First Years Dominate Open Mic Night.

By Emily Ramser
Photos by LaNise Salley

    Incunabula’s first Open Mic Night went off without a hitch, drawing a crowd of first year performers.  

    Over the past few years, students have been asking for more Open Mic Nights, and Incunabula has responded by adding one or two more to their lineup for the year. This year, however, under new editorship the club is attempting to host Open Mic Nights once a month. This Sept. 11 marked the first of the nine Open Mic Nights that the club has planned. The event lasted for roughly a hour and a half, hosting performances of all kinds including live acoustic music, poetry, and raps.

    Lorina Morton, first year, performed a spoken word piece entitled “Negro 2.0.” The piece, which spoke about being African-American in today’s world, resonated with a lot of the audience.

     “I really liked Lornia’s piece,” first year Amira Bauer-Hutsell said. “It had a gorgeous cadence, and she spoke it with a lot of confidence.”

    Incunabula’s Poetry Editor, junior Shannon Henesy, and Assistant Editor, junior Kayla Conaway, both remarked that Morton’s piece was one of their favorites of the evening.

     “The live music was my favorite,” said first year Kenzie Beard. Junior Molly Blanchard, sophomore Stephanie “Chicky” Arcos, sophomore Alyssa Bozak, junior Sarah Belinga Bigirimana, and sophomore Erin Wertz performed several songs throughout the course of the night. They covered pieces such as “Make You Feel My Love” by Adele and “Stay” by Mayday Parade.

     “I really liked Open Mic Night. The diversity of performances really intrigued me. Everyone was really great and into their performance. I can’t wait for the next one,” junior Krys Gidtrey said.

    Gidtrey also performed.

     “I was kind of nervous, but I felt like I did really well. It was just really emotional, so my voice cracked a few times, but I think I did good,” Gidtrey said.

    When asked what advice they had to give those who were thinking about performing at the next Open Mic Night, which is tentatively scheduled Oct. 16 at 9 p.m., Gidtrey said “people should relax and let loose. Don’t worry. We are all supportive, and there is no need to stress.”

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