I remember back in High School while I was riding the Metro Bus up the hill of Montana Ave to West High. I was having a ‘delusion of pessimism’ moment, as all angsty teenagers may have, thinking with a limited perception of all it was. And said to myself "There ain't nothing to do in this city." Besides the fact I had no car and was a lazy brat when it came to researching my city, that statement couldn't have been further from the truth. I have been exploring events, particularly open mics in Cincinnati since 2018. I found through my active research, talks with others, and sometimes dumb luck by getting out more, there is SO MUCH TO DO in this city. And then I thought, I said to myself "If I had that thought back then, someone else has also had it as well.
In the first year of going to as many poetry, and music, open mics in the city, it became clear not many people knew what was happening in the city to express themselves. So, I compiled a comprehensive list of open mics, and poetry events happening in the city. As the pandemic came and went, many open mics disappeared or have changed almost entirely.
So, I decided to reintroduce myself and others to where we can go to express themselves artistically. I've been excited to know more events have been coming up in the past year, and there are still some that are not currently on the list that I'm still researching, or have not even heard about...yet. This is an ever-growing list that features open mics, poetry events, music showcases, and more as I begin to explore the city (and in nearby cities) that always has something to do!
The list will be outlined with key points of information to give a good snapchat of what to expect and be prepared for the events. The points are as follows:
Event Name
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Host/Hostess
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Event Type
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Age Requirement
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Expression Levels (Family Friendly, Mature Content, Open Ended)
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Date or Frequency/Day Of The Week
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Time-Frame
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In-Person/Online
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Location
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Venue Details/Parking
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Sound/Audio File Setup
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Entry Fee
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Ticket Link (If Entry Free or RSVP)
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Website(s)
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For More Details Contact
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Flier
If you are familiar with open mic events, artists showcases, musical events that I should check out, or have any other questions on the list, then please leave a comment or send me an email. Enjoy the list, and go out and do something, because there's plenty to do, you just have to go look! :)
SPOKEN WORD & POETRY
DuWaup’s Cincinnati Poetry Slam
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Hosted by DuWaup
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Spoken Word Slam Competition
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Ages 16+
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Open Ended
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Bi-Monthly: March 9th, May 4th, July 13th, September 14th, & November 9th, 2024
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From 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
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In-Person
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Artsville (5021 Whetsel Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45227)
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Art Exhibit, Event Center, and Concert Theatre w/ vendors. Food, soft drinks, & adult beverages available for purchase.
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Wired Microphone w/ Theatre’s Sound System & DJ’s Mixer Setup
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$25 General Admission / $35 Poet Registration / $40 Vendor Registration
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Kim “DuWaup” Bolden
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Friday Night Life Presents... 1 Mic Poetry: Showcase Edition
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Hosted by DJ Apryl Reign / Curated by Life Da Poet
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Poetry Open Mic/Showcase
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Ages 21+
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Open Ended
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Friday, March, 1, 2024
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From 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM
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In-Person
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Reds Westside VenYou (3050 Harrison Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45211)
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Event Center w/ bar for adult beverages, food vendor and free snacks. Parking available in the back of the building along with Madcap Puppets parking lot next door.
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Microphone Through DJ's Mixer Setup w/ Venue Speaker System
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$15/Optional Cash Bucket for Performing Artists
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CashApp $LifeDaPoet or Cash At The Door
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Life Da Poet @
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MoPoetry Phillips Presents: Hit the Mic Cincy's Open Mic
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Hosted by God’s Grace Poet & DJ October
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Spoken Word/Poetry & Open to Other Artistic Expressions
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All Ages
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Family Friendly/Open Ended
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Monthly on a Friday (Friday, February 16, 2024)
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From 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM
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In-Person
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Oasis at Grace (5524 Belmont Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45224)
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Private Venue w/ cash bar for food, alcoholic drinks and refreshments. Parking available on the side of the building and across the street in College Hill Recreation Center parking lot.
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Bluetooth Boombox Speaker w/ Wired Microphone. Artists Using Audio Tracks, Send Files to DJ October @ theselfcarestory@gmail.com.
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$10 Presale / $15 At The Door
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CashApp $MoneecaPhillips
PayPal 1mopoetry@gmail.com
Venmo @moneeca-phillips
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MoPoetry Phillips
513-344-0870
God’s Grace Poet
DJ October
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Japp's Presents: Wordplay Thursdays
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Hosted by Lucky Lee / Curated by Def Poets Society
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Spoken Word & Acapella Open Mic w/ Feature
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Ages 21+
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Open Ended
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Every Third Thursday of the Month
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From 8:00 PM - 12:00 AM
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In-Person
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Japps OTR (1134 Main St, Cincinnati, OH 45202)
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Bar w/ drink specials, front & back outside patio, free parking on street & nearby payment parking lot(s).
