Open Your Mic to Me

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More About

• William Leonard Taylor
• Tatiana Molinar
• Ingrid Kier
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media
• Food and Cooking

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Creative types must gather -- few artists or musicians feel inspired when they're isolated. Instead, they tend to look for roiling scenes full of challenges, encouragement, and camaraderie. While open mic events may be dreaded by some, a good one is just that sort of place. If the hosts are warm and welcoming, if the atmosphere is serious but good-natured, and if featured poets like William Taylor, Jr. and Tatiana Molinar ratchet the quality way up, important things can happen. At the Wordparty Tuesdays Poetry & Jazz Open Mic 2 Year Anniversary Party, one such fertile ground celebrates its birthday with prizes, a "Free Beer" quiz, and equal emphasis on versifying and musicianship. Hosts Jennifer Barone and Ingrid Kier are poets, host Daniel Heffez is a tenor saxophone player, and the house band is Nova Jazz Quartet -- they're reputed to run a tight ship, timewise. (You get three minutes, buddy.) Normally, the evening starts off with a jazz jam and continues with readers who, if they want, can be accompanied by the improvising ad hoc combo -- this is a party, though, so anything can happen.