On Thursday, November 13, 2025, the first open mic for poetry and prose of the year was hosted at Alibi Ale works in downtown Truckee, Calif. High school students and adults gathered to read and listen to short writing pieces on the small stage in the corner of the restaurant, and supported their peers as they shared their art.

The event, hosted by Poet Laureate of Nevada County, Karen Terrey, is an all-ages space to share writing in monthly get-togethers the second Thursday of every month from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The writing shared can be original, written by the reader, or by someone a reader admires, serving to encourage the local community to share their art form with others. In an interview, Terrey said, “As poet laureate of the whole county one of my projects is to try to connect through poetry and art.” 

Terrey, whose inauguration as the Poet Laureate last May also took place at the same local bar and restaurant, Alibi Ale works, was inspired to start this event after her community boasted happy faces and general excitement. She said that “[In] that event, [Alibi Ale works] was packed, and it really felt like there was this energy and excitement for open mics.”

Along with adults from Terrey’s Tangled Roots Writing workshop group, multiple high school students made an appearance along with members of the Truckee High’s Poetry and Prose Club. “I feel relieved that I did it, and I feel like I did what I could, and I expressed myself, and I always feel satisfied,” Poetry and Prose president Cassandra Baird said. “I had a really good time.”

Following the regular events in Truckee, Terrey mentioned her plans next summer are to take the open mic around the county into places like Nevada City, to encourage Truckee locals to travel to other areas in the region and share their art for others.