JCW FRIDAY NIGHTS: One-Mic Stand with SJ - THE POETRY PROM

COME ON OUT FOR OUR 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!
It's our FIRST ANNUAL POETRY PROM!!!
Time to get gussied up and celebrate with One Mic Stand with SJ as we celebrate 1 year of amazing poetry and art!!
What is the Poetry Prom? More details to come, but I can say that it will be something not to be missed!!

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.

03/13 FEATURED ACTS: Gia Clark-Grillo & Cyn Grace Sylvie

Gia Clark-Grillo is a local New Jersey poet and subversive, making her way in the world today, giving it everything she’s got!
She has hosted and participated in community workshops and open mics, all focusing on poetry as a cathartic and accessible art form.
She has been published in Outlook Springs, Soup Can Magazine, as part of the Red Wheelbarrow Poet’s anthology and as the featured poet in the second issue of By The Waye.

Cyn Grace Sylvie (she/they) is a queer neurodivergent writer, multimedia artist, and spiritual educator, and the founder of TAROT CHURCH, a tarot education movement that aims to destigmatize tarot across faith systems. Cyn is a recipient of Epiphany Magazine’s 2017 Short Nonfiction Prize, and long-listed as a Notable Nonfiction Selection in ‘The Best American Essays of 2018’ (Mariner Books). Their writing has appeared in Dewdrop, Open Secrets Magazine, and The Rumpus. Their first chapbook, “What Sharp Teeth” was published by Crying Heart Press in October of 2025. They are first generation Italian-American diaspora, and reside in Jersey City, NJ.

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