"[The open mic] was an incredible editing tool, as I would find that there were these dead spots in..."

“[The open mic] was an incredible editing tool, as I would find that there were these dead spots in poems, where I instantly didn’t want to be reading a line, so I could sit right down afterward and cut what needed to go. Or say, ‘No one knew what I was talking about there, so let me find a way to say it clearer.’ It’s still the first place I go with a new poem. I don’t get to attend as many as I used to, but there’s always something in me that craves the discovery of the open mic. As far as the poets I’m inspired by, nothing beats the first read of a new banger on the open mic—getting to watch the poet realize the power contained in what they just wrote.”

- Jon Sands, interviewed by Hanif Abdurraqib for 30 in 30(0)