The readings at Bill's officially ended in January 2006. Many of the readers I knew from those days are no longer active, leaving only the photos and scattered reminiscences of those of us who were present as the evidence of their earlier forays into the world of performance art. It occurred to me last year that in addition to the photography, I would really like to have captured some of these performers on tape. To that end, I dug out an old reel-to-reel machine that I'd had in storage for several years, set up a microphone and mic stand in my living room, and started making some calls and sending some e-mails, and the "open mic project" was born. The fruits of this effort are sampled here. Each page spotlights the work of one artist, and generally features both the text of each piece as well as a downloadable MP3 file made from the best take(s) of each recording session.

The project is intended to be an ongoing concern, with additional material being recorded and added to the library as time and acquaintance permit.