Caliper Hosts An Open Mic At The Poets House

Ada Gordon is a Features editor for The Spectator.

Walking into a building adorned with books, poetry, and literary history, Stuyvesant students settled into the creative atmosphere of Poets House. From munching on homemade brownies to listening to performances, for the second year in a row, Stuyvesant’s creative students were presented with the opportunity to perform in a literary haven. 

Caliper, Stuyvesant’s largest literary magazine, hosted an Open Mic event at Poets House from 5:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. on April 17. Students, from all grades and an array of creative writing experience, gathered to perform pieces of their choice in front of an audience of their peers. Supervised by art teacher William Wrigley, the event began with snacks and refreshments brought by the Caliper editorial board. 15 minutes later, students were gathered in a separate room, listening to a variety of creative pieces from poetry to comedy improv acts. 

Before the pandemic, a club separate from Caliper hosted Open Mic events regularly in the library. The event and club were lost after the pandemic. “We wanted to restore the Open Mic tradition, giving students a space to share their work,” junior and Caliper Editor-in-Chief Ada Gordon said.

Caliper reignited Stuyvesant’s Open Mic tradition last spring. For the past two years, Caliper partnered with the newly reopened Poets House, a nonprofit poetry library in Lower Manhattan. “Last year, when Poets House reopened, we were really interested in getting in touch with them because Caliper had been in touch with them previously,” Gordon said. “In 2024, we were directed to Poets House’s youth advisor, [...] and because Poets House wanted to reform the relationship with Caliper, they allowed us to use the space free of charge.”

After last year’s success, Poets House were willing to lend their space for the event. “It was really helpful that we’d had an open mic there [at Poets House] before,” said sophomore and Caliper Deputy Editor Skye Lily Charles. “Poets House took care of the setup and provided us with different rooms, for instance.” 

However, despite the smoother process than last year, challenges arose in scheduling. Late planning squeezed the timeline, as the event needed to precede spring break and Caliper’s submission deadline. A scheduling conflict with chorus rehearsals also limited turnout, though a homework pass incentive from English teacher Alice Yang boosted participation. “There were just some stressful nights of frantically begging people to come while simultaneously baking brownies,” Gordon said.

The Poets House’s main room, dotted with small chairs and shelves furnished with poetry collections, was filled with the aroma of snacks and cookies for participants to enjoy. “I [thought] we’d just cram 50 kids into a library, but the waiting area was pretty chill. We could hang out with people we knew and eat the free treats they gave us. I was able to talk with a lot of my classmates freely there too,” sophomore Andrew Chin said.

The Open Mic provided welcoming space for those interested in performing, and students were given the opportunity to hear their classmates and friends’ creative work. “The event was labeled as a judgement-free zone, and it really did feel like it,” sophomore Rachel Liu said in an email interview. “It was a nice little break from school and the homework workload. I recognized some of my former and current classmates at the event, and it was nice being able to hear their writing pieces, which were often longer and completed, as opposed to just snippets of their ideas that are shared in class.”

Sophomore Tessa Haidu expanded on this sentiment, explaining how students’ poetry piqued her interest. “It was really cool hearing everyone’s poetry, which was often really good and I thought it was crazy that people in my grade were writing like that,” Haidu said. 

Many students shared poems that held special meaning to them. Junior Ryan Moy performed his poem, titled “Threads of Tradition”. “This poem was about being able to see the smaller details of culture that my mother maintained in my family,” Moy said.

The event gave students a unique opportunity to explore their creative mind and to practice speaking in front of an audience. “I thought it would be cool to get out of my comfort zone,” Haidu said. “It felt like something I probably wouldn’t get another opportunity to do for a while.”

Some even took the stage alongside their peers, from improv duos to paired poetry readings, showcasing the event’s emphasis on creative freedom and collaborative spirit. “I went up with my classmate Ethan because we both found the same novel Death in Venice interesting. It was pretty fun preparing with him, since collaborating with other people on something like this is kind of entertaining,” Chin said.

From Sufi-inspired poetry and free-form to flash-fiction and a short performance from Agatha Christie’s Three Blind Mice, students displayed breadth in their choice of piece. “I thought the Caliper event was the perfect opportunity to branch out and get exposed to a variety of pieces of writing created by other Stuyvesant students,” Liu said.

Buoyed by this year’s success, Caliper plans for another Open Mic in June, carefully avoiding calendar clashes. “Next time, we’re hoping to get more people to show how amazing and impactful creative writing can be for people,” Charles said. 

With Poets House’s continued partnership, the club aims to sustain the event as a platform for vulnerability and connection. “In general, we want this event to become a steady, yearly Stuyvesant tradition. I’m super excited for all of our future events; I think a lot of students are super interested in sharing their creative work, which just makes me so happy,” Gordon said. “I’m so glad Caliper has really become a haven for creatives at Stuy.”