This is Just To Say: spoken word open mic

Oxford Poetry Library presents a spoken word open mic night! Join us in the library on the first Tuesday of every month to enjoy all manner of word-weaving, story-sharing, and spell-casting.

We welcome poets, storytellers, and writers of all kinds to share their work (or the work of others) in a safe, supportive, and inclusive space. Slots are 2-3 minutes long, and performers sign up on the door – first come, first served and slots fill up quickly so we recommend arriving in good time for 7pm!

At OPL we want everyone to feel comfortable and has space to enjoy the night. That’s why we have a few basic guidelines that we ask everyone to follow:

• Please refrain from using discriminatory language or harmful content in your performance. If you are unsure about your performance, speak to the host when you arrive.
• You should aim to read something that’s around one page or 2-3 minutes – this ensures that everyone has enough time to read.

Every month we feature a performer with a slightly extended set and this month’s featured performer to grace our stage will be Jennifer Wong. Jennifer Wong is the author of Light Year and Letters Home, both published by Nine Arches Press and which received the Poetry Book Society Commendation. Wong has a creative writing PhD in creative writing from Oxford Brookes and teaches creative writing part-time. Her work has been included in anthologies and magazines including Nature Matters: Vital Poems by Poets from the Global Majority (Faber), Poetry London and The Rialto. She is the editor of a Rebecca Swift Foundation woman’s poetry anthology Woman, Mapped (Fly on the Wall Press) forthcoming in 2026.

The theme for this month is CONSTELLATIONS. We’re all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars. Whether you’re seeing stars, starry-eyed, or star-struck, we hope the stars align to allow you to join us for an evening of star-gazing. Bring your twinkliest poetry or prose to share.

The session starts at 7.30pm (performers are advised to arrive from 7pm), at The Community Works (21 Park End St, OX1 1HU).

£5 entry (£2 concessions), performers free.

The building is accessible, but if you have any specific access needs, please drop us an email at oxfordpoetrylibrary@gmail.com beforehand!