Past Events
COMPETITION: Midwest Poetry Mash-up 2026
Jazz competed in the Midwest Poetry Mash-up in 2026 as part of a team called the Invisible Poets Collective coached by Ariana Brown.
During the slam, Jazz & Ariana received the award for “Best Performance” for their group piece about the television show “Interview with the Vampire”.
To prepare for the slam, the Invisible Poets Collective shared their work in two virtual showcases in the following virtual platforms:
FEATURE: I Scream Social Open Mic
I Scream Social is a monthly feminist reading series & ice cream party at Alienated Majesty Books. Hosted by Annar Veröld & Claire Bowman!
I Scream Social is thrilled to celebrate Pride Month with the dreamiest queer lineup, featuring Jazz Bell, Jake Rose, and Saúl Hernández! Bring your queerest poems for the open mic and get ready to make some new besties!
Presented by Host Publications, I Scream Social is a monthly feminist reading series and ice cream party that takes place at Alienated Majesty Books. We aim to celebrate and empower historically marginalized writers and share incredible literature and diverse perspectives to an Austin-area audience. Hosted this month by poets Claire Bowman & Annar Veröld! Free & open to all!
FEATURE BIOS:
Jazz Bell (they/ them) is a poet, writer, visual artist, singer, and care worker. Their writing has been published in Muzzle Magazine, Nat. Brut, beestung, Transgender Studies Quarterly, Button Poetry, and elsewhere; their work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. They have been writing, leading and assisting with literary workshops, performing their work, and engaging in poetry spaces for over 10 years.
Jake Rose is a poet and artist living in California’s Central Valley. Rose teaches at the University of California, Davis and their work appears in The Atlantic, Foglifter, and elsewhere. Their debut poetry collection, JOAN, won the 2026 Phoenix Emerging Poets Book Prize, and is out now with The University of Chicago Press.
Saúl Hernández is a 2025 National Endowment for the Arts Fellow. His debut poetry collection, How to Kill a Goat & Other Monsters, is a 2025 Lambda Literary Award Winner, a Writers’ League of Texas Discovery Award Winner, was longlisted for a PEN Open Book Award, and received the Institute of Letters’honor-winner for First Book of Poetry.
Open mic details:
Sign ups for the open mic begin at 6:45pm.
The open mic is reserved for writers from historically marginalized communities.
Because slots are limited and we want to make room for everyone, we ask that you wait until 7:10 to sign up if you joined us for the open mic the previous month.
ACCESS INFORMATION: masks are encouraged and will be provided for this month's I Scream Social. Alienated Majesty Books has some parking in front. The bookstore is wheelchair accessible based on my experience using a manual wheelchair in space. There are not automatic doors.
RSVP HERE(not required to attend)
DATE: June 26
TIME: 7pm-9pm Central Time
WHERE:
613 West 29th Street
Austin, Texas USA 78705
PRICE: Free