WKU News

Every month at WKU, an Open Mic Night takes place in Grise Hall room 235. Students, faculty and staff sign up to share their work for a crowd and seize a valuable opportunity to develop public speaking skills and build community.

For writers, readers, or anyone who wants to listen, Open Mic Nights are a way to be exposed to a vast array of personalities. Listening to the speakers, you see firsthand the ways people show themselves through their art—there is a variety of genres: poetry, short stories, screenwriting, playwriting, and excerpts from larger works. All are welcome to sign up and speak.

This monthly event is run by Heather Neidlinger, a third year MFA student studying creative writing within our English program. Heather attended WKU as an undergraduate and spoke at the Open Mic Nights then. She guesses they’ve been occurring since the 90’s, but she does not know who began them. It’s tradition for a third year MFA student to run the event; before her, it was Birhanu T. Gessese—known to most as Mr. G. Running the event entails organizing details such as making and hanging up flyers as well as introducing speakers.

Heather shares that even after years of speaking in front of crowds, the experience is still nerve-racking. She says that you get better over time—and to always keep in mind that the other speakers are probably sweating buckets as well. Physically speaking your work aloud at an event like this is incredibly valuable, and worth battling the stage fright. It helps writers understand their work in relation to an audience, and is a great way to gauge what resonates and what doesn’t. It’s also an opportunity for those with majors and minors which are not writing-centered to get feedback on their work, something they may not otherwise receive in the traditional classroom.

Open Mic Nights foster a sense of community among both writers and readers at WKU. The event is a chance to meet new people and find individuals passionate about the same things as you. Listeners soak in diverse personalities and are exposed to everyone’s unique craft and approach to writing. If you write and want to share your work, sign up! You can do so by contacting Heather at heather.neidlinger856@topper.wku.edu or by locating a flyer on campus and scanning the QR code. If you don’t sign up, attend anyways—everyone can gain something from coming to listen!