Inter|Act Spoken Word Open Mic Featuring Santa Cruz Youth Poets Laureate

Are you ready to get your poetry on? Join us on December 2, 2025 at Satori Arts for Inter|Act, a FREE spoken word open mic night, from 7-9 pm, featuring the Santa Cruz Youth Poets Laureate!

Please welcome four members of the Santa Cruz County Youth Poet Laureate cohort for 2025-26. From various corners of Santa Cruz County, these four poets offer fresh, urgent, and creative insights into the worlds they inhabit. Their poems speak to issues which matter to so many of us, reflecting passion and heartbreak; fear for the earth, its inhabitants, and the environment; a curiosity about the community of individuals with which they reside; and above all, a belief in poetry, story and song to offer us all portals for change. 

~ Finn Maxwell, Youth Poet Laureate

Finn Maxwell is a junior in high school. He writes short stories and poems, often taking inspiration from his home in Boulder Creek. Finn's work has been recognized by the Scholastic Writing Awards and the Iowa Young Writers Studio and is present in The Malu Zine, The Blue Marble Review, and The Incandescent Review. When he isn’t writing, he spends his time painting and practicing photography.

~ Sylvi Kayser, Finalist

Sylvi Kayser is an avid writer and poet focused on expression of self. Her work is a reflection of identity, her mind, and humanity as a whole. She has been writing all her life and discovered a love for poetry in eighth grade. Through their work, Sylvi wishes to cultivate spaces of understanding and hope. 

~ Mason Leopold, Finalist

Mason Leopold really loves the spot where life in the Valley, environmental celebration, and artistic language intersect. They hang out here a lot, writing pieces about human and ecological relationships through a sensitive, personal lens. 

~ Xander Shulman, Finalist

Xander Shulman is a musically-driven poet who emphasizes the rhythmic and artistic liberties of his writing. He's a jazz drummer who plays for several groups, namely his band, Gma's Place (@gmajams), at local events and gigs, as well as a bagpiper in Santa Cruz Pipes and Drums, under the performative instruction of Jay Salter, who also has provided poetry guidance. He wants to bring the sound of his music into the thought of his writing, using poetry as a medium to address modern uncertainties in an unfiltered voice.

Come share your spoken word work or poetry with the community, or come out to support our local readers! Sign up to read starting at 6:30 pm. Limited seating. For more information, visit www.maginei.com/openmic.

1st and 3rd Tuesdays.

Free.

Satori Arts, 815 Almar, #9, Santa Cruz (warehouse building near the back, follow signs)

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Host or Publisher Kimberley Bermender