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

The Hour: Poetry Open Mic is a new series curated and hosted by award-winning DC poet María Fernanda (she/hers), taking place at Politics and Prose at Union Market. The event invites writers of all creative stages to share poems, songs, raps, monologues, positive affirmations, and more in a welcoming, inclusive space. María Fernanda, whose work explores the intimacy of sisterhood, intergenerational coexistence, and grief, describes the series with a poetic reflection: "A new year begins, our first writings and early drafts rise from a plant like callus tissue, forming along our experiences, our conversations, a garden. Every line revives a leaf, a stem, a root." Participants sign up on-site to read, with each person given approximately three minutes to allow as many readers as possible. All literary work—new drafts, finals, published pieces, or pieces that have changed over time—is welcomed. The event is free and open to the public, with seating offered on a first-come, first-served basis. María Fernanda is also the founder of "a poetry garden," where Black poets and gardeners discuss creative and historic connections to gardens. For accessibility accommodations, guests are encouraged to email events@politics-prose.com ideally one week in advance.

When: Thursday, July 2, 2026, from 7:00pm to 8:00pm.

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

Tickets: Free; no ticket required. Seating is first come, first served.

Lineup: Hosted and curated by poet María Fernanda (she/hers). Readers sign up on-site to share original work.

Run time: One hour.

Ages: Not specified; all ages likely welcome (check with venue).

Accessibility: To request accommodations, email events@politics-prose.com ideally one week before the event. Efforts will be made to accommodate all requests up until the event time.

Note: María Fernanda's work has appeared in The Healing Verse Poetry Line, Cave Canem’s Dogbytes, Cheryl Clarke's born in a bed of good lessons: poems inspired by the works of Lucille Clifton, and more. She is the recipient of the Norma Elia Cantú Award in Creative Writing. Connect with her at mariafernandapoet.com and @poetrywithmariafernanda.