Open Mic Rules

Blip Roasters stays open late just for PUKC, and we will return their kindness by picking up after ourselves and respecting any rules they have in place.

Taking phone calls, having side conversations, or being disruptive while someone is on the mic is not okay.
- If anyone in the audience needs to take a break from content they find triggering/upsetting, they can exit the performance area quietly & respectfully.
ALWAYS use mic covers!

Each poet is allowed to perform one poem, up to five minutes long.
- A poet’s time starts as soon as they begin speaking to the audience.
If a poet has 2-3 short pieces, they may perform them all as long as the total performance time stays within the five-minute limit.

Every poet who steps onto our stage is brave for sharing their truth, and everyone in the audience is also brave for holding those truths.
This is a community, and we will hold one another accountable for the things said and done at our events. Hate speech is NEVER allowed on the mic. If that kind of content is shared on stage, expect that we will have a conversation about it.
We believe in emotional and physical consent; everyone in our space must ask if it’s ok to touch someone or talk to them in depth about their pieces.

Poetry is a conversation! The audience can snap, clap, stomp their feet, or shout out a respectful “wow,” “okay,” “speak poet,” etc., if they hear something they like.

If a poet performs problematic, silencing, or harmful content, the audience can hiss to let the poet on stage know that they don’t like what is being said.