On Saturday, August 30th TL Publishing Group hosted the 11th installment of their open mic series at The Bunker. The Bunker is a quaint coffee shop located in the heart of Ybor City. The venue’s space provided an intimate setting, which added to the overall ambiance of the night. In addition, The Bunker offers a delectable variety of menu items, free wifi, comfortable seating, and an outdoor patio.
People from around the community, youth and adults, gathered in what was a powerful night filled with talent, love, and support. Singers, musicians, bands, storytellers, comedians, poets, and spoken word artists took to the stage and blessed the audience with special performances.
R.J. Kerker, the host for the evening, opened up the show with a wonderful selection of songs with the accompaniment of his piano. R.J. is a singer, songwriter, and musician. He is also a member of the American Song Box Band.
After R.J.’s performance, the night continued as performers graced the stage to display their talent. The comedians brought laughter, the singers and musicians delivered heart-soothing songs with great beats, and the literary artists brought joy, relief, and revelation in the form of poetry, spoken word, and short stories.
Altogether, the performers represented the diversity, beauty, and originality of the arts that we know and love. Below are a few photos from the evening.
Wally B. Jennings performs a powerful spoken word piece.
Wally is the founder of Heard Em’ Say Teen Poetry. Visit their page on Facebook.
R.J. Kerker plays a beautiful selection of songs on his keyboard.
R.J. is a member of the American Song Box Band.
David Bierley, a known veteran who frequently attends TL’s open mic events, plays severals songs on his guitar.
Spokenheart Shack reads some of her beautiful poetry.
Spokenheart is a member of the Black on Black Rhyme Word of Mouth Poetry Troupe.
Visit their page on Facebook.
Jason ‘Jboog’ McGriff inspires the audience with his Christian spoken word performance. Jboog is the host of Open Praise, Tampa’s premier Christian open mic show.
A group photo of the performers and audience members taken just before the show wrapped up.
Click here to view the entire photo album from that night.
Between the performances, free raffle prizes, and the awesomeness of The Bunker, this event was a memorable one that will have the community wanting an encore experience. TL Publishing Group’s open mic show will return later this fall. Visit their website and sign up for their eNewsletter to receive updates about future events.
The aforementioned notwithstanding, you don’t have to wait that long to get to another open mic event. The community of Tampa is thriving with talent. Visit Tampa Bay Poetry’s official website for a listing of other open mic shows that are currently happening in the area. You can also join the group on Facebook for current updates. In addition to this listing, be sure to join the Tampa Bay Open Mic Meetup group for even more open mic events.
TL Publishing Group is publisher of the Torrid Literature Journal, a quarterly publication. They host open mic shows quarterly along with other programs, contests, and events that they offer to the literary and arts community. Please visit their website to learn more.
TL Publishing Group LLC 