15 minutes every day of the festival, for those who mix writing with performance.

Each Open Mike session will have 6 slots of up to 2 minutes each.
A bell will ring—or a buzzer will, well, buzz—at the end of the 2-minute period and the participant must leave the stage.
Each day’s Open Mike will, hopefully, begin with one well-known city poet who will “bless the mike” with a short reading or performance. This special guest may choose to offer brief comments on the day’s performance at the end of the session.

The rules:
Participants must perform only their own writing.
Participants can only perform solo; no groups please.
Participants can recite, declaim, shout, or sing their words. They can sit, stand or lie down. They can dance, turn cartwheels, play a musical instrument, or scratch their backs, as long as they perform the words.
Genres: No restriction. Poetry, monologues, stories, songs, it’s all good.
Prohibited: Foul language, explicit sexual imagery, slander.
Dress code: No nudity. Yes, you can use costumes, make-up, wigs if you like.

If you want a slot:
You must be physically present at the venue.
Half-an-hour before the start of the evening’s proceedings (Literature events start at 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, 6 p.m. on weekdays), you must report to the Open Desk at the David Sassoon Library garden. You must show the text of what you plan to perform to the person at the desk, and describe your performance. This is not about censorship; it is to guard against infringement of the rules. Slots will be provided immediately, on a first-come first-served basis, and cannot be carried over to the next day.
If the time-slot bookings get out of control, the Open Desk may decide to use a draw of lots to decide who goes on stage.

There are no prizes, except the opportunity to perform to an audience, and earn its acclaim. You will not be reimbursed expenses, and will not be paid any fee or honorarium. You retain ownership of your work, but by submitting it, you give the Kala Ghoda Association and Caferati the right to display your work at the David Sassoon Library and on their websites, should they so choose, with attribution to you.

Update (12th January): The Open Mike will be held every day of the Festival (except February 9th and 10th), at the David Sassoon Library Garden, from 21:00 to 21:15.