This Tuesday, October 20, the English Department at the University of North Dakota is hosting an Open Mic Night on Zoom from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. This event is open to the entire campus community, and pre-registration is encouraged. Participants are welcome to share short readings or performances of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, songs, or scripts, and guests are welcome to come and support their peers and friends in this creative event. Dr. Patrick Henry, the event organizer, has published the dates for the two events this semester:  

“The first Open Mic Night is Tuesday, October 20th, at 7:30 p.m. CT via Zoom. We’ll hold a second Open Mic Night on Tuesday, November 17th, at 7:30 p.m. CT via Zoom. The English Department hosts two of these events each semester—so we look forward to seeing folks this fall and in the spring semester!”  

More information about this event can be found at https://calendar.und.edu/event/open_mic_night_117#.X4c4tC9h1o4, and the link for event registration can be found at https://und.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMod-yvpjwsGNPuIzUbwIq45iq2jqLKLlJ_. 

Open mic nights are common in the creative world and can be a fantastic way to practice performing in front of others and getting one’s creative work out into the world. Amateurs and experts alike can mingle and share stories, tips, and ideas in this fun, lighthearted environment focused on sharing creative work. Open mic nights are a fantastic idea for getting inspired, supporting local literary talents, and establishing more credibility as a creator and a writer in the creative field in one’s area. When asked if students could contribute to Open Mic Night, Dr. Patrick Henry, the event organizer, stated: 

“Students can absolutely contribute to the Open Mic Nights! We invite students from across the entire campus to attend and share their work. When you register via the Zoom link in the event announcement, you can tell us whether you’d like to read or not at the event. We also do a “last call” during the Open Mics . . . so, if you’re on the fence about sharing work, you can always decide then!” 

These types are also good for building confidence in one’s work and one’s creative talents, and it is a great place to support other talents and creators. When asked why open mic nights are important, Dr. Patrick Henry stated: 

“The Open Mic Nights are important because they showcase the vital and dynamic literary community that we have here at UND. They also help us celebrate—and inspire—the creative arts here at UND.” 

University of North Dakota’s English Department is excited to host the first Open Mic Night of the semester on October 20 from 7:30 to 8:30 pm. This event is a great place to support the university’s talented students and a fantastic place to cheer on one’s friends and peers. Short stories, songs, scripts, creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry readings or performances are encouraged; anyone can contribute a show to the event, and attendees can also simply observe the creative works of others if they so choose. When asked why students should attend, Dr. Henry stated: 

“This fall, the English Department is hosting its Open Mic Nights virtually. This means that students still have an opportunity to get together over Zoom, share each other’s company, and hear the creative work that’s being written by our very own UND writers and artists! Especially when we need to be physically distant, the Open Mic Nights give us a chance to safely be together and celebrate the vibrant, creative voices in our campus community.” 

More information about this event can be found at https://calendar.und.edu/event/open_mic_night_117#.X4c4tC9h1o4. The English Department looks forward to seeing you! 

Kaitlyn Willett is a Dakota Student News Writer. She can be reached at [email protected]