SOUND OFF! is an open mic hosted by the DMV Poet, Pi-Anir The Poet! Presented by Creative Suitland and DC Music Summit. This is a safe space where participants are encouraged to express themselves. Join us on 4th Mondays for an evening of music, poetry, spoken word and artisan vendors.
Tickets are $5, $10, or $15.
This is an in-person event. Vaccination card required (or negative PCR Test within past 72 hours). Masks are strongly encouraged.
FEATURE POET: Warren "Ren" Hynson
Warren “Ren” Hynson is a Filipino American who found himself and his life’s purpose while in exile for 28 years in the Maryland prison system. Warren always had a dream of being an artist and while he was incarcerated, he had the opportunity to work and master his skills in drawing and painting beautiful, meaningful works of art.
One day while watching the spoken word driven movie, “Slam”, which was filmed in Washington DC, Warren felt he could write poetry as well as he could put paint on canvas. He started writing and started performing at events inside of the prison. Warren was often asked to perform original poems at ceremonies, prison plays and talent shows. Everyone that heard him speak and spit his words of wisdom have witnessed his energy and his passion for writing is equal to his passion for creating beautiful works of art on canvas.
While in prison, Warren was the facilitator of not only the prison’s art club, but he also facilitated the writer’s club as well. Warren brought together all the poets in the prison one by one, week by week, and they held open mic sessions. They shared their dreams, and they faced their nightmares together. They constructively critiqued each other and mastered their writing skills together. Since Warren came home in September 2019, he has only performed his poetry at a couple events and only a few people in the spoken word world know his name. After you hear him share his poetry, you will never forget him or his story of strength and resilience.
OPEN MIC RULES
1. 5 minutes! As soon your mouth opens, your 5 minutes have begun.
2. Respect the Space: This is a safe space and will be treated as such. The open mic is church for many of us and It takes a lot of courage to share while fighting a war of nerves to share parts of our lives with others. We don’t know each other’s struggles, but we respect one another.
3. What you won’t do: Straight to the point, no racism, no disrespect against ANYONES sexuality, no misogyny, no BS!
4. Watch your mouth: Yes, cursing is allowed but only in context of a poem!
5. Bye Felicia! Not following any of these rules will get you kicked out and banned from future open mics, so play nicely. We all here for a reason, let’s have fun, let’s enjoy this space and the art we are about to witness.