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Open Mic Night caps poetry month
Participants in last Friday’s Open Mic Night at the Shack have their picture taken. (BEA CABRERA)
The Shack Restaurant on Saipan hosted a Open Mic Night last Friday, capping the celebration of April 2017 as National Poetry Month. The event was open to members of the public, who read poems—original or not—of their favorite poets.
“There is definitely a sense of art on island and it might be more in sculpture and painting but there are local poets that write about issues and culture that have been published in the mainland. We would like to cultivate that segment and to create awareness how poetry is vital in one’s life and ultimately in one’s culture,” said organizer NMC Languages and Humanities instructor Adam Walsh.
Anisha Ramirez, 16, a student at Marianas High School, read a couple of her original poems. “I love writing and listening to people who write their stories through poetry. I love putting my feelings and thoughts into writing. So far, writing poems is a hobby but I can see myself writing poems tirelessly and going to Open Mic Night to read them.”
Simoun Neccesito, 22, a Business Management and Accounting student at the Northern Marianas College, said, “My style of poetry is slam poetry. A friend from Guam got me into it. Poetry slam is spoken word poetry and I was exposed to a lot of poets. My favorites are Phil Kaye and Rudy Francisco. I like drawing and music but I cannot get a sense of creativity to make them, unlike when I write my poems, [when] my style and originality comes out. To date, I have three books filled with my original poems.”
The celebration of April as National Poetry Month got started by the Academy of American Poets in 1996 to foster appreciation for poetry. The month has since been celebrated by schools, universities and by anyone at any age, gender and lifestyle who are passionate about the art of poetry.
“At present, NMC is working hard to maintain and promote arts in the college, to continue to promote expression through poetry. There is also a plan to publish a literary magazine that is produced by students in the coming months.” Walsh added.
Friday’s event was sponsored by NMC. (Bea Cabrera)
