The OpenMike Poetry Reading Series presented evenings of poetry with a special guest reader (or event) and an open-mic session where everyone was invited to read.  Hosted by Lex and Eric Thomas.

    The reading series is currently on hiatus.

    On this website you'll find sections on our featured readers, with many including poetry samples, written and audio; and more.

    Click here for poet bios and sample poems.

    Click here to hear audio samples of poems read at OpenMike Poetry nights.

    For a current low-down on area readings, check these out:

    • The Poets' Asylum website.
    • Worcester Community Poetry Events on the Poetry Oasis website.

    And check out our links to other poetry venues & organizations.

    Latest additions to the website:  Poems (with audio) by Jack McCarthy, John Hodgen and Ed Schneeflock, and new audio for poems by Craig Nelson.

    Click on any name below for pictures, bios and poetry samples (many with audio):

    Previous featured guests:  Paul Rogalus, Kurt Brown, Craig Nelson, Jack McCarthy, Ed Schneeflock, Girls Night Out, Ellen Wehle, John Hodgen, Debra Kang Dean, Tommy Mendez, Shane Koyczan, R. Joyce Heon, Joe Fusco, Jr., Suzanne Owens, Tony Brown, John Gaumond, Valerie Lawson, Susan Roney-O'Brien, Sou MacMillan, Bill MacMillan, Dave Blank, Adam Stone, Judith Ferrara, Jose de Gouveia, Rebecca Henderson, John Powers, Richard Moore, Michael Brown, Paul Gagnon, Eitan Kadosh, Eve Stern, Michael Steffen, Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Wendy Mnookin, Thomas Lux

    Click here for a sorted list of featured guests

    Poetry Links:

    Slam News Service – Listings for the Cantab readings in Cambridge.

    haikupoet.com – Home page of Paul David Mena, the haiku master in our own back yard.  And no, it doesn't have to be 5-7-5.

    Spokenword.to – Words on the Web, hosting websites for the Poetry Oasis, the journal Sahara, various artist pages, and listings of Worcester Community Poetry Events.

    PoetrySlam.com – Official website of the National Poetry Slam, with information, links and even a slam book store.

    Poetry Daily – A new poem every day, culled from leading magazines and books; plus a large archive of poems.

    The Academy of American Poets – An large archive of poems and more by the major American poets.

    Atlantic Outbound Poetry Pages – Another excellent archive of poems, written and spoken.

    Billy Collins – His poems will make you laugh out loud.