Rob Jenkins reads from his book Angles of Danger at Stardust Video & Coffee .
LiteratureLitlando , Orlando ’ s Literary Landscape by Mary McGinn
I took my last creative writing course at the University of Central Florida in 2013 . When it was over , I was relieved . I ’ d finally have time to fi nish writing my novel . In lieu of classes , I picked up two more bartending gigs and a social life fueled by cigarettes and whiskey . It was awesome .
Except , I didn ’ t work on the novel . In fact , I didn ’ t write anything for over a year .
I can ’ t say writing even crossed my mind too much , until I stumbled upon Diverse Word . This outdoor open mic takes place in the courtyard in front of Dandelion Communitea Cafe every Tuesday [ rain or shine ], and has for over nine years . The performers are mostly a mix of poets , comedians , storytellers , and songwriters . The community is close-knit but welcoming ; the mic ’ s host , Shawn Welcome , makes sure of that . I broke a year of writer ’ s block with a spoken word poem , an ode to whiskey .
Diverse Word was my fi rst foray into Litlando , Orlando ’ s multifarious literary scene . S . A . F . E . Words soon became my second .
The S . A . F . E . in S . A . F . E . Words is an acronym which stands for nothing . Or possibly anything .
Orlando ’ s Art Scene , v . 1.2
S . A . F . E . Words ’ originator , Curtis X Meyer , may tell you it stands for Some Acronym for Everyone . Poet Matador might suggest Sharing Art Fosters Empathy , while Jacyln believes Soap Boxes Are For Everyone .
S . A . F . E . Words slam poets converge on Milk Bar Lounge for competitive poetry two Thursday nights a month . On other Thursdays , you can fi nd Milk Bar home to the Spilled Milk Literary Open Mic . The night is organized by local writer Joe XO , who intends to “ create a place for Litlando to bridge the gap between slam poetry and sci-fi novel , blog post and college thesis , screenplay and fanfi c .”
Poetry and prose play nice at Spilled Milk , but they throw down at There Will Be Words ’ event Clash of the Word Titans . Here , the two genres face off in head-to-head battle ; the genre with the last representative standing is crowned victor . There Will Be Words also produces a monthly reading series in downtown Orlando ’ s Gallery at Avalon Island .
Also residing in downtown Orlando is the Orlando Story Club . The club can be found the fi rst Wednesday of the month at The Abbey ( not to be confused with the Abbey Bar in DeLand , where the Breaking Bad Poetry Slam goes down every Third Thursday ). Stories are also the center of attention at Stardust Video & Coffee on the second Wednesday with the Short Attention Span Storytelling Hour . One can witness weekend storytelling at Sleeping Moon the last Saturday night of the month .
This litany of literary events just scratches the surface of what Orlando has to offer . With institutions like The Kerouac Project , Writer ’ s Atelier , Exodus United , Bookmark It , and Functionally Literate all producing regular events , Litlando doesn ’ t get stale .
The freshest event in the scene promises to become my favorite . Loose Lips , hosted by local legend , Tod Caviness , encourages writers to interpret current events in prose , poetry , and rants . It ’ s located inside Lil Indies , and it ’ s where I can be found the fi rst Tuesday of every month . In this cozy cavern on Mills , I will listen , maybe sip a shot of bourbon , and defi nitely procrastinate fi nishing my novel .
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