what organizers describe as warm, inclusive environment for sharing creativity.
The format welcomes both seasoned poets and first-time readers. Coffee and wine available while waiting to approach the microphone. Open mic signup starts at 6:30pm, with poetry beginning at 7pm.
Patrizia Longhitano headlines the evening. She’s a Latinx immigrant poet and visual artist living in London whose work has appeared in magazines, anthologies, festivals and art exhibitions. Since summer 2023, she’s hosted Venn Diagrams poetry events at Torriano Meeting House. She co-edited Issue 90 of Magma Poetry with Lisa Kelly and currently organizes BI+ Online Poets and BI+ London poets group.
Her background as immigrant writer resonates with my own experience of cultural navigation through language. The combination of poetry and visual art suggests multidisciplinary approach that extends beyond traditional verse reading.
The evening offers platform where original compositions and established poetry can share the same space. Sometimes reading work by other poets creates different kind of literary connection than presenting new material.
I’m curious what voices emerge when writers gather around shared interest in poetry rather than workshop critique. The microphone demands different honesty than page-based work, revealing which pieces actually function when voiced rather than read silently.
Looking forward to discovering how written work translates to live performance within this community setting
— Writer Anastasia Dubinina