Open Mic: Ars Poetica

Ars Poetica returns to Rose City Book Pub on Friday, October 16, for another open mic night of poetry and music. It's run by the Portland Ars Poetica meetup, a poetry and creative-writing community here in the city that's grown to more than 3,000 members. The group's 'About' section opens with Jack Gilbert's poem Ars Poetica, which is where the night gets its name.

Any literary genre is welcome, poems or short prose, whether you're reading your own work or something already published. The only real guideline is that it should fit into about five minutes of spoken time, so you have a bit of room to breathe without taking over the whole evening. If you're not performing, it's still a good spot to just hang out and listen to what people bring to the mic.

The pub's library atmosphere sits alongside food and drink, so you can grab a drink and settle in before the reading starts. Sign-ups begin around 6:30 PM — just look for John or Becca with the clipboard to get your name on the list. The open mic itself kicks off at 7 PM at Rose City Book Pub, 1329 NE Fremont St, Portland, OR 97212.