On a stage nestled against a brick wall mural of a starry night sky, students convene once to a week to share their craft of poetry and spoken word in Downtown Bryan.
Mic Check Poetry is a non-profit organization that hosts spoken word performances every Sunday at 8:30 p.m. in Revolution Cafe and Bar. Throughout the night, students step on stage and use their voices to connect with their audience and speak about their experiences and communities. Additionally, anyone new to the event is encouraged to sit, watch the performances or even get on stage and share their stories, too.
Lino Anunciacion, Class of 2017 and president of the organization, said Mic Check Poetry is dedicated to making the event a communal experience designed to nurture the growth of culture, art and unity.
“We have been given responsibility by the city to host an open mic every Sunday for the community as well as teach different programs around the city both with the Juvenile Justice Center and with some of the local high schools,” Anunciacion said. “So, our main job and our mission is to give and create a space for people to create their own works — to tell their own stories and develop our community here in Bryan and College Station.”
Kaleb Ryle, Class of 2016, is a first-time performer at the event. Moments before he took the stage, he said he took to the stage because he felt Mic Check Poetry gave him an avenue to express his artistic side.
“I guess everything inspires me because I’m an artist,” Ryle said. “[Open Mic] provides a safe space to just speak my truth.”
Matt Rodenbaugh, telecommunication media studies senior who came to support Ryle’s performance, said he really enjoyed the atmosphere because of the audience and artists that came to the café.
“I like that everyone seems pretty laidback,” Rodenbaugh said. “There’s a lot of kinds of people sitting here, and like Matt said it’s a very open and an accepting environment.
Another first-time performer, Beverly Popoola, political science freshman, said she discovered the event through word of mouth and it will not be her last time attending Sunday night slams.
“I’m here because of my Big in my FLO,” Popoola said. “He told me about the event because I’d told him that I write poetry and that I’d done [spoken word] before. He said that there’s a place in Bryan called Revolution and that they have open mic nights on Sundays, so I googled it and then decided I’d try out the scene.”
Additionally, Popoola said the organization was something she wanted to share with others because of the setting.
“It’s really cute,” Popoola said. “It’s quaint. I love the artwork and the smell of everything in here. It’s adorable. It’s quirky and homey at the same time. I already told my friends to come next Sunday because I know they’ll all want to come and see me perform something I’m really passionate about.”
Meanwhile, Anunciacion said that one of his favorite memories with the organization was from his first night at an open mic night.
“After every single show we play this song called Twin Size Mattress by the Front Bottoms,” Anunciacion said. “Anyone who knows the words of the song gets on stage and sings along, and then we go about our day.”
The organization has created a place for individuals to inhabit the same creative space and follow long-lasting traditions, according to Anunciacion.
“This open mic has really become a ritual to a lot of people, and I remember the first time, I didn’t even know the words to the song,” Anunciacion said, “But I just tried to sing along with people and just screamed at the parts that they would scream at. It’s just really fun.”