Words Matter Bookstore in Pitman held its monthly poetry open mic. The event welcomed poets of all ages, who shared their own works or poems by others in a relaxed, open format that encouraged discussion and reflection.
The evening featured a variety of poetic styles, from free verse and lyrical poetry to introspective and rhyming pieces. The subjects covered were equally diverse.
One poet presented a long-form piece inspired by the aftermath of the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption. Another poet explored a linguistic device called spoonerism, where the first sounds of two words are swapped. She explained the concept by showing a Shel Silverstein book, Runny Babbit, which uses this technique, before reading her poem titled “The Gappy Hardener,” a playful take on The Happy Gardener.
Between poems, Keryl Hausmann, owner of Words Matter Bookstore and the event’s host, shared her thoughts on the power of spoken poetry. “To listen to [poetry] is different than to read it,” Hausmann said. “Every time one of you gets up and reads, I am absolutely swept away.”
During the first half of the night, five poets presented their works. A brief intermission followed, allowing attendees to enjoy snacks and discuss the poems shared so far.
The mood of the evening was lighter than usual, as attendees intentionally avoided heavy topics, likely due to the fact that it was also election night. While poetry can often touch on political themes, this night seemed focused on creating a more relaxed atmosphere. Many attendees appeared to be aiming for levity, keeping the tone of the event upbeat.
After the break, poetry resumed with more participants reading their works. Among them was Kaylee Wagner, a freshman at Rowan College of South Jersey (RCSJ) majoring in psychology. Wagner has been attending the event regularly since January and shared her poem titled “November.” She started writing poetry two years ago, during her junior year of high school.
Reya Clark, also a freshman at RCSJ, majoring in liberal arts, attended as an audience member. She enjoyed hearing poetry from other students. “You can see where everybody’s mind is at and the emotion in different people’s writing,” Clark said. “It’s like everybody has their own art form, so it’s really nice to hear everybody.”
Words Matter Bookstore hosts several community events, including seven book clubs and its monthly poetry open mic. The next open mic will take place on Tuesday, December 3, with a food-themed poetry night in celebration of the holiday season.
