Say The Thing: Thursday, August 28, 7.30pm
We are doing it again. Join us to watch poets, essayists, storytellers do their thing. Bring your ‘thing’ to say. Come and be heard…with your spoken word. Note the change of day this month (Thursday).
We are back. Underworld Tavern. This month, and this month only, we’re on a Thursday. Next Thursday, August 28, from 7.30pm. I’ll be your MC, and sign up is on the night. Come along a little earlier than 7.30 and put your name down to read your poem or story or essay or speech or blog — read what you think needs to be said! Come along even earlier and enjoy the fantastic hospitality of a great place.
There’s a Facebook event if that’s your thing. But the details are all there. We appreciate a Koha on the night. We look forward to having you in the audience, or up on the stage — or both.
It’s a safe space, designed for you to say your poem or story or essay — or comedy routine (I keep hoping a comic will come along and test five minutes of material in this venue as part of this night). The microphone is there for you to Say The Thing you want to say.
Here’s how it started:
So You Thought You’d Start An Open-Mic Night For Poets and Storytellers and Essayists!
My good friend Emily Writes said to me, many moons ago, “Why are there no open-mic nights for essayists? Why can’t a short story writer get up and read their story somewhere? It’s always just poets. Bloody poets. Fucking bloody poets!” (I might be paraphrasing, but I’ll keep the quote marks just in case I’m not).
And here’s how it’s been going:
Say The Thing, Round Three: We Are Here Not By Fluke! (Wednesday, July 23, 2025)
Last week was round three of Say The Thing — the spoken-word event we kicked off at Underworld in May. Three months in, we’re no fluke now, we’re a regular event, yo!
We’ve had three good months at it so far. Let’s make this the fourth then!
Hope to see you, and your literary-minded friends there next Thursday, August 28. Underworld Tavern, Pirie Street, Mt. Vic, Wellington. We’ll start the readings at 7.30 sharp.
Be there before that to sign up on the night!
