Bards & Brews to Take Place During the June Art Crawl at the Pizitz

Bards & Brews will have a change of scenery for June with our debut performance at the Birmingham Art Crawl on Thursday, June 1, from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

The monthly spoken-word poetry program will be open air and open mic outside the Pizitz Food Hall at the corner of 19th Street and Second Ave North.

As you check out the amazing visual artists of the Magic City, join us for an unforgettable night featuring many of Birmingham's best poets sharing their work against the backdrop of the city's evening lights.

We are also giving away two $25 gift certificates to Eli's Jerusalem Grill during the event. One will be given away via an Instagram contest and the other via a trivia question at 8:00 p.m. during the event. See the library's post on Instagram for details on how to enter via the app.

This is an open mic event, which means that anyone willing to sign the list can get on the microphone to perform their work or the work of another poet. We are always encouraging new performers to get on the mic at Bards & Brews.

Regular performer Lee J. Green recalls his first couple of times on the microphone at Bards & Brews: "At first it was a little bit scary. You are doing something that is your own and you are performing in front of people.  How will they react?  Everybody was so warm and has been so warm every time that I have gone up there or anyone else has gone up there. It has been such a great experience."

As always, admission is free. So bring yourself, your friends, and your poetry to share and support some great local artists in the process.

The public can make donations to support Bards & Brews online or send a check via mail to Birmingham Public Library, Development Department, 2100 Park Place, Birmingham, AL 35203. For more information about Bards & Brews, call Brandon C. Smith of the Eastwood Branch Library at 205-591-4944 or email him at bcsmith@bham.lib.al.us. Follow Bards & Brews on Facebook and look for more news on fundraising efforts on the BPL website.