JCW FRIDAY NIGHTS: One-Mic Stand with SJ

Step up. Speak out. Stand tall.

Jersey City Writers invites you to One-Mic Stand with SJ—an open mic experience like no other! This is where raw talent meets electrifying energy, and every voice has a chance to shine.

On the 2nd Friday of every month, two incredible featured poets will take the stage alongside a lineup of fearless performers from our vibrant poetry community. Open mic slots are 5 minutes each, giving you the perfect space to share your truth—whether it’s poetry, spoken word, or a story waiting to be heard.

Come for the poetry. Stay for the magic. Join the movement.

$10 Suggested Donation (Cash, Venmo, Paypal)

Doors open at 6:30pm, Open Mic starts at 7pm -- first come, first served!

Our Host Steve Willett (SJ) is a sound poet who is actively involved in the poetry community and has had several feature performances around New Jersey. His poem ‘Petulance’ was a shortlisted selection for the University of Grimsby’s Hammond House International Poetry Competition in 2019. Steve serves as moderator for the Jersey City Writers (JC Plums) poetry group, which meets online every week to discuss poetry and improve participants' works. He was also one of the producers for the Jersey City Writers JC Poetry Festival in 2023 and is currently working on the 2025 festival. He is also a teaching artist at Newark School of the Arts. He lives with his wife, 2 daughters, and 5 cats in the Heights. He is excited to have his own Open Mic, (One-Mic Stand with SJ), and give back to a community that has given so much support to him.

02/13 FEATURED ACTS: Isabel Cruz & Christian Morant

Isabel Cruz is a Puerto Rican poet and Emeritus Youth Poetry Ambassador for the Paterson Poetry Festival. Among other awards, she won the 2024 Five College Prose & Poetry Prize and the 2024 Elizabeth Babcock Prize for Best Poem. Her work is published or forthcoming in The Poetry Society of New York, When Women Speak, Ghost City Review, and WAYE Small Press, among others. In October 2024, she was a Featured Poet at the Dodge Poetry Festival. Cruz was recently named a 2025 Brooklyn Poets Fellow and awarded a full scholarship from The Poetry Project for their Late Summer 2025 Learning. As of January 2026, Cruz now sits as Vice President of Word Seed Inc.

Christian Morant is a professional spoken word artist and musician known for his evocative poetry, songwriting, and advocacy for mental health. He is the author of the book GROWTH, award-winning actor for the short film Wormhole, and illustrator of the children's adventure I Belong!. His breakthrough single SNAPPIN' is a juxtaposition to his 2024 album I Am Not A Rapper and, most notably, he is responsible for leading the poetry community and cinema to all new heights by bringing 20 extraordinary artists together in his 2025 production of STAGE PRESENCE. Discover more about Christian at christianmorant.com

Supported by public funds from the Jersey City Arts and Culture Trust Fund