Open Mic Coffee Night Friday

The Cheshyre Cheese Club and the office of student life will host the fall’s first Open Mic Coffee Night from 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Friday in Loftin Student Center.

The event is an opportunity for students to perform poetry, meet other literary souls and drink free coffee, Jane Focht-Hansen, English professor and club adviser, said.

Other refreshments include cookies, fruit and cheese, she said.

If this week conflicts with something on your calendar Open Mic Coffee Night is also scheduled for Oct. 26, and Nov.16.

Coffee Night is open to all students and the public. Children are welcome as long as they are supervised, Focht-Hansen said.

Students who want to perform will appear in order on the sign-up sheet.

“We learn a lot about each other,” Focht-Hansen said, noting students’ poetry is often personal and autobiographical.

The Cheshyre Cheese Club, one of the oldest organizations of the college, was created by a group of young women who wanted to express themselves, Focht-Hansen said.

She said the club is meant for student discussion of a variety of topics, including art and poetry.

The club name pays homage to a London pub frequented for several centuries by writers, including Dr. Samuel Johnson, who compiled the first dictionary and hosted in the 1700s such a club to discuss art. The pub is still in operation.

For more information, call Focht-Hansen at 210-486-0668.