Java Monkey Speaks celebrates ten years of open mic
The open mic night has been running for roughly a millennia in reading series years
- COURTESY COLLIN KELLY
- Collin Kelly and Kodac Harrison accepting 2007 Georgia Author of the Year/Taran Memorial Award for their work on the Java Monkey Speaks anthologies
On Sunday, Java Monkey Speak, Decatur's weekly open mic destination, will celebrate their tenth anniversary. To put that in perspective, ten years of weekly readings translates to roughly a millennia in reading series years. While many others come and gone, Java Monkey Speaks has kept people coming back week after week for what founder Kodac Harrison says have been exactly 517 evenings of spoken word (they missed just a few in an entire decade). We caught up with Harrison and Collin Kelly, who together have edited the Java Monkey Speaks Poetry Anthologies, to ask them about the secret to keeping Java Monkey Speaks going.
What do you think keeps the series going? Why do people keep coming back?
Kodac Harrison: The diversity makes it unique. All are welcome and we don't play favorites, except with features of course. The audience listens and respects the mic. We have great features from all over the world (we have had features born in 15 different countries and from all over this one). We love first time readers.
Collin Kelly: There is no agenda at the open mic. All voices and all kinds of poetry are allowed — with no censorship. You show up, sign up and read. There's no cronyism and no playing favorites, which has been the case at other open mic events.