Trinity River Book Festival
Open mics are spiritual. They’re therapy through poetry; providing poets and poetry lovers a moment and space to be raw, vulnerable, and safe. The first one I ever went to was a part of the inaugural Lit Crawl Fort Worth, hosted by Donna and Donya Craddock, owners of the Dock Bookshop, one of the largest African American-owned bookstores in Texas. The Lit Crawl kicked off the 2025 Trinity River Book Festival (TRBF), a literacy event founded by the sister duo, taking place during National Literacy Month to celebrate the diverse and talented North Texas writing community. Beginning with a “Run-to-Read” event, it is a day dedicated to honoring the importance of literacy for our physical and mental well-being.
Lit Crawl Fort Worth
However, I want to take y’all back before TRBF, where the fun first began—The Lit Crawl. Lit Crawl Fort Worth took place at Thompson’s Bookstore, a literary bar and speakeasy downtown. I’ve been to Thompson’s before, although it was 100% just for their cocktails, but the space was a perfect venue to set the mood for a literary event. The crawl consisted of four different activities, but I found myself entrapped—no, enraptured—in the Poetry Crush area. The Poetry Crush, or open mic, took place in the basement, which we entered after speaking the secret password and passing through a secret door.
The basement was warm and intimate; people were more relaxed among the fairy lights and burgundy curtains, in contrast to the brighter, bustling environment upstairs. The easygoing vibes did nothing to quell my nerves as I started considering reading a few of my poems. The decision was made for me when the Open Mic host himself approached.
Dre Hill, a Fort Worth poet and author of two poetry collections: Crossroads and (No) I Am (Not) Okay, had the sort of energy that made you feel as if you were reuniting with an old friend. His kindness and earnest belief in the power of poetry were apparent immediately, and as we chatted before the show, I started to realize something about the vitality of the creative community in Fort Worth—it was tangible. I also found my new favorite local poet.
This realization was only solidified in my mind as the Open Mic began. Looking around that room as we took turns spilling our guts, I saw strangers experiencing genuine connection on a level that can be rare to find these days. People of all walks of life sat in a room together and chose to listen to each other, to celebrate each other, to comfort each other. For three hours, I felt humanity at its best.
As we all trickled out into the streets, nobody wanted to leave. We sat out front, sharing thanks and laughter and going with the promise to see them again soon at the Trinity River Book Festival a couple of days later. The best part of the whole experience is knowing that it was not a one-off. The Dock Bookshop hosts the Dock Open Mic night every Tuesday night at their store. Believe me, Donna and Donya haven’t seen the last of me.
I’ll leave you with this: If you’ve never been to a poetry open mic, take the chance—it’s the essence of community and right now, we all could use a little more community.
Dock Open Mic
Taylor is the Editor-in-Chief of the Rooted Literary Magazine and works as a freelance editor and writer for Game Rant. Her fiction work has appeared in Neon Origami Literary Magazine, Wingless Dreamer, and more. Her background blends creative writing, digital content creation, and editorial work.
Rooted Literary Magazine is a literary platform dedicated to showcasing art, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, spoken word, music, and film that captures the full spectrum of human experience—from the beautiful to the devastating, and everything in between.
