Lyric, Appalachian State University’s spoken word and poetry club, hosted its first open mic night of the year at Crossroads Coffee House on Oct. 1.

The event included readings to a considerable crowd by more than 20 poets, some a part of Lyric and some volunteering. The poems spanned a wide range of topics, such as food, sex, memory and family, and were performed uncensored.

This year, the club has swelled to approximately three times its size because of an influx of interested freshmen.

“In years past, we’ve been lucky to have only five or six members,” Zach Herman, president of Lyric, said. “No matter what, the spoken word community here is really supportive.”

This is the first year Herman is running the club, though he’s been involved with Lyric in the past. Together, Herman and other club officers are looking to capitalize on the sudden momentum the club is riding.

“We’ve had to change the organization of our meetings to accommodate, but it hasn’t been a major issue,” said Jennifer Deane, Lyric treasurer. “Our biggest concern right now is finding a bigger room for meetings, which is a good problem to have.”

The club meets Tuesdays from 6:45 to 8:15 p.m. in the Mountain Laurel room of Plemmons Student Union. The club holds workshops to improve members’ poems, simply practice delivery or write new work based on different prompts.

“In the future, we want to start focusing more on the performance aspect of poetry: Memorization, stage presence, etcetera, especially now that it seems the spoken word has become a more popular interest at App,” Deane said.

The club will host future open mic nights on campus this semester and next, which will culminate in a final showcase at the end of the year.

“There’s a power in connecting people, in performing live in front of an audience,” Herman said. “Poetry isn’t about facts. It’s about truths.”

STORY: COLIN MOORE, Senior A&E Reporter