Every Monday night at 7:30, a crowd assembles at the Revival Bar at 129 East 15th Street for the Saturn Series. Now in its sixth year, ours is one of the longest running weekly open mic poetry readings in Manhattan. Its rotating hosts are Sue Polo, John Chism, and myself, William Duke.

Saturn encourages and welcomes all styles of poetry and presents the occasional musician or comedian. The series has its "regulars" and is also a destination for out-of-town poets who learn about the venue from print and online listings (for instance, on poetrycentral.com, The Poetry Calendar, Time Out New York, New York Press, and, most recently, those right here on Big City Lit™.)

Saturn was created first and foremost as an open mic production. It

gives all participants up to five minutes of performance time and limits the single feature to one twenty-minute set. The environment is supportive to all poets, whatever their level of talent and experience.

Perhaps the most important attribute of this reading is the interesting and diverse community it delivers, both performers and audience. For many of us, this community becomes more valuable as gentrification has made many Manhattan cultural events look as artificial as the set of a Seinfeld or Friends sitcom. Come to a poetry reading and you will find real people experiencing spontaneous, real emotions.

The Saturn Series open mic offers an opportunity to hear other poets, good and bad. It is a safe place to try out new material and hone your work in front of a live audience. Perhaps you'll also be able to make new friends.

For a list of our features this month, go to "Listings" item on the sidebar. For a more comprehensive line-up, consult http://www.poetrycentral.com/saturn.html. We'd love to have you join us to help us produce a memorable evening.

William Duke
(bill@poetrycentral.com)