Off the Mic

OFF THE MIC, is an organization created by a group of poets who love the art of spoken word/poetry. Our goal is to maintain the legacy of poetry, in Detroit, by creating opportunities for community engagement and artist development while reinforcing the culture of storytelling.

We have done all of these through:

ARTIST DEVELOPMENT: OTM aims to provide poets/spoken word artists with opportunities to learn from their own peers and poets who have built a successful career as a poet/and or spoken word artist. We also provide many ethically paid opportunities for poets to exercise their writing skills through call for poets used to support local community initiatives, fun writing contests, video projects and recurring signature OTM events that merge storytelling with local artists of various mediums and/or opportunities for spoken word poets to prepare for a show beyond your typical open mic feature with a live band.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES: OTM has a program called "Giving Words" that gives poets a chance to use their own talents and skill sets to give back to their local communities, while also giving opportunities to implement their own programming for events.  

BUILDING/SUSTAINING COMMUNITY: Currently, OTM hosts a Labor Day cookout called "Motown Artistry Cookout" that celebrates our existing community and aims to sustain the culture. In addition, OTM hosts "Sunrise Detroit" which is an intergenerational event that supports local entrepreneurs and builds a sustainable platform for emerging musicians, poets and spoken word artists while sustaining a culture of community.

ARCHIVAL EFFORTS: OTM recognizes the importance of archiving our efforts while also giving reverence to the longstanding history of spoken word in Detroit. Our archival efforts also include panel discussions with local poets who have made a career out of their poetry.

Once we have secured funding the team will allocate funding to our upcoming/existing projects under the umbrella of "OFF THE MIC" 

These buckets include: 

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

• We will be able to provide our dedicated and consistent volunteers with an end of the year celebration as a token of our appreciation as well as small stipends that will help them advance their own creative projects

ARCHIVAL EFFORTS: 

• We will be able to hire videographers and photographers to document the works of spoken word artists, while also maintaining a digital database for a one-stop-shop for Detroit Poetry's past, present and future

ARTIST DEVELOPMENT/PAID OPPORTUNITIES: 

• These funds will help us continue to pay poets/spoken word artists what they are worth without sacrificing the various resources needed to have a successful event (i.e venue space, food/beverage costs, operational costs, marketing/promotion etc.) 

BUILDING/SUSTAINING COMMUNITY:

• These funds will help us continue to host free/donation based events that builds and sustains the poetry community

Social 

OTM continues to uplift/cultivate the cultural significance and importance of storytelling and preserving our history. In addition, Poetry can be healing for people experiencing mental illness and adversity within their own communities. 

Economic 

OTM provides paid opportunities to local Detroit poets/spoken word artists that will assist them with their own personal projects and expenses. While providing opportunities for marketplace and e-commerce.

Environmental 

It is statistically proven that when you enrich the lives of communities you enhance the environments that they live in. Art is what brings a city to life, and OTM has partnered with many community organizers to advance their social causes and build their own organizational capacity.