On Dec 12, the Little White Schoolhouse Museum will be hosting the OH Panther Writers’ free open mic poetry writing workshop. This event will give poets of any kind the ability to talk about poetry and workshop some of the poems they’ve been working on.
”We just do a workshop…leading kids through the writing process of writing a fresh piece of poetry. Then people sign up if they’d like to share something that was fresh or share something they’ve written before. Then we just have some time for performances”, said OH teacher and event organizer Erin Holtz.
For many, this event is also a place to make connections with people and keep people. It’s perfect for meeting new people and making friends within the poetry community.
The Little White Schoolhouse is a building that was initially built as a church in 1850. It currently sits at Polk and Jackson street in downtown Oswego as a museum where people can learn about the history of the building or Oswego as a whole. It hosts many events such as the Christmas Walk, Village of Love, and some plays like “It’s a Wonderful Life”. This year, it will be hosting an Open Mic Poetry Night.
This event is a great way for any and all poets to come together to hear other poetry and to workshop their own work. Even though it’s more open for younger poets, many adults and teens can come along as well and have just as much fun as everyone else.
There may be people that worry that if they aren’t a great poet, they may not be welcomed, however that is untrue. When asked about who could attend, Holtz said, “Anyone [is welcome]! It’s primarily for students but we’ve had students who have graduated attend…we had students from Oswego East last year. The writing community is very friendly and welcoming and we welcome all. It’s not about competition.”
No matter how far along participants are when it comes to poetry, they can get involved with this event whether they are new or have been writing poetry for years.
No matter what, anyone can come and have a fun time getting advice, creating new works from this event, and meeting new people that can help making stable connections.
This is a beautiful event that encourages poets to grow with their poetry. Holtz said of this event that “[o]f all the events that I do, it’s just a way of connecting and seeing kids connect in positive ways. There’s magic that happens during open mics and poetry days–it’s what some people need and they don’t even know it yet.”
Sometimes, people won’t even know that they need anything like this event until they try it. The best thing to do is to simply try and see where this event takes you. Like Holtz said, it’s like magic.
I am a senior. this is my first year with 42fifty. I hope to become a music producer in the future. I love music, photography, and cinematography. I am excited to be working in this class to further my knowledge of journalism.
