5th Mondays Open Mic Night | Shirlington, VA | Four on the 5th: All Host

Proof of vaccination is required.

Tickets purchased in store are cash ONLY - $5

Monday Night Open Mic! A Busboys and Poetry Event For two hours audiences can expect a diverse chorus of voices and a vast array of professional spoken word performers, open mic rookies, musicians and a different host every week.

Hosted by: Shirlington Host

HOSTED BY: Roscoe Burnems

Douglas Powell (Roscoe Burnems) is a spoken-word artist, teacher, husband, and father. He has dedicated his life to poetry, education, and entertainment, and a way to blend the three worlds together. Speaking candidly on everything from bullying to equality, from depression to oppression, what it means to overcome all obstacles, and how to do it through spoken-word.

Douglas hasn't limited his passion to competitions. He is the author of three published works: Fighting Demons, Chrysalis Under Fire, and God, Love, Death and Other Synonyms. He has also been published in over a dozen literary magazines and journals, including: Freeze Ray Magazine, Flypaper Magazine, Scene & Heard, Into Quarterly, Beltway Quarterly, Drunk in a Midnight Choir, and Rise Up Review.

Roscoe recently tapped into stand-up comedy with his groundbreaking special Traumedy, combining funny stories, jokes, wit, and sarcasm intertwined into prolific spoken word poems. The special has been featured in several magazines in Richmond, VA and is currently streaming. Comedy has been a quiet first love for him and he is now using it as another medium to shedding light on taboo topics.

Douglas Powell/ Roscoe Burnems has become a layered performer using his many talents to discuss trauma, resilience, and the human experience.

HOSTED BY: ANGELIQUE PALMER

Angelique Palmer is a poetry slam doyen, a finalist in the 2015 Women of the World Poetry Slam and a member of The Beltway Poetry Slam Team in 2017. The Creative Writing graduate from Florida State University now calls northern Virginia home. She’s penned more than a dozen self-published chapbooks as well as THE CHAMBERMAID’S STYLE GUIDE, the full-length book of poetry on Sargent Press. She's a 2018 Colgate University Writing Retreat Resident, a 2017 Fellow of The Watering Hole, a 2015 A ROOM OF HER OWN writing retreat new recruit, and a 2014 Pink Door Writing retreat alumna. Her publications include BORDERLINE, THE MUD SEASON REVIEW and WUSGOOD BLACK?. While being the featured poet in more than a dozen cities across the U.S., she is also the co-editor of BEECH STREET REVIEW, the slam manager at The Beltway Poetry Slam and makes her own ice cream.

 HOSTED BY:  13 of Nazareth

13 of Nazareth is a performance poet living with epilepsy, a dry sense of humor, and peace of mind over everything. The golden thread which runs throughout his hip-hop infused poetry is drawn from the looms of various spiritual traditions to weave a tapestry of creative works geared toward the personal and collective healing process.

 HOSTED BY:  KaNikki J.

KaNikki Jakarta is the First African American Poet Laureate of Alexandria, Virginia. She

is an Award Winning Performance Poet who has toured the US and the UK. KaNikki is

the author of three novels, two poetry collections, a memoir, a short story, poetry

collection entitled ALABAMA GIRL, VIRGINIA WOMAN and the co-author of THE

ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SELF HEALING VOLUME II. Ms. Jakarta has been interviewed

and featured in newspapers and magazines to include Alexandria Times, Alexandria

Gazette, Patch, and Northern Virginia Magazines. She’s been featured on Podcasts,

radio stations and TV stations to include WUSA9 and Comcast. She is the 2021 DMV

Renaissance Female OG of the Year. She hosts #KaNikkiHarmony 1st Mondays Open

Mic Night at Busboys and Poets Virginia. She facilitates a quarterly workshop entitled:

WRITE LIKE A WOMAN in Alexandria, Virginia, a virtual, monthly workshop entitled

PREP TO PUBLISH, and offers KANIKKI FOR KIDS, a virtual ASL and Affirmation class

for children ages 6 – 11. She presents POETS AND PLATFORMS under the umbrella

of a weekly, online womyn led artistic experience entitled KEEP THE MIC ON where

she is the co-founder. If you think that something she says on the mic might change

your life, you’re probably [email protected]