Coinciding with National Poetry Month, Poetry@Tech hosted an Open Mic Night as part of a series of events for the 2025 TechArts Festival. Poetry@Tech invited students to the Ferst Center for the Arts to read their original poems to an audience of their peers, paired with refreshments and a welcoming atmosphere.
Travis Denton and Victoria Chang lead the poetry program at Tech. Denton serves as the associate director for Poetry@Tech and aids Chang, the director for Poetry@Tech. Both teach poetry in the Institute’s School of Literature, Media, and Communication.
The Open Mic Night featured a variety of writers, many of whom were in poetry classes. However, some students who attended crafted their own poems without taking a class, and some people did not attend Tech but wanted to showcase their poetry.
The styles of poetry ranged anywhere from spoken word to narrative, surreal poems that explored themes of family, friendship, loss and acceptance. Although some speakers expressed how the Open Mic was their first time sharing their poetry, each one of them delivered their writing with a proud voice.
The event lasted over an hour and a half, filled with the words of student poets and their passions. Every poet was able to get an equal amount of respect and attention. The supportive atmosphere even inspired a few audience members to volunteer to read their writing spontaneously.
Thomas Brazzle, assistant director for the Office of the Arts, commented that “the arts bring us together as a community.”
This community was evident at the poetry reading, as audience members clapped and cheered for strangers and friends alike.
“I appreciated … the bravery. There were a lot of people saying this was the first time [they read their work]. I think it was a great community type of environment,” Brazzle added.
In addition, he pointed out how studying arts at Tech is a unique experience compared to other organizations.
“One of the things that’s sticking out to me is the multifaceted approach. At Tech, there’s so many different things you can build off of,” he said. For Brazzle, who comes from a non-profit background, being at Tech has given him much more freedom to experiment and try out new events. His sentiment showed in the poetry event, where students of various majors came together to share their work.
The Open Mic Night was a part of the more significant celebration of the TechArts Festival. The GT Musician’s Network already hosted their 1000 Couches Festival, which featured Tech bands playing live music.
In addition, some upcoming events include DramaTech’s rendition of “Spring Awakening,” a musical; ARTlanta, where students can make artworks such as paintings, bracelets and pottery; and an Art Gallery Expo held in the Ferst Center.
Brazzle also stated that he was looking forward to the GT Arts Block Party, which will close out the festival on April 18. This event features food trucks, games, screen printing and glow-in-the-dark canvas painting. In addition, there will be dance performances from Tech’s own Tekstyles, GT Dance Company, and GT FlashMob.
Poetry@Tech and Arts@Tech are great organizations for students to branch out and express their creativity. Catch any of these events on campus for a chance to support the arts program and pick up a new hobby.