Spoken word and poetry
Every Voice Creates a Ripple
The Underground Microphone is a spoken word and poetry program. We uplift, amplify and liberate the voices of people who are and have been incarcerated.
What we do
What Happens at the Microphone
There's a second before the first word. Paper in your hand, the room gone quiet. Then you say it out loud, and the room holds it with you.
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Uplift
We listen first. Whatever you bring gets the room's full attention.
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Amplify
A poem said out loud travels. We help it reach farther than the room it started in.
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Liberate
You choose what to say and how to say it. Nobody speaks for you here.
Who holds the space
Founded in a Single Day
Faraji and Vincent founded The Underground Microphone in one day. They're still here, looking after it.
It's not a closed group. Anyone can join and free their voice.
The founders hold the space; the community fills it.
Trauma-informed language
People First, in Every Line
A word can hold a person in one moment of their life, or it can leave the door open. We leave the door open.
- People firstWe say people who are incarcerated, and people returning home.
- No labelsWe never label a person by a sentence.
- An open doorWe invite. We never gatekeep.
- The plain truthNo pity. No hype. We say what we do.
Who can join
Anyone Can Join
You don't have to audition, and you don't have to explain yourself. A finished poem, four lines, or nothing written yet: you're welcome as you are.