For the first time, the Vertigo and La Pluma Open Mic was held at the Lynbrook Auditorium on March 29. Since 2019, poets and artists from Lynbrook and Monta Vista High School’s literary magazines have met annually to express their passion for all forms of art in the form of a public performance. This event was traditionally held at Monta Vista, but due to ongoing campus construction, this event was moved to Lynbrook’s auditorium.
“Seeing everyone who shares a passion for our performances makes this event so special for so many of us,” junior and Vertigo officer Bethanie Lee said. “Just seeing everyone who shares an interest in the event and just feeling inspired afterward makes this event so special for so many of us.”
Before presenting at this event, writers and artists went through an application process to get into the club. Once approved as a member of a club, members of both clubs were eligible to have their work displayed in the magazine and an opportunity to apply for a spot at the Open Mic.
This year, members of Vertigo and La Pluma performed their creations in front of friends and family, ranging from poems, one-man plays and original songs to 3D renderings of art pieces. Artists also had the opportunity to display their work and unveil the artistic intentions behind it through a small speech.
“I encouraged my students to be part of the audience this year because I want them to feel inspired and comfortable to put their creations out there,” English teacher and Vertigo club adviser Vanessa Otto said. “There will be so many pieces performed and I hope they leave the auditorium with a new perspective on not just literature, but also art in general.”
When curating their performances, club members took inspiration from various elements of their personal lives, as they had expressed pieces that provided commentary on topics like fatherly love, immigrant stigma, bodily pain and romantic sorrow. Openly presenting these sorts of sensitive topics creates a sense of closeness within the audience.
“Something that makes live deliveries of poetry so special is that it gives the piece so much life, ” Su said. “Presenting on the podium makes for a fun and valuable experience.”
Of the various performances at the event, one that was widely enjoyed was a piece designed by senior Annie Yao, one of the co editors-in-chief of Vertigo. Using Blender, a software used for 3D modeling and animations, she modeled a unique character model inspired by 3D streamer icons and character art that she had found online. This project has been long in the works, as she had to learn how to model on Blender completely from scratch.
“Earlier today, one of our members came over and asked me questions on how to get started with 3d modeling.” Yao said. “Moments like these make you feel like your art is meaningful.”
At the event, students were also able to get inspiration from poets and artists from Mota Vista. A piece written by students Jillian Ju and Giljoon Lee from La Pluma called “Meat” was considered one of the best performances at the event as it provided insight into complicated interactions between humans and the effects of indulgence within society.
“We’re creating a community of people who love art and literature and this is a way of extending that community to other schools,” Lee said. “The connection with our community is what we love about performing.”
Although participants found it hard to share their pieces in front of an audience, the support they received from both their spectators and fellow performances gave them the confidence to continue creating pieces as well as sharing them for next year’s Open Mic Session.
“What makes it special is the hope that people I care about will be there beyond just the members of the club,” Su said. “It’s a vulnerable thing to share your art or your writing and to have people that you care about in the audience is special.”
