The Hour: Poetry Open Mic — Created and hosted by poet María Fernanda

The Hour is a one-hour poetry open mic created and hosted by Washington, DC poet María Fernanda. The series welcomes work in many forms and stages, from brand-new writing and early drafts to finished or previously published pieces. Participants may share poems, songs, rap, monologues, positive affirmations, spoken word, performance, and more.

Readers sign up on-site, and each participant gets approximately three minutes so that as many people as possible can take part. The event’s theme centers on beginnings and the way writing develops through experience, conversation, and creative growth.

When: Thursday, November 5, 2026

Showtime: 7:00pm

Venue: Politics and Prose at Union Market, 1324 4th Street NE, Washington, DC 20002

Tickets: Free

Seating: First come, first served

Format: Open mic; on-site sign-up is required to share work

Eligible work: Poems, songs, raps, monologues, positive affirmations, spoken word, blues, performance or theater pieces, hip-hop, and other literary or creative work

Reader time: Approximately 3 minutes per reader

Run time: 1 hour

Host: María Fernanda, a DC poet whose work explores sisterhood, relationships across generations, and grief

Host background: María Fernanda received the Norma Elia Cantú Award in Creative Writing. Her work has appeared in The Healing Verse Poetry Line, Cave Canem’s Dogbytes, and Cheryl Clarke’s *born in a bed of good lessons: poems inspired by the works of Lucille Clifton*. She also founded a poetry garden, a project connecting Black poets and gardeners through their creative and historical relationships with gardens.

Accessibility: To request accommodations or ask accessibility questions, email events@politics-prose.com, ideally at least one week before the event. Requests made closer to the event will be accommodated when possible.