Friday's open mic will be monthly treat

Silver Quill, Blair's award-winning literary magazine, will be holding their second open mic event on Friday, Dec. 19 during 5A and 5B lunches in the media center. The event, a free show that allows Blazers to display their talents and watch their friends perform, was first held on Nov. 20 and will continue to be hosted every month.

Response to the first open mic was positive, as many Blazers performed in the event and more than 100 students attended, according to Silver Quill sponsor Miriam Plotinsky. "We also attracted a lot of students who didn't know about the event," she said. "They just walked into the library and were really into it."

Plotinsky noted that the event's success was partially due to its location. "The library has been wanting to do something like a poetry slam for a long time," she said. "I think by working together, we finally achieved it."

During the program, students may show off a wide variety of creative outlets including, but not limited to, musical performances, dances, improvisation, joke telling, poetry readings and beat boxing. To sign up, students can email silverquillmag@gmail.com or, if time permits, may simply show up ready to perform, Plotinsky said.

The event was originally proposed because the staff of the literary magazine hoped to provide an opportunity for students to display their creativity in front of their peers. "We really want to recognize the fact that there's a lot of talent at this school," Plotinsky said. "We wanted to do something that was at lunch so all students would be able to perform and attend."

Silver Quill Editor-in-Chief junior Adam Detzner added that by holding open mic sessions monthly, students have more opportunities to showcase their talents. "We wanted to provide a somewhat regular time and place for students to be creative," he said. "Plus it helps Silver Quill with publicity and encourages submissions."

Like the last open mic, students will be able to eat their lunches while watching the performances. "We give out free baked goods and let kids eat because then, why not go to the open mic?" Detzner said.

Silver Quill has received gold medals from both the Maryland Scholastic Press Association and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. The theme for this year's publication is "Terra Incognita," a Latin phrase meaning "uncharted lands."

For more information about Silver Quill, visit the magazine's website.