First Fridays

On the first Friday of each month, MWA hosts a featured reader/speaker with an open mic to follow. All writers--poets, playwrights, novelists, memoirists, songwriters, etc. are invited to spend time sharing their work. Our purpose is to create a supportive community for all those who engage in the lively and sometimes lonely sport of putting thought and feeling to page.

Link to Attend

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To receive call-in information for the meeting, be sure to register in advance.

Open Mic Sign-Up

If you are interested in sharing your work on the open mic portion of the evening, email [email protected] and request to be added to the list of open mic speakers. You can also ask during the event. Please be sure to have 5 minutes or less of reading (approx. 3 poems) to share with the group. The host will post the open mic list during the event. If you have a book or upcoming event, be sure to announce to the group during your time or before the featured reader begins.

Please Note: We're fortunate to have many folks interested in reading (thank you!). However, the amount of time for Open Mic readings is unpredictable and can vary significantly from one month to the next. Therefore:

• Requesting to be put on the Open Mic list does not guarantee you a spot on the list.
• We do our best to make time for everyone on the list to read, but that is not always possible. Thank you for your understanding.
• Keep your reading to 5 minutes or less (time yourself to be sure).
• If you don't get to read one month, we try to get you scheduled for the next month.
  
  

Thank you for your courage to share your work, your generosity toward others sharing their work, and your contribution to the First Friday community, in whatever way you participate. See you there!

Featured Guest

Our featured Poets/Performers are asked to prepare 20 minutes of material to share with the group. Then there is a 10 minute question and comment period. If you are interested in being a feature reader, please email [email protected].

First Fridays is a monthly online event. Thank you for all your support in this endeavor.

First Fridays Open Mic with Julien Matthews

September 04, 2026
7:00 PM EDT - 9:00 PM EDT

First Fridays Zoom Registration


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On the first Friday of every month all writers--poets, playwrights, novelists, memoirists, etc. are invited to spend time sharing their work. Each reader can read up to three poems or for five minutes. Email [email protected] if you'd like to be added to the open mic list. Please specify if you'd prefer to read toward the beginning, middle, or end of the list. We do our best to accommodate. You may also let the host know during the event, but this will place you toward the end of the open mic list.

Julian Matthews is a mixed-race minority poet and writer from Malaysia. He is published in The American Journal of Poetry, Beltway Poetry Quarterly, Loch Raven Review, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Live Encounters and New Verse News, among 60 other journals, anthologies and websites in 17 countries. He was a Pushcart nominee for Dream Catcher magazine/Stairwell Books, UK in 2022. Julian stumbled upon a creative writing workshop by accident. That happy accident has turned into a rabid compulsion. He is still extricating himself from the crash. If you wish to support his recovery, Paypal him at [email protected] or send him Wordle answers at https://linktr.ee/julianmatthews

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