How Do I Prepare for My First Open Mic?

Dear Jessica,
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I’m about to go to my first open mic and I have no idea what to expect. I’m excited to share my writing but I’m super nervous. Any tips to make the experience less nerve-wracking?
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Thanks!

Anxious Author

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Dear Anxious Author,

I remember my first open mic like it was yesterday. I was writing poems nonstop and a friend mentioned something called poetrynight, a weekly reading in a city twenty minutes away from my small town. I was thrilled at the concept: I was going to finally have the chance to read my poems to an audience!

It was the early 2000s, so I decided the event was going to be very similar to my favorite television show at the time, VH1’s Behind the Music. I spent hours in my bedroom practicing my banter, explaining the nuance of each of my lines, and making sure to perfect the sullen, distant look in my eyes when I would inevitably have to reveal exactly who had broken my 17-year-old heart. Conservatively, I was planning on a 15-minute set. Who could blame me? I had a lot to say, and it was all VERY IMPORTANT.

When I did go to poetrynight, I discovered something very different and far more reasonable. You had to get there early to sign up, and then you got three minutes. No more, no less. I waited patiently for my name to be called, completely mesmerized at the quality of the readers ahead of me, people I would end up calling my family. Just before I ducked out that night, the host stopped me and said I’d done a good job and should come back. It is not an exaggeration to say that comment changed the trajectory of my life for good.

You might be thinking, how the hell is this supposed to make me less nervous? The stakes have never sounded higher! But fret not, dear Anxious Author. The rules of etiquette for an open mic are simple.

1. Show up on time. Check to see when sign-ups start and be prompt; it helps the host to know early on who’s going to be there.

2. Practice reading your poems out loud. Yes, this might feel slightly cringey, but I promise we all do it. I would even venture to say that reading your work out loud is the absolute best way to edit it.

3. Be an active participant in the whole reading. Don’t just wait for your name to be called, listen to the other readers and engage with their work. They’re just as nervous as you! If you can, take a tip from my former writing mentor and dear friend, the late Jack McCarthy: make notes about the poems you hear, and if you really love something, tell the author. This is how we build literary community, by listening.

4. If there’s a featured performer that night, buy their merch. I don’t need to tell you that writing doesn’t always bring in the big bucks. For that matter, don’t forget to support the venue! Grab a drink or a snack and BE SURE TO TIP. The servers are likely working late because of the open mic, and we want them to make a living too. We keep literary events alive by supporting the businesses that host them.

It's been over 20 years now since that first open mic, and I remember those nerves, the way my voice threatened to shake while I was reading, how desperate I was for it to be perfect. It was, in fact, far from that, but bravery won out that night. I hope bravery wins out for you, too, because the world needs your words. And who knows? Maybe you’ll change the entire trajectory of your life. Poetry is like that sometimes: a deep magic pulling our true self to the surface. So, take a deep breath, share a kind word with another writer, and please, please, tip your servers.

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Love you,
Jessica

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Read Your Work At Lemon Grove's First Open Mic - October 18th!

If you’re ready to be brave and share some of your own writing (or someone else’s!), be sure to sign up for our first ever Lemon Grove Writers Open Mic on October 18^th! The first half of our October session will be a traditional writing sprint, but we’re hosting an open mic for the last hour. For more details and to sign up, click here! ​

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Read More of Dear Jessica...

​How to Push Through When the Excitement of a Writing Project Fades​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​How Do I Write A Poem?​

Jessica Lohafer lives in Washington. Her work has appeared in Ghost Parachute, The Sweet Tree Review, Drunk in the Midnight Choir, Nailed Magazine, and Red Sky: Poetry on the Global Epidemic of Violence Against Women. Her collection of poetry, What’s Left to Be Done, was published by Radical Lunchbox Press in 2009. In 2020, she released the edited anthology, Allow the Light: The Lost Poems of Jack McCarthy. She has served as the Program Director for Poetry in Public Education, bringing writing workshops to schools throughout the Pacific Northwest, and previously hosted the Write Riot Poetry Slam. Jessica received her MFA in poetry from Western Washington University in 2014.
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​Lemon Grove Writers began in 2024 as a space for writers to find accountability, focus, and community. We offer free virtual writing sprints, resources, and encouragement to help writers stay motivated and make progress. Whether you're drafting a novel, revising poetry, or just trying to build a writing habit, we're here to support you. If you're here, you're a writer.