A Safe Place to Share
"Shame dies when stories are told in safe spaces." -Ann Voskamp
That is the quote I have seen a few times in the last week and every time I see it, I think “Yes, yes, that is right!”
A local creative and intuitive Nicky Holt has created a safe place to share with her growing event, Poetry and Spoken Word Night at the Capstone House in Panama City.
The third iteration or “chapter” as Holt calls it will take place on June 28th from 6 to 8 pm at the Capstone House, a spiritual center in the St. Andrews area. Those interested in attending may purchase a ticket a head of time on eventbrite to help support future programming like this at the Capstone House.
I quite love the idea of calling the sessions chapters, as what is shared is a beautiful microcosm of what is going on in the lives of the poets that share.
Nicky invited a few featured performers to speak including myself, Sandi MarLisa, Jason Hedden, Seth Traylor and more and then left the mic open to the floor if anyone wanted to share. Jason opened up the night with pieces that captured our hearts including one that honored his late father and another that took us all back to 2018 when Hurricane Michael ravaged our homes. Sandi, aka Gin of Jack and Gin, also brought her powerhouse energy to the table and left us all enraptured by the metaphor of her Rip Currents piece, you know when something starts with “I’ve been feeling like I’m drowning…” the room is going to be quiet!
During the open mic portion, I nudged the young woman next to me because I knew she was itching to get up there, and when she did, I saw her soul light up as she shared her heart.
There is something magical that happens when people encourage you to share yourself, your whole self.
I believe spoken word events invite that kind of magic, I know I felt it when I attended the first Poetry Night at Capstone.
It was a safe space, but it was more than that, it was inviting. Nicky, as the host shared pieces of her work in between performances which captivated us with her animated style and candor. She effortlessly weaved in humor and whimsy with thought provoking subjects. She was an absolute pleasure to watch and perfectly balanced the energy of the evening, moving effortlessly between the light and the heavy and leaving us all wanting more.
I not only was grateful for a safe place to share my work, new and old, I was grateful for the energy that was created when we all gathered together in a spirit of enthusiastic acceptance.
Everyone was encouraging and thoughtful and kind, there was no us vs them, there was just us.
That is the kind of movement I want to be a part of, I hope you will join us next time.
At the end of the evening, the floor is opened up for anyone to share their heart during the “Open Mic” portion.
Want to get more involved? Reach out to Nicky if you would like to be a featured reader at: nickyholtqhht@gmail.com.
Interested in supporting the growing poetry community?
Keep a look out for more poetry and spoken word events like these at Capstone House such as the July Event scheduled for July 28th. Follow Capstone House on Facebook to stay up to date on future spoken word events in the St. Andrews area. Support local programming like this by purchasing tickets ahead of time on eventbrite.
I will also share local events on my Instagram, so make sure you follow me at @brittgonzalezwriter.
See you soon Wildflowers!
