Photo/Ed Karvoski Jr.
By Ed Karvoski Jr., Contributing Writer
Westborough – The first of what is planned to be a monthly Literary Arts Open Mic Night debuted Sept. 26 in the Event Room at Tatnuck Bookseller, Gift Gallery and Café. Serving as moderator is Zorina Frey, author and owner of IWA Publishing Services, a self-publishing business. Frey recently moved to Westborough from Indiana and felt it would be a good opportunity to mingle with other local writers.
“There are literary open mic nights in Boston, but I's having a hard enough time finding my way around Westborough,” she said with a laugh. “I's new to this area and poetry is my first love, so naturally I's going to gravitate to the local bookstore.”
One of that evening's participants had recently relocated from India. She shared two of her poems.
“This gives that young lady a place to come and meet new people as well,” Frey said. “I foresee it's going to be a great venue for artists to come and collaborate.”
The evening is a platform for lovers of any type of literature: authors, playwrights, poets, and even musicians and singers.
“Poetry is the root of music,” Frey noted. “Singing music is a ballad, so that is welcomed. It all starts with words. Let's bring some different styles into this to make it a more entertaining event.”
Guests have the microphone for at least three minutes. Depending on the number of participants, they might be called to the podium again.
“I want to help people express themselves; it's a healing tool,” Frey said. “Most importantly, aspiring writers can come in with journals they'se written. They know they'se got something, but don's know what to do with it. This will be a place for them to come and get support. With encouragement, you never know where it's going to lead.”
Free and open to the public, the next Literary Arts Open Mic will be Thursday, Oct. 24, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Then it will take place the fourth Thursday of each month excluding November and December because of the holidays. Tatnuck Bookseller is located at 18 Lyman Street in the Westborough Shopping Center.
