In the chaos before midterms, The New School’s literary journal, Eleven and a Half, hosted its annual open mic at the Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts last Thursday night.
At 5 pm, the Lang cafe on West 11th Street transformed into a buzzing event space; writers, readers, rappers, and singers coalesced, conversed, and indulged in free pizza. A YouTube edit of classical jazz instruments filled the room as the literary-driven community found a home among cafeteria tables.
Chairs sat facing the front of the room, with a single mic stand and chair center stage just asking to be put to use. Before the show began, there was a sign-up sheet passed around for students to put their names down to read. Whether it was poetry, fiction, a personal essay, or a song, there was no written form or rhythm unwelcome.
The three MCs: Lillian Heckler, Stella Hofferman, and Theo Limjistra kept the night fun and inclusive for the audience by cracking jokes between performances and hyping up the next person to the mic — while also keeping the energy anxiety-free for the readers.
While it can be intimidating to even think about reading your own work aloud to strangers, Heckler, Hofferman, and Limjistra curated a low-stakes environment, and the cheering audience members followed suit.
“It’s very community building. It feels very vulnerable to share your work. So being in a room of people who are also probably just as nervous as you sharing their work is amazing,” Hofferman said.
“I think it’s a really cool way to get together and share your work but still be with your peers and not have to go to another place where you don’t know anyone,” said Kelly Fowler, a student in the Eleven and a Half course and member of the magazine’s production team.
Eleven and a Half is a judgment-free zone, best articulated by Hofferman: “Nobody really gives a shit if it sucks, it’s school, everybody’s great. The people on Eleven and a Half are going to support you no matter what,” she said.
From the unique vulnerability of personal experiences to the bond between one student and their geek bar, to the sweet voice of a Lang Cafe cafeteria worker — a returning participant from last Fall’s open mic — Eleven and a Half had it all, including a community to keep it afloat.
“It’s been really nice getting to be a part of something. It’s weird because it’s my last year of school and I’m finally feeling like I’m a part of something.” Hofferman shared.