On Wednesday, September 21, 2022, the Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton University hosted its monthly World Above poetry open mic sponsored by the Murphy Writing Center. Participants took part in the open mic over Zoom and in person starting at 7 p.m. The featured poet for the month of September was American poet Farid Matuk, who read his own collection of poetry and prose to those in attendance. 

The event featured a mix of new readers and readers who act as monthly contributors to the open mic. Not all audience members read but were encouraged upon entry to sign up to read their work. Those who participated were asked to keep to a time limit of two minutes maximum. Event coordinators recommended students to come out and share their work, claiming that the World Above poetry open mic was a safe, non-judgmental space for participants. 

After the open mic, Matuk read his collection of work to the audience met with a warm response. Matuk is a Latinx and Arab poet and author of “Redolent,” “The Real Horse,” “This Is a Nice Neighborhood,” “My Daughter La Chola,” and many other works. He stated that his career had been enriched through travel and background, which were the foundations and inspirations for his writing. His books were available for purchase at the open mic.

Attendees were given the chance to chat with other audience members as the event ended, and all left the event with writing prompts of their own. World Above produces this open mic once a month and welcomes people of all ages to come to share their work. For more information students are encouraged to reach out to Emari through email at emari@murphywriting.com, or follow the Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton University’s FaceBook page for more information on upcoming events.