Ancient City Poets

JUNE OPEN MIC – 06/25/2023

The Waterworks, 184 San Marco Avenue, St. Augustine, FL 32084

The St. Johns Cultural Council and Ancient City Poets present “Pride Month Open Mic” at the Waterworks on Sunday, June 25th. This event will create a safe place for sharing on the subject of National Pride Month. If you would like to share a poem, please arrive at 2:30 PM on the day of the reading and get your name on the list. There is space on the list for 15 poets at 5 minutes each. At 3 PM, the readers will be called to the podium by facilitator Valerie Currie in the order their names appear on the sign-up sheet. Share two or three of your polished poems or share some fresh ink from your notebook during Saint Augustine’s longest-running open mic poetry event. Invite friends to cheer you on.

MORE INFO ON THIS EVENT:

• https://www.historiccoastculture.com/event/poetry-flows-from-the-waterworks-celebrate-pride-month-june-25/
• https://www.facebook.com/events/674767470983373

OUR STORY

In April of 2009, the St. Johns Cultural Council wanted to recognize National Poetry Month in Northeast Florida, so they went through their database and rounded up all the poets, writers, and authors for an open mic. That is what it was called, but it was more like an open house. The intent was to put a face on the St. Johns County literary scene. In was known that a scene was thriving downtown, on Monday evenings, but it seemed to be restricted to the patrons of Backstreets.

Chris Bodor had recently moved to St. Augustine from New York, where he was involved with an open mic event in New York City. With the success of the 2009 local observation of National Poetry Month, Bodor set up a podium, a microphone, and some speakers at a coffee shop in August of that year, and returned on the last Sunday of every month. To this day, the signup sheet is filled with names. Poetry friends, family, and fans show up to cheer for the people at the podium. During the Global Pandemic, the series gravitated to an online gathering, where they gained an international audience thanks to Facebook Live and Zoom. Since August of 2009, the series has popped up at a restaurant, a gift shop, a few coffee shops, an art-house movie theater, and a few art galleries.

Currently, thanks to the generosity of The City of St. Augustine and The St. Johns Cultural Council, the Ancient City Poets have been fortunate, since January 2023, to call The Waterworks their home. Located at 184 San Marco Avenue in the Nation’s Oldest City, the Waterworks is a historic Flagler-era brick building constructed in 1898. With exposed brick and tone rich acoustics, the space is host to several concerts, theater productions, workshops, and lectures throughout the year. Managed by the St. Johns Cultural Council, the designated local arts agency for St. Johns County, Florida, the Waterworks is closed during holidays weekends such as Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. When these holidays fall during the last Sunday of the month, the Ancient City Poets gather at alternative locations. Please check back here often for updates on upcoming poetry workshops, open mic shows, and community outreach events.