College students throughout the decades have long searched for ways to express themselves through music and spoken words. In East Lansing, many students have found an outlet for their creative sides through open-mic nights at local coffee shops, where people showcase their talent and express themselves through poetry and singing.
Young Oh, owner of Caffe Latte, 110 Charles St., said there’s open-mic night every Thursday at his coffee shop.
“I think the younger students who aren’t old enough to go to bars need a place to hang out,” Oh said. “It’s a positive outlet for them and it’s safe and fun.”
Oh also owns recently opened Cafe Mania, 547 E. Grand River Ave., and said the new coffee shop also will host an open-mic night every Friday.
“I haven’t started open-mic night yet, but (Cafe Mania) will be for a more mature crowd,” Oh said. “It gives people a chance to relax and enjoy different forms of expressions.”
Anthropology sophomore Jordan Amendt said he performs whenever and wherever he can.
“Open-mic night is a beautiful thing because people get a chance to hear me,” Amendt said. “This is a positive outlet for creativity.”
Amendt said this type of entertainment is open to everybody.
“There’s not a whole lot of other things to do if you can’t go to the bars,” Amendt said. “The people that come here seem open to different stuff and that’s great.”
Jeff Etue, store manager at Barnes & Noble Bookseller, 333 E. Grand River Ave., said his store hosts open-mic night once a month.
“We think it’s important to have an outlet for people to express their creativity,” Etue said. “People of all ages come out and join our open-mic nights.”
Etue said fewer people attend the sessions during the summer.
“Last week we had about 14 people show up to read poetry and express themselves with many others.”
He said because Barnes & Noble’s open-mic night is hosted at a bookstore, people of all ages can enjoy themselves.
“We’re also selling books of poetry and literature in here for people to use during performances,” he said. “We always have people here ready to participate so we just keep having it.”
The Black Poets Society, a student organization, has several open-mic assemblies during the year.
“We’ve had a show at the Blue Note Cafe and the International Center on campus,” said Maya Carr, a society member and criminal justice senior. “I perform in them because they help get me more comfortable about performing.”
Walter Ward III, an advertising senior, said open-mic nights are great when they are quality.
“I have seen some good ones and bad ones,” he said. “The quality of the talent and the atmosphere will determine the success of a good show.”
But English junior Paul Krauss said he’s performed with local bands around town, as well as some people who had never performed before, and the interaction with both makes him better.
“You can make friends with people when you attend events like that,” Krauss said. “It’s a great way to socialize - that’s why I perform. I love playing at Starbucks open-mic night because they know how to treat each person performing.”
