Special Outdoor Porchfest Edition: Story & Verse Open Mic

Poets, storytellers, and spoken word fans, join us for a special Porchfest-edition of Story & Verse, the Arts Council of Princeton's monthly open mic. Whether you're a seasoned writer or a first-time performer, Story & Verse offers a warm and welcoming platform to express yourself and engage with a diverse audience of creatives, casual appreciators, and everyone in between. In honor of Porchfest, we're thrilled to take the show outdoors, joining in on the community fun and gathering together an enthusiastic audience for the literary and performing arts on Hinds Plaza.

Held in partnership with the Arts Council of Princeton, the Princeton Public Library and the Princeton University Art Museum, this event will welcome featured performer, spoken word poet, activist, and ceramic artist Roberto Lugo. Lugo’s work will be on view in the exhibition from Saturday, February 15 to Sunday, July 6 at Art@Bainbridge. The exhibition features vases that draw on the shapes, techniques, and decorative motifs of ancient Greek vases to tell personal and communal stories of contemporary social and political oppression.

To learn more about open mic signup on 4/26, visit artscouncilofprinceton.org/story-and-verse. In the event of inclement weather, the event will be held in the Library's Community Room.

About our host:

Brass Rabbit is an artist, contemporary curator, and arts administrator based in Trenton, New Jersey. Rabbit has been creating and hosting poetry, spoken word, and storytelling events in the tri-state area for over a decade. As a performer, the art of storytelling holds a very special place in her heart, but listening to and supporting others is where she feels most at home. Hosting the Story & Verse Open Mic at the Arts Council of Princeton could be called a dream job, but for Rabbit, the position completely lacks any “work-like” qualities and is more of an outstanding experience she looks forward to each month. Previously, Rabbit has hosted the Levitt Amp Music Series, Voice to Ear Festival, Word on Front Poetry Festival, independent poetry and storytelling open mics, and even curated an art exhibition celebrating the art of poetry.

This program is presented as part of Latino Poetry: Places We Call Home, a major public humanities initiative taking place across the nation in 2024 and 2025, directed by Library of America and funded with generous support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Emerson Collective.

Host or Publisher Arts Council of Princeton