Open Mic Poetry Night

Name: Open Mic Poetry Night
Start: 2025-11-21T19:00:00-06:00
End: 2025-11-21T20:00:00-06:00
Location: 2629 Beaver Ave Ste S1, Des Moines, IA, United States, Iowa 50310

Schedule

Fri Nov 21 2025 at 07:00 pm to 08:00 pm

UTC-06:00

Location

2629 Beaver Ave Ste S1, Des Moines, IA, United States, Iowa 50310 | Des Moines, IA

Do you love to write poetry? Or read poetry? If so, grab a friend and head to Beaverdale Books for a free, fun, and informal evening of open mic poetry, cosponsored by the wonderful nonprofit, Poetry Palooza. Bring an original work or select a classic sonnet. Sing a song or share an essay. All are welcome.
This month’s event will be led by Iowa poets Kelsey Bigelow and Caleb “the Negro Artist” Rainey and will also feature local contributors to the new Poetry Potluck Anthology -Volume 2.
Kelsey Bigelow is a spoken word and page poet based in Des Moines. In her work, she molds incredibly specific emotions into something human, digestible, and cathartic. She is the author of Far from Broken, a chapbook, Sprig of Lilac, of a spoken word album, Depression Holders and Secret Keepers. Her work is published in or forthcoming with Central Avenue Publishing, Pile Press, Lyrical Iowa, Backchannels Journal, Spirit Lake Review, and elsewhere, and she is a 2024 Pushcart Prize nominee. She’s the founder and leader of the Des Moines Poetry Workshop, the chair for the Iowa Poetry Association Poetry Slam, the co-tournament director for the BlackBerry Peach National Poetry Slam, and more.
Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey is an author, performer, and event producer. He hails from Columbia, Missouri, and holds a B.A. in English (Creative Writing) from the University of Iowa. His debut book, Look, Black Boy, became Amazon’s #1 new release in African American poetry, and was awarded first prize in the North Street Book Prize. His second book, Heart Notes was published in 2019 and was featured on Iowa Public Radio. Caleb was the recipient of the 2024 Iowa Author Award for Poetry. He also co-founded the literary magazine Black Art; Real Stories, was published in Iowa’s Best Emerging Poets – 2019, the Little Village Magazine, and wrote a monthly column for The Real Mainstream. For three years in a row, he was named Best Poet/Spoken Word Performer in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City.
For more poetry happenings, visit www.poetryamp.org.