San Francisco's Queer Open Mic

Dear Queer Open Mic Community

I NEED YOUR HELP!

Please watch this video poem I made of one of my poems titled The Trees, they Hate the Birds the Most.

If you like it, please click “Like” on the youtube video itself,

if you LOVE it and LOVE me, please share with all your friends!!

I’m a finalist for poetry contest, the more likes I get, the closer I get to being published!

please watch, like, share and make this old Mexican Queer happy!
The Trees, They Hate the Birds the Most

Did you all enjoy that thunderstorm we just had? That was pretty awesome, well time for some more ELECTRICITY, or should I say QUEER LIGHTING? – at this month’s San Francisco Queer Open Mic!

Come join me and my lovely co-host the incredible Blythe Baldwin in OpenmicGoodness with our feature; Larry-bob Roberts!

His book International Homosexual Conspiracy is hilarious, super well written, you’re going to want to buy a copy, I did!

Also that night, there will be a special performance spotlight from the incredible touring spoken word poet Chris August!

Friday April 27th, SAME QUEER TIME 7:30

SAME QUEER LIST list goes up at 7:00pm folks, it fills up fast so get there on time.

SAME QUEER RULES signing up gets you a slot to do 1 piece and 1 piece only.

That’s 5 mintues to perform 1 piece and 1 piece only.

We will stop you if you go over time.

now more on our features!

Larry-bob Roberts has been described as “The Stephen Colbert of queer culture.” Since 1989 he has published in print and now online the zine, Holy Titclamps. Along with Kirk Read, he co-hosts the monthly spoken word series Smack Dab at Magnet in the Castro. His book, The International Homosexual Conspiracy, published by Manic D. Press, contains 88 short essays on a range of topics. He maintains the local events website Queer Things To Do in San Francisco at SFQUEER.COM.

Chris August is a poet, screenwriter and special educator from Baltimore, Maryland. He has been a part of the national performance poetry community since 2002. He has authored numerous collections including A Life Called Special, a compilation of all of his poetry specific to his work in special needs education. In 2011, he was named the number one ranked poet in the world at the Individual World Poetry Slam held in Cleveland, Ohio.

This space is a queer space for trans folks, queer gender folks, gays, lesbians, bi-sexual folks and all supporting straight identifying friends, hell if you live in San Francisco you’re a little bit Queer! All are welcome. List fills up fast. No Divas. No jerks please.

The Café is wheel chair accessible and has a nice big bathroom.

HUGS!!

March has been a pretty bad ass month so far by giving us nothing but lovely sunny days and warmth, I hope some of you have been writing poetry or new songs or working on your novels and are ready for another rockin QUEER open mic!

COME ON DOWN TO BORDERLANDS CAFE for our third Queer Open Mic of 2012 and show us your stuff!

This month we are happy to be at the Borderlands Café right on Valencia in the Mission.

Our feature is the radical, the amazing JACKS MCNAMARA!

Also that night, there will be a special performance spotlight from the incredible touring spoken word poet SEAN PATRICK MULROY!

Friday March 23rd, SAME QUEER TIME 7:30

SAME QUEER LIST list goes up at 7:00pm folks, it fills up fast so get there on time.

SAME QUEER RULES signing up gets you a slot to do 1 piece and 1 piece only.

That’s 5 mintues to perform 1 piece and 1 piece only. We will stop you if you go over time.

Here’s more about our feature and the special guest!

JACKS MCNAMARA

Jacks McNamara is a genderqueer poet, artist, activist, educator, performer, and healing practitioner based in Oakland. Jacks has performed poetry and facilitated workshops on madness in a mad world across the US, Canada, and Europe, at venues ranging from the US Social Forum to the UK Feminist Health Gathering. The co-founder of The Icarus Project, a radical mental health support network and media project, Jacks’s life and work are the subject of the poetic documentary film Crooked Beauty. Co-author of the underground classic Navigating the Space Between Brilliance and Madness, and co-editor of Turning Wheel Media, Jacks has published writing in numerous anthologies, magazines, blogs, journals, as well as self-publishing 5 zines. Lung Seed, their first book of poetry and prose, is due out from Deviant Type Press in Autumn 2012.

SEAN PATRICK MULROY

Sean Patrick Mulroy (aka Sean Patrick Conlon) born and raised in Southern Virginia. He is the author of The Pornography Diaries a poetic study of love and sex as seen through the lens of media study and film analysis.  He also stars in a one-man show of the same name, combining original rock music and the poems from the book in a critically acclaimed multimedia tour-de-force. He has toured extensively in North America, participated in 6 national spoken-word competitions, written and recorded 3 albums of music, and has released over 10 chapbooks of original poetry.  Sean has been published in both online and print journals, and has featured at literary festivals for universities and arts organizations all over the United States.