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Wired Microphone w/ Venue's Speaker System
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$Free.99 w/ Donations Optional to Def Poets Society or Featured Poet
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Lucky Lee
Nick Fury
https:///www.instagram.com/nickfurythepoet/
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Imani Productions Presents: Monday Nights At The Comet
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Hosted by JayBee Lamahj / Curated by Siri Imani
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Music & Poetry Open Mic
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18+
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Open Ended
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Every Monday
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From 8:00 PM to 1:00 AM
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In-Person
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The Comet (4579 Hamilton Ave, Cincinnati 45223)
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Bar w/ a kitchen, karaoke machine, pool table and back patio for smoking. Free parking on the street(s).
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Two Microphones w/ Venue's Speaker System via DJ's Mixer Setup, Email Audio Tracks to DJ Spence Makes Beats!
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$Free.99
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https:///www.facebook.com/TheCometCincinnati/
https:///www.instagram.com/cometbar/
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Siri Imani
JayBee Lamahj
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Park Place Restaurant presents: Soul Scripts Open Mic
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Hosted by Dawn "The Psalmist" Crooks & DJ Sean Solomon
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Poetry & Music Open Mic
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Ages 21+
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Open Ended/Mature Content
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Every Third Wednesday of the Month
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From 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
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In-Person
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Park Place Restaurant (1185 Kemper Meadow Dr, Cincinnati, OH 45240)
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Restaurant Bar w/ food & drink specials including half price wine. Performance room, back dining area and private event room. Bookings for free party can be RSVP'd. Free parking in the venue's lot.
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DJ Speaker System w/ Mixer Setup, USB/AUX Cord for Audio Tracks
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$Free.99
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Park Place
513-825-8888
The Psalmist
DJ Sean Solomon
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Perfect Verse: Spoken Word + Poetry Night
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Hosted by Ty Victoria &/or Laurent Che
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Spoken Word Performance w/ Live Band
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Ages 16+
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Open Ended/Mature Content
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Every Last Wednesday of the Month
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From 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM
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In-Person
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Nostalgia Wine & Jazz Lounge (1432 Vine Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202)
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Jazz Lounge w/ Bar, front/back patio for smoking or fresh air, two lounge areas (one near the bar, one near the stage). Parking lot next door is available. If not, other parking lots in the city and/or meter street parking in varying accessibility.
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Microphone Connected to The Venue's Surround Sound System
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RSVP is Recommended/Free Entry
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Nostalgia
Ty Victoria
Laurent Che
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Plugged Poets: A Celebration of Black History | DazeTran February Residency
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Hosted by Bailey Bayer
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Poetry & Music Performance w/ Open Mic (Depending on Host's Work Schedule)
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All Ages
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Open Ended/Family-Friendly
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Last Friday of The Month (February 23rd, 2024)
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From 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM / Potential Extension to 7:30 PM (Depending on Host's Work Schedule)
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In-Person
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Roebling Books & Coffee - Dayton, KY (301 Sixth Ave. Dayton, KY, 41074)
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Street Parking
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Host supplies audio and speaker setup
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Free.99
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Bailey Bayer
859-322-4013
Jaiden Bolin (Event Coordinator)
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The Poetry Club | A Writer's Group
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Hosted by LeRoy D. Bean
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Writing Workshop (Poetry, Journaling, Freewrite)
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Ages 17+
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Open Ended
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Bi-Weekly on Monadys (February 19th, 2024)
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From 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
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Online
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Zoom Meeting
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Free.99/RSVP
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LeRoy D. Bean
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Poetry Night at Sitwell's
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Hosted by Ellen Austin-Li
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Poetry Open Mic w/ Feature(s)
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All Ages
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Open-Ended/Family-Friendly
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First Tuesday of the Every Month
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From 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
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In-Person
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Sitwell's Coffeehouse (324 Ludlow Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45220)
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Coffeeshop w/ small brunch food options, back sitting and front sitting near performance area. Free/Metered parking on street(s) and nearby parking lots.
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Wired Microphone w/ Mixer to Single Boom Speaker.
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$Free.99
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Ellen Austin-Li
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Word of Mouth Cincinnati
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Hosted by Jim Palmarini
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Poetry Open Reading w/ Feature
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All Ages
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Open Ended
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Last Sunday of the Month
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From 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
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In-Person
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MOTR Pub (1345 Main St, Cincinnati, OH 45202)
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Restaurant/Bar w/ front concert stage, downstairs area, & back patio. Street parking, metered and free, and Ziegler Park parking lot is available.
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Wired Microphone w/ Venue Speaker System
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$Free.99
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Jim Palmarini
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MUSIC
Coming Soon...
Original SoLar Open Mic List! on February 16, 2019 via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/composedinsolprofile/posts/424081931664274
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