The Iris/Recess Magazine open mic night draws excellent talent and an amazing audience
Photo of Mia Donaldson performing at open mic night via Jay Terrero
The two remaining student-run literary magazines teamed up last week to bring Geneseo another extraordinarily successful open mic night. From poetry to prose, guitar to ukulele, jazz to acapella, Iris Magazine and Recess Magazine have once again shown that not only does Geneseo host a number of incredibly talented individuals and groups, but the demand for this talent to be unearthed with an exceptional audience.
Iris Magazine, headed by Frances Sharples, Mia Donaldson, and Ella Pearcy, is Geneseo’s first and only queer literary magazine. Publishing one to two times a semester, Iris is a safe space for a number of genres, from the more traditional literary landscape like poetry and prose to photography, art, and even playlists. Iris is a place “For LGBTQ+ students to embrace and showcase their queerness in any form they see fit,” according to their mission statement. You can find Iris Mag on Instagram (@iirismaag) as well as on their website.
Recess Magazine, headed by Genesis Flores, is Geneseo’s first and only BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) literary magazine. According to their vision statement, Recess “Is a safe outlet for students to create artistic and visionary content that amplifies the beauty, voices, and accomplishments of the BIPOC community.” You can find Recess on Instagram (@geneseo.recessmag) and their issues on their website.
The open mic, hosted on Feb. 9 in CUPS, was truly an experience that wouldn’t be possible without the amazing collaboration from Iris and Recess. Both magazines and their respective scopes cultivated a wide reaching, expansive audience and group of performers. The positivity was radiant, bringing in performers who may not have performed otherwise. For example, Carly Burgio, senior English major, performed not only two poems, but a song as well, despite not having sung publicly before. Burgio noted how, “Both Iris and Recess did a great job with this event. It was such a pleasure to be able to hear so many talented people perform and to have the opportunity to share some of my own work (and newly found singing voice) was an experience that I’ll always cherish.”
Poetry and music weren’t the only art forms featured, of course—with Iris and Recess being focused on offering as freeing of a space as possible for people to express themselves, a few rather unexpected shows occurred. Other routines included a “vent,” a half-comedy, half-music show about the struggles of being a college student, as well as a solo jazz routine without any accompaniment, which blew the audience away without the help of any instruments. Loki Laats told us, “The talent people brought was great. I definitely will go again when there’s another one!”
Ella Pearcy, co-managing editor of Iris Magazine told The Lamron: “After collaborating with Recess Magazine last year and having such success with the event we knew we would have to plan another one. Both Iris and Recess put a ton of work into getting the word out to other clubs and organizations [and] promoted on our Instagram and put-up flyers [as well].” It’s clear that the effort was well worth it—not only was CUPS practically full, but the event was filled from beginning to end with performances.
Geneseo’s queer and BIPOC population, along with allies campus-wide, is filled to the brim with talented individuals looking to express themselves to an audience, and nothing has proven this more than the open mic night. As Hannah Lustyik, senior English major, told The Lamron, “So many people I did and didn’t know went up on stage and showed how amazing they are at singing, poetry, [and] venting about their day. That’s why it’s important to go to these sorts of events: you’re exposed to all sorts of talent!”