Mentone Public Library 'Open Mic' on 25 June 2022

Now, ‘Open Mic’ is truly what it says

By Graeme Johnstone.

Our first session of Open Mic, held in May, was missing only one aspect. A microphone!

Images from Nathaniel Davies' collection 

But now we do have a mic. (not shown) And a speaker. Plus a lectern. Which makes us very professional and gives everyone the option to add texture and volume to their presentation.

And at our June presentation, Lindsay Bamfield once again showed her wonderful skills at creating the engaging short story with the surprise ending, while Jan Lawrence outlined her interest in the various styles of set-piece poetry, such as sonnets and Japanese haiku. She displayed her grasp of the approach with a delightful work that included the beautiful description of two birds that suddenly appeared in the narrative.

Gabrielle Grieg poetically outlined the heroics of her late partner, running parallel with his love of all things equine, as he battled terminal cancer. Later she read a work in progress, the text for an upcoming book, which sparked a terrific round-table discussion about the environment and climate change.

Another new guest, Harold Havery used the essay form to explore the question of what is truth. Did The Who guitarist Pete Townshend really kick American political activist Abbie Hoffman off the stage at Woodstock? After all, there is no footage.

Gabrielle and Harold were supported by a friend, Vicki Ladd, who has led an interesting life, including running a wool and knitting shop in Mentone and later an apiary, subjects which it was felt were just right for putting down on paper and which we hope to hear about in the future.

Graeme Johnstone, in his typical poetic style, went for the two topics that he feels are at the very foundation of Melbourne life. Politics and football.

Showing foresight, Nathaniel Davies declared that he was about to read something from his “memoir”, which considering his age, drew chuckles from the more senior members as he began, and hearty applause at the end.

Dorothy Plummer’s skills as an educator and author went on display when Graeme read a wonderfully alliterative poem from her highly successful “Tell Me” series.

Then, based on her theatrical background, Judy Sullivan provided the perfect ending for the session – handing out scripts for the reading of a short scene centred on the Railway Station during Mentone’s 19^th century boom as a holiday resort, with two visitors finding that hiring a horse-drawn cab to be transported to the races could be quite a challenge.

Poems, short stories, essays, plays. Very quickly, Open Mic is growing into its own. You can feel a terrific vibe, both welcoming and creative, as everyone gathers amid the pleasing backdrop of the renovated library. 

Next time round, we go into further new territory when Gabrielle will read a piece while supported by a violinist. See, expanding all the time.

Visit Graeme and Elsie Johnstone's webpage at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/graemeandelsie