Creative minds and artistic souls met on Oct. 23 for the Harlem Bomb Shelter’s monthly open mic nights. In the dimly lit and moody Conversation Room on Malcolm X Boulevard, spoken word poets from all over New York came out to perform their new, original poems for the lyrical ears of the Bomb Shelter.
In keeping with the Halloween season, the event included a costume contest. First up to introduce the show was host Poetic Boy D, dressed as Ghostface from the movie “Scream.” Poetic Boy D opened the show and explained the format of the night’s session: The Harlem Bomb Shelter’s Open Mic Night is a three-and-half hour show with a sign-up sheet for performers. Since March 2012, poets and artists can sign up and wait their turn to take the stage. Each performer gets a total of four minutes and each show has one featured artist who gets 15 minutes to perform. At the end of the show, the audience picks their favorite for the night with an applause-o-meter.
The night’s featured artist, Will Succeed The Artist, came to perform his new work, saying “I am not going to stand in anyone’s shadow, because I have one of my own.” The 15-minute feature covered topics of his childhood dealing with domestic violence, mental health, and growing up in New York’s Black community. His insightful and powerful words bounced off the echo walls, “You’re more like Mufasa and I am more like Scar. I am the cloud. You’re the stars, and you’re the best at who you are. You are free, but I put myself in prison bars, another Black boy statics,” he said.
The rest of the show featured over 20 poets who came up one by one and performed their original pieces that sent snaps instead of claps into the air. One of the poets, Paul Kretz (@peenyc19_), came to the open mic as a way to grieve. He wrote an original piece about his brother, who passed away earlier in the day. “Sam, I see you coming with your fro coming out your hat, and your skinny jeans, slow stepping. Smiling from ear to ear. That was the start day. From Biggie to Nirvana. From rooftops and hotel lobbies in Queens, it was one our favorite spots and those memories will not be missed,” said Kretz. At the end of his set, he discussed the importance of a community show like the Harlem Bomb Shelter. Kretz, who is two years sober, uses the Harlem Bomb Shelter as an outlet to express himself.
Another poet who spoke on the topic of loss, Ji-hye (@jrheespeaks), is part of the Harlem Bomb Shelter’s poetry workshops. The online free workshops will return in March 2025 for the Bomb Shelter’s 13th anniversary. She was encouraged to read her work at the session. She wrote a piece about her late grandfather, describing him saying “the sounds of his heavy footsteps and the boom of his laughter. I don’t believe in God, but I see my grandfather in the skies that held his gaze …”
One of the founders, The Artists Anubis (@brokenmirroroms), will host a six-part workshop series in January and February. The dates will be announced later on the Harlem Bomb Shelters’ Instagram.
Anubis came and took the stage next dressed as Superman. Other costumes included Jaz (oohshelocd), dressed as a Bratz Doll; and Darius (d.lovehall6) with his poem, “Are You Ok?,” a poem about his mental health with his therapist, satirically dressed as The Joker.
DJ else.james gave her cover of Adele’s “Someone Like You” and was accompanied by her guitar. @Poetic_Brey, or Lola Bunny, on her struggles of being a poet, said “Every time I write, I cut myself, bleed on the pages so that someone can seek refuge in my mental asylum … I used to take my pen and hold it to [the] vein and pretend to draw blood, only now I realized that to be a writer, I believe I had to bleed.”
After a short break, where the participants were challenged to socialize and meet five new people on Instagram, the closing act Natalie (@nataliewritepoetry) was the most powerful of the night. She read her original poetry about her two years of being a stripper and sex worker. She used places like the Harlem Bomb Shelter as a testing ground for her work to reach her goal of publishing a book about her work. She describes her experience as “meditative practice.” Her poem visually puts you in the shoes of a stripper, “counting seconds, counting songs, can you feel it? He asks. They ask that a lot. I smile. I have seventeen minutes and I have to finish and dance my way through, and here how’s I get through …” she said.
The show wrapped up with the Halloween Contest, which was won by Poetic Brey as Lola Bunny. Poetic Boy D closed the show announcing their two shows for the year on Nov. 21 and Dec. 26. The Artists Anubis spoke on that night’s session and the upcoming sessions as a way to “continue creating a community and we’re going off at the Bomb Shelter!”