On Wednesday I decided to grace the masses with my presence at not one, but two different open mics (I know right?). The first open mic I attended was held at the Barron Arts Center in Woodbridge- a place where there are a lot of elder poets, poets that have been published all over the world, and poets that actually read poetry. I like going there because it’s an overall different speed than the open mics I have been attending as of late – the room fits about 30 people, and you don’t have to shout in order to get your words out. So I took advantage of that – I performed two pieces, but I slowed the cadence down, lowered my voice, and annunciated everything super clearly. I wanted the listeners to feel spoken word as well as hear it – often with my material you can appreciate the word play, but that doesn’t always mean you appreciate the words, the setup, and the follow through. 

                I stayed for about 7 more poets after I performed and then I was off to the next location. Touching down at Rutgers University, I attended Verbal Mayhem, one of the main places responsible for my growth as a writer and performer.  I try to attend at least once a year and this was my first time; there was a completely new regime there so no one was aware who I was.  When I got up I let them know who I was (BKA Assasin and Co-founder of Verbal Mayhem as an organization) which sent the place in a frenzy lmao. After Mayhem ended I stayed around and spoke with the E-Board- we had a great conversation which included information about the history of Verbal Mayhem amongst other things. Just to see Verbal Mayhem still in existence after my first introduction over 20 years ago is a beautiful thing.