NOTO has more to offer than its First Friday Art Walks.

On the evening of Mar. 12, a small group of local poets and writers gathered at the Faces by Mayfield restaurant and art gallery to take part in an Open Mic Night hosted by Matt Spezia, junior marketing major at Washburn.

Located in North Topeka on the corner of N Kansas Ave and NE Norris Street, Faces, owned by Lamenka Jones, is known for its iconic interior with canvas-covered ceiling and column and ivy-lined walls that frame local artists’ work. This backdrop created an intimate setting not unlike a Greek courtyard for the poetry slam.

Kicking off the show was Johnna M./Johnnie Gale, who performed pieces on their struggle to explain their gender fluidity to those around them. To put it simply, Gale feels comfortable operating somewhere between traditional understanding of man and woman, but others around them are still learning and coming to terms with it. Their poems touch on awkward experiences in bathrooms, finding their identity and the pain of parents not understanding them.

Jan Stotts, who referred to herself as “Topeka’s oldest and lamest slam poet,” kept the energy rolling with her pieces focusing on agism in society.

“Downsizing,” Scott’s first poem, spoke of the challenges of downsizing homes and having to get rid of old family furniture when she entered retirement.

“Chairs brought to Kansas in a covered wagon against an oak table, made from the boards of his great-grandfather’s coffin,” Stotts read.

Her second poem touched on her experiences with the politics of health care and the pain of being an elderly person in a country that does not value keeping its population healthy unless they pay a fortune.

Spezia himself stepped up to the microphone and performed his first live rendition of his poem “Free.” The piece touched on the triviality of America’s concept of freedom in the modern age.

“The right to religion, unless it’s not mainstream, or the government is funding a resource war in your region and that thought process must manifest false flag attacks merely to justify a budget increase,” Spezia read.

Next, Kayla Dugan performed a piece of prose poetry she wrote about a tumultuous relationship between two lovers whose relationship unravels in the wake of infidelity.

The final performer of the night was Sadie, who read several poems on her experiences as a black woman and how she has embraced her natural looks.

Spezia plans to bring more Open Mic Nights to Topeka to expand the poetry community of Topeka

At 5:00 in the evening of March 12, a small group of local poets and writers gathered at Faces to take part in an Open Mic Night hosted by Matt Spezia, a junior marketing major at Washburn. Faces is a bar in historic Northern Topeka located on the corner of N Kansas Ave and NE Norris St. Paintings of intimate faces and masks with incredible detail line the walls of Faces entryway before guests spill into a dimly lit dining room adorned with vines and portraits of musicians and artists. Spezia helped organize the Open Mic Night at Faces because he really loved the space, “it’s intimate,” Spezia said.

The crowd taking refuge in the bar away from the cold and windy weather was small but very appreciative of the poets that chose to perform that evening. Spezia welcomed everyone to the event before introducing Johnna M. Johnnie Gale to the stage. Gale performed poems about their experiences being gender queer. The poems focused on their struggles to explain their gender fluidity to people around them. To put it simply, Gale feels comfortable operating somewhere between the traditional understanding of man and woman. Her poems touch on awkward experiences in bathrooms, finding your identity and the pain of parents not understanding you.

Jan Stotts, who referred to herself as “Topeka’s oldest and lamest slam poet,” was the next soul to approach the microphone. Her work touched on the struggles that come with old age. Stott’s first poem “Downsizing” spoke of the challenges of moving from a larger home to a smaller one after retirement. The pain of getting rid of old furniture that carries the weight of ancestors on its back. “Chairs brought to Kansas in a covered wagon against an oak table made from the boards of his great-grandfather’s coffin,” Stotts read. Her second poem touched on the politics of health care and the pain of being an elderly person in a country that does not value keeping you healthy.

Spezia himself stepped up to the microphone and performed his first live rendition of his poem “Free.” The piece touched on the triviality of America’s concept of freedom in the modern age and the rocky history of America still not giving complete and total freedom to all citizens. “The right to religion, unless it’s not mainstream, or the government is funding a resource war in your region and that thought process must manifest false flag attacks merely to justify a budget increase,” Spezia said. Spezia used his energy and words to talk about more injustices and inconsistencies in America’s understanding of the concept of freedom. “Free” touches on mass incarceration, citizens as commodity and class warfare that garnered Spezia’s performance a raucous round of applause.

Kayla Dugan also performed a piece of prose poetry she wrote about a tumultuous relationship between two lovers whose relationship begins to cascade after a suspicion of infidelity. The final performer of the night was Sadie who read several poems on her experiences as a black woman and the people who have tried to control her appearance and how she has embraced her natural looks.

Spezia hopes to bring more Open Mic Nights to Topeka to expand the poetry community of Topeka and bring it in focus. Future Open Mic Nights will be coming soon and Washburn Review will have all the details.