10 MAY 21-27, 2026 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Open Secrets DENVER RECENTLY LOST SEVERAL OPEN MICS, BUT YOU CAN STILL FIND PLACES TO SOUND OFF. BY SARA ROSENTHAL When The Pearl closed abruptly last month, it took an important part of Denver’s open mic scene with it. As the Mercury Cafe, the building at 2199 California Street had housed weekly Friday night poetry and Sunday slams that were pillars of the Mile High’s creative community for decades. Open mics are one of the few true third spaces left, places where people are welcome to just exist, listen, share and interact without transaction. Genuine community building and organizing happen at these events in a way that feels increasingly rare in modern society. So, when a longstanding venue like the Merc disappears, it can feel devastating. “It’s always a tragedy when an open mic ends or a place closes. That never changes, we’re always heartbroken,” says Jessica “Mir I Am” Chernila, whose father, Lenny Chernila (AKA “the Professor”), was a central presence at the Merc’s Friday night open mic for years as both a mentor and a participant. For more than two decades, Mir I Am, a key fi gure in Denver’s poetry scene in her own right, has hosted open mics across the city. A poet, spoken-word artist and singer, she currently hosts Community Is the Cure at Mutiny Comics and Coffee and Speak to the Waters at Confl uence Park. With more than twenty years in the scene, she’s wit- nessed its constant evolution. “When I was younger, the poetry scene was all these machismo men….There was a hierarchy that was kind of stupid in my opin- ion, about who could and who couldn’t be a poet,” she recalls. “There’s been an evolution in the poetry scene insofar as people feeling like whoever they are, however they show up, there’s going to be an audience that’s going to clap for you and care about you.” In addition to her own open mics, where Mir I Am welcomes all types of perform- ers and people with open arms (literally – she gives the warmest hugs), she credits the newer generation of hosts like Quincy “Q” Hull as pushing the scene’s evolution towards a more accepting environment. Q leads the Monday night open mic at The Corner Beet and the monthly open mic at The Basement inside the Cameron United Methodist Church. “My mother had a way of magnetizing all cultures around her…she said, ‘It’s only one race, and that’s the hu- man race,’” Q shares. “I don’t discriminate against anybody because I wasn’t raised to do that. I don’t pick friends based on what color they are, what religion they are, what sexu- ality, I don’t care about that.” Q, who grew up in Gary, Indiana, and also spent time in Pensacola, Florida, has published three books and has a catalog of music-backed poetry recordings that he re- leases online as Q the Poet; he’s currently working on his autobiography. He was also one of the hosts of the Merc’s Friday night poetry. “The Mercury has this de- cades-long history that’s always going to feel a little different when something like that is not there anymore,” says Q. “But it was a building…the building with nothing in it is just a build- ing. It’s the energy that we put in it that made it special.” That energy can be felt at his open mic events, where people from all walks of life are always in attendance and always welcome. “I see open mic venues as free therapy sessions,” he explains. “You get to come and tell an audience what you’re going through, and then they either approve, they clap for you, they cry for you, they laugh with you. That’s so therapeutic to have, and I think it’s one of the most important things in the community.” Kaylee Bender is another host ushering in the next generation of open mics. Her monthly event at City Records had earned a cult following amongst rappers, musicians, dancers, poets, and everyone in between. But that shop is set to close at the end of May because of ongoing BRT construction, and won’t reopen in the new Green Spaces on 16th Street until later this summer. In the meantime, Bender plans to host open mic pop-ups as well as other events, like her annual Community Kickback on Juneteenth at the Decibel Garden, featuring break danc- ers, a rap cypher, a producer showcase, and a performance under her DJ handle, DJ Bugs Honey. “Any event I’ve ever done is just to give people something to connect over through the arts and bring them together over some- thing that’s familiar,” says Bender, who is also the organizer behind Colfax Cares, a mutual aid and public art initiative. For Bender, the real impact of the open mic community is where connection turns into creation. “I’ve seen people record their fi rst pieces of music, put out their fi rst EP, rap for the fi rst time,” she continues. “To feel supported and come back to that space that cracked open this new part of you that is now a founda- tional part of your being, it just means the world.” In a society that pushes people towards individualism, Bender sees open mics as a counterweight, pushing people to collabo- rate and show up for one another. “It softens you when you’re in these spaces because they can get very vulner- able. They can get very gooey. My therapist used to call it ‘the nougat.’ She was like, you have to let people into your nougat,” she says with a laugh. “I feel like in general, these spaces are very nougat-y ....They really force us to become closer, to become a little less guarded, to accept help and give help. They’re a catalyst for change and connection and partnership.” The open mikes at The Pearl/Merc and City Records aren’t the only recent casual- ties; Manos Sagrados, is closing at the end of May, taking two more monthly open mic events with it. And River, which hosts a popular open mic on Tuesdays, is moving in June. While the loss of several longtime open mics leaves a major hole in the creative com- munity, there are still options around town. Here’s a sampling: Corner Beet 1401 Ogden Street Monday, 6 to 9 p.m. cornerbeet.com Open mic hosted by Q for poets, musicians, comedians and more. Gram’s Basement downstairs at El Piñon Lia Vista Motel, 7150 East Colfax Avenue Monday, 8 p.m. Comedy open mic hosted by Jack Comstock (@hackcomstock on Instagram). Inner Circle Open Mic at River Bar 3759 Chestnut Place Tuesday, 9 p.m. riverbar.art Open mic hosted by She Who Won’t Be Named, featuring community discussions, rappers, poets, local vendors, food and more. Follow @innercircleopenmic for updates when River moves in June. The Basement at Cameron United Methodist Church 1600 South Pearl Street Third Tuesday, 6 to 11 p.m. cameronchurch.org Open mic and artist market hosted by Q for poets, musicians, comedians and more. Follow @thebasementopenmic for updates. SAME Cafe 2023 East Colfax Avenue Third Wednesday, 6 to 9 p.m. soallmayeat.org Open mic hosted by Eider (@m.x.x.x.j on Instagram) for poets, musicians, comedians, storytellers and more. Off the Cuff at The Meadowlark 2701 Larimer Street First and third Wednesdays, 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. meadowlarkbar.com Music open mic hosted by Enmanuel “Eman” Alexander (@namebackwardss on Instagram). CULTURE KEEP UP ON DENVER ARTS AND CULTURE AT WESTWORD.COM/ARTS Q (pictured on stage) has hosted Corner Beet’s Monday night open mic for the past three years. SARA ROSENTHAL
