The door to Cool Beans coffee shop swung open again and again as 7 p.m. approached. Just inside the entrance, Al Black greeted nearly everyone who walked in, friends, performers, familiar faces and brand new ones, each with the same warmth.

Black, the founder of Mind Gravy Poetry, started open mic nights 16 years ago. They since have grown from performance space to a community space.

When he moved to Columbia from Indiana, Black was looking for a space to enjoy poetry. But he found there was division among performers. Poets self-segregated by religion, skin color and academic poets vs. spoken-word poets. 

So he sought to create a place where performers could go without that division.

Making a space that unifies people and encourages them to be better is the most important thing, Black said.

“Unity comes through conscious action,” Black said. “You can talk all you want, but you have to step outside your comfort zone, and you have to engage with people that aren’t like you.”

Black starts open mic night each Wednesday with a guest musician and a guest poet. Each gets 30 minutes to perform whatever they would like before the mic becomes up for grabs for any audience members.

Audrey Miller, a first-time featured poet on Feb. 11, has been attending open mic night since October 2025. 

The senior English student at USC was too shy to perform when they first starting going. But they were encouraged to share their poetry over time.

Part of the push they needed was the supportive community.

“For some reason around here, it doesn’t feel like it’s going to be earth-shattering if I mess up on the mic,” Miller said.

Black said “open mic” gets new, or alternating, faces in the audience, along with regulars.

Chris Keck attended open mic night for the first time after hearing about it through a performer.

Keck is a local to Columbia, and wanted to go to open mic night to support local artists.

“To see local artists share their gifts and talents and have the courage to share them with everybody – pretty phenomenal,” Keck said.

Finding local artists as well as taking the time to listen to what people have to share is rewarding because of the impact if can have on an individual, Keck said.

“Words and music are medicine for the soul,” he said.

That support is felt not only by new attendees but also by the veterans.

Brooklyn Brown, a junior public relations major, has been attending open mic for around a year. Sometimes she performs. Sometimes she just watches and supports others.

Mind Gravy members include students, retirees and anyone who wants to participate, which is part of what makes it such a strong community, Brown said.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been in an environment where so many different types of people, in different walks of life, from different backgrounds have come together,” she said.

The collection of identities and backgrounds creates a unique space. It’s where people can grow and learn from those they may not have had the chance to meet otherwise, Brown said.

“I feel like I’ve learned so much just this past year because I’ve met so many people who are older than me and have lived so much more life than me,” she said.

Black said the reach of open mic night doesn’t end when people walk out the door. He wants this space to be a place where people can grow while being around people who care about their success.

“We are more, every one of us, than we believe we are,” Black said. “Just become more. Don’t be afraid.”