Melanated Metaphors: A Poetry Open Mic

Melanated Metaphors: A Poetry Open Mic returns to the George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center on Thursday, August 20. It's a monthly spoken word night run by Carver Museum ATX and hosted by Jasmine Games, and this edition follows the same open format as the others: a stage for spoken-word poets to share their work with the public.

Because it's an open mic, the lineup isn't set in advance. The night is built around whoever shows up to perform, which means you'll hear a mix of poets rather than a single billed act. If you're coming to listen, you get a variety of voices in one sitting; if you're coming to perform, it's your turn to take the mic.

If you want to be one of the people on stage, you'll need to get there early. There's a walk-on performer sign-up window that opens at 6:30 PM, half an hour before the show starts, so if you're planning to read, make sure you're in line before the 7 PM start time. Once the sign-up window closes, the night moves into the performances themselves.

The event runs from 7 PM to 9 PM at the museum, located at 1165 Angelina Street in Austin. Admission is free and open to the public, so you can drop in without a ticket. Between the 6:30 PM sign-ups and the 7 PM start, you've got a clear window to get your name on the list and settle in before the poetry begins.