"Summertime" in Coffee Print, Tel Aviv

It's "Summertime" and Ella Fitzgerald's classic hit wasn't the only thing resonating the streets of Tel Aviv. For those of you who have missed out on the Open Mic nights, Coffee Print has become a home to poets, writers and musicians who meet bimonthly to share their original work or to read/perform their favorite poems/tunes.

With Asher in the States (and missed by us all), performers found their way to 31 Bograshov for another Open Mic night.

Hosting the evening for the first time, I was worried I wouldn't be able to (temporarily) fill in Asher's shoes, but after reading Rumi's "Who Says Words With My Mouth", I fought off my nerves and then started off with an improvisation poem (about my red dress..).

Joan bravely, and successfully, took hold of the mic and was the first to read out a few of her original poems. She was followed by Mark L. Levinson (who also hosts the Voices Israel Group) and has become a regular at Coffee Print.

A group of students from Tel Aviv University – Avshalom, DaVe, Gil and Uri – shined on stage while reading their own poems. Rumor has it that they meet once a week and exercise their creativity...

With the aroma of coffee filling the room and the sound of wine glasses clinging, we were soon enchanted by two storytellers, Doreen and Avril (who celebrated her birthday).

We also had a surprise visitor – a flute player called Adam who played a few tunes. Of course, the evening couldn't be complete without a few melodies by Deb and her angelic voice. We ended the evening with a few songs and everyone joined along, completing yet another groovy Open Mic night!

For those of you who want to share your work- come join us at the next Open Mic night on September 2nd at 21:00!