A very special event is being held at the Turnage Theatre on Friday, May 9th. ‘Second Verse: Spoken Word Open Mike’ will be presented at 6:30pm. Second Verse is an opportunity for you to share your writings and thoughts, or appreciate the compositions of others in the community.
Organizer GiGi Jackson says that the event started in August of last year.
"I thought it was something that the community needed, and that it could be very successful. I’ve done spoken word events in the past, and when I moved to North Carolina there wasn’t anything like that here.
I knew the Turnage Theatre was trying to appeal to a different demographic to come downtown, and a spoken word event seemed like it could fill a niche.
Jackson says she started the event for a variety of reasons. She says she knows that writing heals the soul.
"I started journaling originally as therapy. I knew that I couldn’t be the only one. So the first time we did it, it was a success and it has grown since then. It includes a little bit of everything. We do not have two poets who write the same. We have traditional poets. We have people that write from pain. We have people that write from love. Anything that you can imagine gets covered at Spoken Word."
Jackson explains the name Second Verse came about because it’s the second Friday of every month.
Being a writer herself, Jackson understands how cathartic writing can be. "Initially, I always knew that I was going to be a journalist since I was a little kid; I always wrote. But my life took a different path. I ended up going into the beauty industry, and that’s what I have done for almost thirty years now. I was very successful at it; it wasn’t something I thought initially that I would like, but I really have. I had two girls and I needed a way to support my family. (And with two girls, I figured I’d save some money. [laughs] So, I put that dream on hold to make a way for my family."
Jackson says then Covid hit. "I felt displaced. I started doing three things from my past. I started gardening. I started writing. And I started sewing." These were things that she hadn’t done in years. She says that the circumstances of the pandemic led her back to her writing.
The most important thing to Jackson is that the Spoken Word events provide a safe space for people that want to come and vent. "If someone has something on their chest, and they want to get it off, and they enjoy writing, then this is the place to do it."
She says she tries not to censor the writers at the event, and that is something that most of the writers say, that they feel like it is truly a safe and very supportive space.
If you are interested in reading or just attending the Spoken Word event, go to https://artsofthepamlico.ticketleap.com or email Angelajackson440@gmail.com.