More about Jacks McNamara’s new book  Lung Seed: Part love song, part howl, part incantation, Lung Seed is the first book-length collection of Jacks McNamara’s poems, essays, and hybrid experiments in the neon vernacular of being alive. Mapping out radical trajectories through loss, violence, and queer desire, McNamara creates a luminous archive of survival and resilience in a self-destructing world. A visual artist as well as a writer, the author relies heavily on the unexpected image to chronicle the impossible journey through body, family, and history–towards home. From the borderlands of madness to the unpredictable shape of peace, Lung Seed bears unflinching witness to a rarely charted geography, offering the reader a resonant poetics of insurrection and grace.

Free with a suggested donation. No one turned away from lack of funds.

This space is a queer space for trans folks, queer gender folks, gays, lesbians, bi-sexual folks and all supporting straight identifying friends, hell if you live in San Francisco you’re a little bit Queer! All are welcome.

List fills up fast. No Divas. No jerks please.

The Café is wheel chair accessible and has a nice big bathroom.

Peace and Cupcakes

Baruch!

The San Francisco Queer Open Mic Featuring JACKS MCNAMARA!

Special guest SEAN PATRICK MULROY!

Sign ups at 7pm SHARP (get there on time, list fills up fast)

Show at 7:30pm @Borderlands Cafe

870 Valencia st. (between 19th and 20th streets) San Francisco CA 94110

February, they say it’s the month of love, well San Francisco Queer Open Mic is full of hot lovers!  SO COME ON DOWN TO BORDERLANDS CAFE for our second Queer Open Mic of 2012, the world didn’t end and we’re enjoying it!

Single? Come flirt it up at the San Francisco Queer Open Mic, this month we are at a new location, I repeat NEW LOCATION FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY we are at the Borderlands Cafe!

Borderlands Cafe is super nice and has hosted us before, back when the lovely Liz Green featured last May 2011. The date, time and everything else will be the same, the only difference is the venue.

Friday Feb 24th, SAME QUEER TIME 7:30

SAME QUEER LIST list goes up at 7:00pm folks, it fills up fast so get there on time.

SAME QUEER RULESsigning up gets you a slot to do 1 piece and 1 piece only. That’s 5 mintues to perform 1 piece and 1 piece only. We will stop you if you go over time.

But enough chatter, now on to these sexy amazing talented men OUR FEATURES!! Writer Performer TERRY TAPLIN and musical guest GARRIN BENFIELD!

TERRY TAPLIN is a Bay Area native and a Berkeley based Spoken Word artist and educator. He has represented the Bay Area on 5 national poetry slam teams at the youth, collegiate and adult levels. He was a member of the 2009 UC Berkeley Slam Team that placed third at the annual College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational. In 2010 Terry coached the Bay Area Youth team to the Brace New Voices Final Stage(2nd place) and represented Bay Area at both CUPSI, as a member of the UC Berkeley Slam team and the National Poetry Slam as a member of Team San Francisco(ranked 10th in the nation)

AND!! GARRIN BENFIELD  The “The Wave Organ Song” is the artist’s fifth full length CD of original songs. He gained notice in 2000 with his stark tribute to Matthew Shepard, “What You’re Hiding”, which was used in a production of the Laramie Project. In 2002, after recording his second CD, “Nowhere is Brighter” with Bonnie Raitt’s rhythm section and guest Boz Scaggs, Benfield took up a relentless touring schedule, both as a solo artist and with his band. Some of these increasingly improvisation-heavy sets were documented on the 2003 release “August Live”. 2004 saw the release of “Where Joy Kills Sorrow”, and Benfield’s first foray into live improvisational looping, which enabled him to tour solo but with added layers of beats, bass lines and the searing lead guitar Benfield’s hardcore fans have come to expect. Playing eclectic sets at hundreds of shows every year, Benfield has become an underground favorite at festivals, rock clubs, coffeehouses and house concerts.

bring your poems, comedy, storytelling, short stories, and love to share with the Queer Open Mic crowd.

Sign up list full? Never fear, if you’re POLITE and PATIENT we will put you on the if we have time list. What does this mean? It means that if we have time we’ll squeeze you in so you can perform, but no promises. We are every 4th Friday of the month, there’s always the next show.

“My friend is stuck in traffic can I sign them up?” – No. They must be present in order to get on the list. Put them on the if we have time list.

“Can I do a cover? Or read someone else’s work?”  – Why? We prefer you do your won work that you made yourself. Our open mic is for makers, writers, poets, make something, make it your own, share it with us.

