Fresh Grounds Open Mic

Name: Fresh Grounds Open Mic
Start: 2026-10-02T01:30:00.000Z
End: 2026-10-02T03:30:00.000Z
Location: Recreational Coffee

Thursday, Oct 1

6:30pm – 8:30pm

Hosted by Fresh Grounds Open Mic

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We've got a 🧛🏻‍♀️ SPECIAL 👻 SPOOKY 😱 EDITION 🎃 of Fresh Grounds Open Mic this Thursday, October 1st. We have our first double feature with Chris Vanjonack and Weston Morrow who are visiting town on their book tour. Both award-winning authors are releasing their debut collections this month and for their stop here in Long Beach, they wanted to do something special... We are having a Cryptid Costume Contest! Dress as your favorite mystical creature for a chance to win our grand prize: copies of Chris Vanjonack's short fiction collection Out of Body and Weston Morrow's poetry collection Cloud Builder. Even if you don't feel like dressing up, you as the audience will be able to pick your favorite and determine the winners. What is a cryptid? Any being that is rumored to exist but can neither be confirmed nor denied. Check slide 2 for some examples of the biggest famos in the biz 🫈 As always, we are a live literary open mic focusing on original writing (no AI, no comedy, sorry!!). RSVP at the link in our bio. Sign-ups are first-come, first served in person beginning at 6pm. Readings begin at 6:30 in the courtyard behind our tireless community collaborators at Recreational Coffee. ABOUT OUR FEATURES: Chris Vanjonack's fiction has appeared in One Story, Volume 0, Electric Literature, and elsewhere. His debut story collection, Out of Body, is forthcoming from HarperCollins on September 22nd. Weston Morrow is the author of Cloud Builder, winner of the 2025 National Poetry Series. He teaches at The Ohio State University.