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pen mic poetry nights offer not only a more inclusive literary scene in the capital, but also a platform for poets to express themselves in ways they find difficult in their day-to-day lives.

A growing number of poetry gigs can be found in the city, allowing participants to become poets for one night. The open mic gigs provide a stage where poets can voluntarily read out their own poems or others’ work in front of an audience.

Paviliun Puisi (Poetry Pavilion) is an open mic night that has been held monthly at café and art space Paviliun 28 in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, since June 2017.

The event, held on the last Saturday of each month, is open to anyone of any background, though budding and established poets can be spotted at the event every now and then.

A group of five organizers, four of whom are poets, have been voluntarily managing the event, which is free for anyone willing to spend their evening dwelling with words.

The founders, husband and wife poets Mikael Johani and Gratiagusti Chananya Rompas, initiated the open mic night as they felt poetry had belonged only to “a certain few”, thus the event aimed at offering people with alternative ways to access poetry.

“We feel that the poetry and literary scenes have been pretty exclusive […] We want to break the walls,” Kezia Alaia, one of the Paviliun Puisi organizers, told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

The event starts at 7 p.m. and ends at 12 a.m., with up to 50 people taking turns to read on stage each night, while dozens of others watch from their seats. Kezia said the age of the participants could range from 16 to 38 years old.

The open micers are given the freedom to recite their poems in any way they want, such as by adding musical instruments or even pulling stunts, like performing a mock-up cooking show with real chicken while reciting their poem.

“We encourage the participants to talk about problems in their lives through our selection of themes, which are rather progressive,” Kezia said.

The organizers would notify participants about the theme a week prior to the open mic night through the group’s Instagram account @paviliunpuisi.

A regular at the Paviliun Puisi open mic night, Putri D, 21, said the night allowed her to channel her poetic enthusiasm — something that she could not do by day as a communications staffer at an international financial institution.

“I have been actively writing and performing my poems. On top of that, watching my friends perform has also helped hone my critical thinking skills,” she said.

Putri conceded that open mic nights had shown that there was no right or wrong way in performing arts, as everyone had the right to express themselves through poetry.

Meanwhile, lawyer Nike Maliq, 34, is often in the audience. She finds the event a way to dip into another world that she cannot encounter in her day-to-day life.

“Many of the performers are not professional poets. It is interesting to find out what is inside of other people’s minds,” she said.

As a literary enthusiast, the open mic night allows her to explore poetry beyond established names.

Aside from Paviliun Puisi, another group of five poetry enthusiasts united under the name Unmasked Poetry have also been holding an open mic night three times a year. The group also collaborate with other communities and organizations to hold such sessions besides holding them independently.

Ayu Meutia Azevy, one of the founders and organizers of the Unmasked Poetry open mic night, said 30 to 50 people from various backgrounds with ages ranging from 16 to 45 years old took part in the sessions.

Only 15 people can get on the stage to recite their poems, though the figure might change depending on the scale of the event.

“With the open mic night, it is clear that poetry has become inclusive for everyone. We do not need to study poetry at school or hold a master’s of arts to enjoy poetry, as it is not only for the elites,” she said.

Ayu expressed hope that through such events, people would be encouraged to express themselves through writing and reciting their poems.

“We support people who also want to improve their mental health by expressing themselves through poetry,” she said. (ars)