“I can pick when I go up right? I like to go up last so I can smoke outside and ignore all the other performers”  -No. No divas. The host picks the list randomly, stay and watch the show and wait for your name to be called up to perform.

“The show is free right?” -YES! it is absolutely free, but we do ask for a $3 donation, if you cannot afford that, that is completely okay. Just do what you can to get a drink from the cafe or buy some food from them to help support the space.

“Can I do new unfinished work?”  -YES! we’re an open mic, that’s what we’re here for! Come share your raw stuff with us!

“Can I do finished work and show off?” -YES! we love a good show!

“Do you like unicorns?”  -OH MY GOD we LOVE THEM!!

Happy New Year everyone!  I still remember my first ever San Francisco Queer Open Mic. It is hard for me to believe that was almost 3 years ago. I’m so proud and happy with the way we’ve grown and changed and adapted, lost 2 venues, now one host, but we’re still here, still growing strong and ROCKING!

Now with the amazing Sarah Dopp stepping down I thought long and hard about who should be my next co-host or if I should have one at all. I decided to give the sexy Blythe Baldwin a try, so starting this month she will be my co-host! We will also have guest co-hosts from time to time, but till then Blythe Baldwin is the girl for me!

I am very much looking forward to this new year, the open mic is getting booked a year in advance, everyone wants to feature with us and share their art with out tiny space and I could not be happier.

Bring us your songs, your poems, your jokes, your monologues your short stories, we want to hear them all. I’m looking forward to seeing all you, this is honestly the best part of my month.

Here’s to you San Francisco Queer Open Mic Community! Here’s to us! May we rock 2012 so hard it wants our babies! -and to help us with that we’re going to have Eli Conley as our first feature of the year!!

PEACE!

more on our feature!

Eli Conley crafts intricate Americana songs from the raw material of his life as a gay transgender man with Virginia roots. “Oh what gorgeous, soulful music!” gushed acclaimed singer/songwriter Laura Love, “Eli Conley’s writing and singing are exquisite.” Eli brings his country choirboy croon and singer/songwriter’s sincerity to the All the Livelong Day EP, his recent release with band Eli Conley and Hip for Squares. Eli also teaches singing classes for LGBTQ people. You can downlaod his songs for free(!) and see what else Eli is up to at www.eliconley.com

Baruch writes…

Happy HomoDays. Get your Queers, your stockings your Rainbow Chanuka Candles and come to the Queer Open Mic Dec 16!

I am looking forward for this the last Queer Open Mic of 2011. Our features are Michael Alenyikov, author of Ivan and Misha and musical guest, the amazing Jason Brock. You can read more about them below but first I do have some news, the December 16th show, is not only the last Queer Open Mic of 2011 but also the last show we will have with Sarah Dopp as my co-host.

ABOUT THE FEATURES!

Michael Alenyikov’s short stories have appeared in Canada’s Descant (nominated for a 2007 Pushcart); The Georgia Review; New York Stories; Modern Words, The James White Review, and have been anthologized in Best Gay Stories, 2008 and Tartts Four: Incisive Fiction From Emerging Writers. His essays have appeared in The Gay & Lesbian Review. He was a MacDowell Fellow. Raised in New York City, Alenyikov has worked as a bookstore clerk, clinical psychologist, cab driver, and interactive media writer. He lives in San Francisco.

Jason Brock is a San Francisco singer, actor, emcee, podcaster and entertainer. He has shared the stage with many stars of theatre and music, including Diane Schuur, Paula West, Bruce Vilanch, Taylor mac, Deborah Gibson and more. Jason has performed all his life and began a professional entertainment career in small theatre and musical productions in Arizona. He eventually moved into ongoing shows at Martuni’s, Bubble Lounge and Rasselas. Jason has performed at the Rrazz Room, Ritz Carlton, Pier 39 and other venues in the bay area. He was recently in the film “Love is not Enough” and just finished playing the role of a demented flower girl in “The Lily’s Revenge” at the Magic Theatre. He co-hosts the podcast “The X-Gays” (about the X-Men). Jason’s performance skills have brought him recognition as a highly talented, interactive and improvisational artist.

as always
sign ups are at 7pm sharp
show starts at 7:30pm

love Baruch

Queer Open Mic featuring Michael Alenyikov, with musical guest Jason Brock
Friday, December 16
7pm sign-ups, show at 7:30
Modern Times Bookstore
2919 24th Street in San Francisco

Hello hello, my dearest Queer Open Mic community!

I adore you. You know that, right?

Month after month… from that fantastic year when I showed up religiously to perform at your microphone because I knew I had finally found my people… to those incredible and humbling three years as your organizer and co-host…. and after seeing you through not one but two location moves… and sitting in the front row with Baruch’s arm wrapped around me while you deliver poems so powerful that I know I won’t even be able to speak when it’s time for me to announce the next performer….

