2025 Feminist Open Mic on ‘Water’

A Mic of One’s Own

Hosted by The Writer’s Guide (to the Galaxy), at Art Institute Melly

In September 2025, I went on stage for the first time to perform at the feminist open mic A Mic of One’s Own (yes, we are forever grateful to Mary Wollstonecraft). The open mic was organised by The Writer’s Guide (to the Galaxy) and was hosted by Art Institute Melly in the heart of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The open mic was themed water. When I saw the open call, I felt instantly drawn to it and I decided to just sign up. I remembered that I let out a big scream when I received the email stating that I had been selected to perform. In total, 9 women of different age groups and walks of life performed that evening.

In February of 2025, I had turned to writing poetry more intensively while battling my burnout and brain condition. Writing helped me to clear my mind and to sit through the depth and discomfort of my emotions. Yes, those feels! Apparently, I had a lot to share. And I have been keeping up the pace ever since.

At the open mic, I performed 2 poems. In the first one, entitled ‘I Let the Water Run Down My Skin’, I went upstream, reflecting on my ancestry and portraying the ocean as a place of discomfort, pain, and unresolved trauma in the context of the transatlantic slave trade. In the second poem, entitled ‘Metamorphosis Revisited’, I went downstream, recounting the onomatopoeic nature of the birth of my son and my initiation into motherhood.

I did not know if I was going to be able to perform given my condition. But fortune had it that I did not feel anxious or exhausted nor suffered from a severe headache. Performing felt immensely empowering. I enjoyed every minute of being on stage. I felt aligned. I felt at peace. I felt whole.

For an impression of the open mic, see these wonderful photos and this beautifully edited video (via The Writer’s Guide) — and of course, the photos below.