On Wednesday, February 25th, I attended the first Open Mike Night at Laughing Sky Books in Salisbury, NC. Less than an hour drive from Charlotte, Salisbury is a charming small town where you will find people stopping to watch trains or strolling down the picturesque downtown where there is even, at least one, brick lined road.
From Charlotte, all you have to do is take exit 76 off I-85N and turn left. From easy parking on Innes, you can take your own tour of Salisbury, which must include Laughing Sky Books at 123 E Innes Street. 
Jenni K Russell took over the store in October of 2008 and named it Laughing Sky Books after a poem titled “Le Monocle de Mon Oncle.” by Wallace Stevens. While the staple of Laughing Sky is its terrific selection of used books, you can also pick up a coffee or some tea and take a break at one of the tables she has set up inside.
At the inaugural Open Mike, we spent two hours together chatting about books, writing and had the opportunity to hear four poets and one fiction writer read from their work. Laughing Sky also has their Open Mike open to writers of all genres as well as acoustic musicians. Included in this mix reading on Wednesday was myself, the store owner (who is a published writer) and Helen Losse, the poetry editor of the online literary magazine The Dead Mule.
Jenni plans to hold other Open Mike nights so stop to obtain more information and to pick up a few books, a coffee and a chat. I look forward to spending more time at Laughing Sky.
But I’m having fun, either way, writing these short articles.
