ALPENA — The Poetics Lab will hold its July Open Mic Celebration from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Thunder Bay Winery in downtown Alpena.

The Poetics Lab is a Northeast Michigan organization focused on identity and poetry, founded by Mitchel Dipzinski and Dominique Witten.

Friday’s event will also celebrate the sixth birthday of Lottie the dog.

All community members who wish to perform poetry or share other artwork are encouraged to participate in the open mic. If you are interested in reading at the open mic, you can sign up using this link: https://bit.ly/tPLJulyOpenMic.

The event is free and open to anyone who wishes to attend, with in-person and virtual options. Please contact the founders directly if you have any questions at director@tpoeticslab.com.

“Poetry is the way I investigate joy, embarrassing stories of my childhood or strange dreams,” said Dominique Witten. “We are excited to host our July open mic and celebrate Lottie’s sixth birthday, the unofficial tPL pup, with a night of poems at Thunder Bay Winery.”

The Poetics Lab operates with three main goals. Participants will: explore language’s importance in forming identity; gain insight into the creative process of writing poetry; and engage with their community through performance.

The Poetics Lab facilitates inclusive spaces for communities to engage with identity through poetry and performance of the self. the Poetics Lab was co-founded in 2021 by Alpena native Dipzinski alongside Detroit native Witten. Learn more at: tpoeticslab.com.