Article from the February 2nd issue of the Concordian

Poetry and the Pub: Review of CASE's open mic.

With the portraits of Irish literary giants like James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, and Oscar Wilde looking on from the Pub’s walls, one could have felt intimidated. But CASE’s (Concordia Association for Students in English) first open mic. of 2005 at the Old Dublin Pub on January 27^th was all about taking it easy and supporting local talent.

The evening may have started slowly – most probably because of the cold weather but soon enough, the second floor of Montreal’s oldest Irish Pub was bustling with admirers of the English spoken word – students and faculty members alike.

The evening was not limited only to poetry; many other forms of artistic expression were present: theatre, music, prose, and yes even stand up comedy. To make the prospect of performing in front of rowdy English students even more appealing, were the raffles for prizes and the free beers offered to the first performers who signed up. As the beer taps and wine carafes flowed into the evening, the audience got louder and the performers seemingly became more profound and thus a great time was had by all.

The next time CASE has an open mic., don’t worry if you don’t have anything to read out loud. If you appreciate creative expression, the company of like-minded folks, and a fine Irish Ale – then this event will be just the thing to tickle your fancy.

- Gregory Santos

CASE contact information:
CASE web address: http://case.czena.com
CASE e-mail: case@alcor.concordia.ca