AMARILLO, TEXAS -- The North branch of the library celebrated its first After Hours Open Mic Night of the year.
More than 30 poets and supporters gathered in a dimly light room with candles and spot lights which was made to feel like a late night coffee house on Friday night.
The intimate event invites poets to share original poetry or recite a favorite poem written by another author. "I think poetry is a remarkable form of literature and speaks to generations. You see young people speak poetry because they hear it in rap music and they take it for their own, but there are also older people who've grown up as poets and it does bring the generations together," said Stacy Yates, the Public Relations Coordinator for the Amarillo Library.
The age of the artists went from late teens to early 20's to late 60's. Recitations were limited to five minutes per person, and many people chose to recite more than one poem. In the audience there were even young tweens. "We have a great response," said Yates, "We actually have a lot of great writers in Amarillo who have a lot of terrific poetry to share and we've enjoyed having them come and share it."
Even props, costumes, and musical accompaniment are allowed. They will have three more After Hours Open Mic Night's on May 13, August 19, and November 11. They will be at the Northwest Branch Library at 6:30 p.m.
