Abi’s cafe open mic poetry night was a ‘barbaric yawp’
Event host Emy Delaporte reads prose at Abi's Books and Brews Open Mic Night. Photo by Mary Ngodoki.
Stef Anderson, Contributing Writer
A mixture of beginner poets and established writers had a chance to share their meter, prose and spoken delights at Abi’s Books and Brews, a local coffee shop, on Sept. 18 for a poetic twist on the typical open mic night.
Event host Emy Delaporte is the former editor-in-chief of the Silhouette, a student-run publication at Virginia Tech that focuses on poetry, prose, photography and other creative things. She hosted open mic nights throughout the semester for the organization, which inspired her to start the event at Abi’s, she said.
The event was kickstarted with an Instagram flyer and a little persistence according to Abi’s owner Keith Duffin.
Duffin believes that open mic nights serve as venues to share voices, he said.
“It’s never been about making the money on the events,” Duffin said. “It’s about giving people a voice. I think when you can see, look at someone face-to-face, and they hear feedback and know that they’ve been heard, I think it does some invaluable good for that individual.”
Abi’s now hosts the event every third Thursday of the month. Each session has a theme to direct speakers in their writing. This month, the theme was “barbaric yawp.”
Speakers have five to seven minutes to share their voice. Poems and prose were spoken with imagery, rhyme and repetition, with topics ranging from social issues to words left unsaid.
Kraig Keller, a writer who presented at the event, came to share his work and meet other people.
“Probably 70-30, sharing versus meeting people, but I am finding some commonality with other local poets and that is something I’m looking to grow into that community,” Keller said.
VCU illustration student Rowan Thompson came to hear what was shared. They are on the English club’s leadership team, which occasionally shares poetry or adjacent material, sparking their interest in the event.
“I was interested in just hearing what other people around the Richmond area had to say about living here, like their experiences,” Thompson said.
Abi’s will host the next open mic night on Oct. 16. Sign-ups open in-person the evening of the event. Find out more information on their Instagram @abi_books_brews.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story said Emy Delaporte was the editor-in-chief of the Silhouette. Delaporte is actually the former editor-in-chief. The story has been updated with the correct information.
