The Current: Volume II
My dearest creative changemakers,
At the end of July, I saw Sarah Kay, NYC-based poet and educator, perform at the Writer’s Center, and that was it. I knew I was ready to take my poetry from its safe, suffocating journal to the world. Since then, I’ve performed a dozen or so poems at six events and my creative universe has been completely revolutionized.
I have notebooks full of song lyrics and haikus and free verse poems, but I have been terrified of risking the world seeing me…seeing me try to be a poet, seeing me believe in myself, seeing me stand for my values and beliefs…seeing me, period.
If that’s you — lean in. Why not you? Why not now?
Submit your first short story here - we promise to be a safe place for your words to land.
Write your first poem about what it’s like to live in America right now, what you are seeing and experiencing in the world around you.
Find a local Open Mic and read your favorite piece.
Being brave doesn’t feel brave. It feels exposed, terrifying, and mortifying. It feels like anxiety and worry but taking the risk anyway.
This is about writing. This is not about writing.
Be well & keep creating,
Words from the Well: Spooky Edition
OCTOBER WRITING PROMPT
Write a poem or short story from the point of view of the villain.
Beyond the Page Happenings
Beyond the Page is stepping up to the mic. Check out these recent performances below and join us the next Open Mic in the DC area.
Analog
Performed by Molly Cullen at Busboys and Poets Hyattsville
Thursday, September 4, 2025
The Fabric
Performed by Molly Cullen at Kiazii Open Mic Protest
Friday, September 12, 2025
A note from the poet: My job as a poet is to write seeds that will continue to grow in you. I'm heartbroken that poems for Palestine must still be written in 2025, but it is with purpose in my heart that I offer this poem in service to humanity and justice for the people of Gaza. Please read my words and the words of poets like Marwan Makhoul, Noor Hindi, Mahmoud Darwish, and many more…