You fucking rock my world. You’ve been doing it for years.

And you’re all grown up now. You’ve matured into this strong and thriving community that spits out high quality work each month while consistently supporting anyone who walks through those bookstore doors; whether that means helping them with their writing, building their performance confidence, telling them they look fabulous in those boots, or holding them while they cry. You’ve embraced a queer identity that is inclusive and powerful. And it’s not queer as in “fuck you.” It’s queer as in “Fuck Yes.”

I am so proud of you. And so grateful to have been a part of this process.

And it is with all of that pride, and all of that gratitude, that I am choosing to now step aside. Baruch has already taken his place as an incredible organizer and host, and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the event will continue to thrive under his leadership. I know this because he loves you in all the same ways that I do, but better.

Why am I stepping down? Put simply: because it’s time. I spent ten years as a performance poet, and while I love the scene, it’s not the direction I’m growing in anymore. I stopped performing several years ago and shifted my creative energy to community organizing. Hosting Queer Open Mic was the perfect project for me for awhile — it kept me connected to the performance scene while letting me focus on organizing — but after a few years, I became so far detached from the scene that it was no longer fair to the event for me to keep holding the position. It also stopped being the right fit for me. I need keep following my nose.

Let’s go chase our dreams and write postcards to each other when we find them. Queer Open Mic’s past hosts — Cindy Emch, Sherilyn Connelly, and Mollena Williams — all moved on to other wonderful creative pursuits when it was their time. Now it’s mine.

I’ll be at the December show to thank you all and to say goodbye in person, but Baruch will be the one at the front of the room. I am so very grateful to him for the ways he’s taken care of the event, and I’m excited to see how it will grow with him in the future.

You’re stars, all of you. Thank you for being my San Francisco.

Love,
Sarah Dopp
December 7, 2011

What, really, is there to be thankful for in November? Are we thankful for the commercialism of the Holiday Season creeping ever closer? Are we thankful that it’s suddenly getting dark at 4:00 pm? Are we thankful for the onrushing flood of unneeded calories, the extra strain on our wallets? Mostly Thanksgiving seems to serve as a bitter remembrance of just how poorly the early European settlers behaved to their rather more gracious native hosts.

There’s nothing so great about November, but that doesn’t mean that we should poo-poo Thanksgiving. Giving thanks is awesome. There IS a lot to be grateful for – in November, in May – any time of the year. Whether you’re thankful for your new dance class or for your best friend of 20 years, for the sudden availability of pumpkin muffins or for the optimism of the Occupy Movement, for biodiversity or size twelve platform shoes, there’s never a bad day to stand up and say it.

This Friday, November 18, a week early because a lot of us do give thanks together in big groups a week from Thursday, eat to much and then need to spend all Friday on the couch recovering, come on down to Queer Open Mic and tell us what you’re thankful for.

About Morgan:

Queer Open Mic Featuring Morgan
Friday, November 18
7pm sign-ups, show at 7:30
Modern Times Bookstore
2919 24th Street in San Francisco

The thing about Queer Open Mic falling on the fourth Friday of the month is that every October there’s really strong temptation to just talk about Halloween. That holiday really dominates the end of this month.

But who cares about it, y’know? What is so damn exciting about being something that you’re not for a little while? Yeah, we know all about liminal spaces and the value of spending time semi-anonymous, but frankly we think that who you are is a lot more exciting than who you aren ‘t.

Look at yourselves, you fabulous bunch of humans! Who you are is fantastic. No amount of costuming could possibly hope to match the diversity and pizazz of this community!

This Friday, come down to Queer Open Mic dressed as yourself, and share some personality. Our feature (return favorite Daphne Gottlieb) will certainly share hers.

Queer Open Mic with Daphne Gottlieb
San Francisco-based Performance Poet Daphne Gottlieb stitches together the ivory tower and the gutter just using her tongue. She is the author and editor of nine books, most recently the poetry book 15 Ways to Stay Alive as well as co-editor (with Lisa Kester) of Dear Dawn: Aileen Wuornos in her Own Words.? She is the editor of Fucking Daphne: Mostly True Stories and Fictions and Homewrecker: An Adultery Reader, as well as the author of the poetry books Kissing Dead Girls, Final Girl, Why Things Burn and Pelt, and as the graphic novel Jokes and the Unconscious with artist Diane DiMassa.

Queer Open Mic featuring Daphne Gottlieb!
Friday, October 28, 2011
7pm sign-ups, show at 7:30
Modern Times Bookstore
2919 24th Street in San Francisco