Our first-ever Poetry Night at Palace was recently held, and it was nothing short of magical.
The back of our Wolflin location was transformed into a cozy living room, creating a warm & welcoming space for an evening of creativity & connection. Guests arrived, settled into their seats with coffee or mocktails in hand, & eagerly awaited the start of the evening. Meanwhile, the participating poets gathered in the roastery to review the evening's plans, calm their nerves, & encourage one another before stepping into the spotlight.
Throughout the evening, nearly 20 people bravely shared their words, their creativity, &, in many cases, pieces of themselves.
There is something incredibly courageous about standing before an audience & sharing something you've written. Whether it's a lighthearted piece about the weather, a humorous observation about life, or a deeply personal story of tragedy, sharing your words requires vulnerability. You are inviting others into your thoughts, your experiences, & sometimes even your pain.
The theme for our first Poetry Night was Community & Belonging, two words that are at the very heart of why Palace exists. We believe everyone deserves a place where they feel accepted, cared for, & valued. A place where they can show up exactly as they are & know they belong.
And that evening, we got to witness what that looks like.
The diversity of poets & poetry styles made the night extraordinary. There were passionate poems, beautiful poems, heartbreaking poems, humorous poems, long poems, short poems, & even a little rap & singing woven into their performances. The talent represented in that room was remarkable, but what struck me most wasn't simply the talent. It was the willingness of so many people to share something meaningful with a room full of others.
Discovering Poetry in a New Way
I'll admit something. For most of my life, I thought poetry was an art form with rules. I imagined carefully constructed verses, rhyming words, & specific structures that had to be followed for something to qualify as poetry.
But last month, I attended my very first poetry night at Stoex Art Café, & my perspective completely changed.
I was moved to tears. I laughed. I beamed with pride as I watched artist after artist bravely share their work. I discovered that poetry doesn't have to follow a formula. Sometimes, poetry is simply a story that needs to be told.
That evening inspired me to write something of my own. And so I did.
For the first time in my life, I stood before an audience at Palace's Poetry Night & shared a piece of poetry I had written.
My words didn't rhyme. There wasn't a certain number of words per line. There was no carefully constructed pattern. There was simply a story.
A story about a year of my life that was monumental, tragic, &, at times, almost suffocating. A year that changed me in ways I'm still discovering.
Writing that piece brought me an unexpected amount of comfort and healing. But reading it aloud? That was an entirely different kind of vulnerability.
And yet, it felt right.
Because the theme of the evening—community—was the very thing that helped carry me through that difficult year.
I have learned that people matter. Community matters. Perhaps now more than ever. We need people who will sit with us in the darkness, remind us that we aren't alone, & help us find the light again. We need to surround ourselves with people who bring light into our lives so that even in our darkest seasons, we can find our way forward.
What happened after I shared my poem is something I won't soon forget.
An audience member approached me immediately afterward. She was someone I already knew, someone I had crossed paths with in other circles. But what I didn't know was that her own story was intertwined with one of the tragic events I had just shared.
Of all the evenings, of all the places, of all the people who could have been in that room—there she was.
What are the odds that the very first time I publicly share something so personal, someone who needed to connect with me about that exact experience would be sitting in the audience?
Later that week, we met for coffee. We shared our stories, listened to one another, & connected in a way that I believe brought healing & validation to us both.
It was truly remarkable.
And it reminded me of something I hope I never forget: Sometimes, when we find the courage to share our stories, we create space for someone else to feel less alone in theirs.
That is the power of community.
A Little Poet with a Big Message
As if the evening hadn't already been meaningful enough, it ended with the sweetest little poet sharing a piece entitled "10 Things I Like about Palace."
She stood before the room & reminded us, in the simplest & most beautiful way, what belonging really looks like.
We received permission to share her poem & her photo with our readers, & I hope her words warm your heart as much as they warmed ours.
10 Things I Like about Palace
- How the hot chocolate tastes super good and unique in its own way.
- How the staff is so nice – they always give me a smile.
- There’s always good vibes here.
- I love all the good memories with my mom.
- The smell is welcoming.
- I like coming here in the fall because of the fall vibe.
- Every time I come here, there are nice people to talk to.
- I like the designs and notes left on my cup.
- Everything tastes better than other places.
- I love Palace so much and it’s one of my favorite places. I am so happy I got to love all of the memories here. I cannot think of 1 bad moment here.
This Is Why We Do What We Do
If that doesn't melt your heart, I don't know what will.
What I love most about her poem is that she didn't write about anything extravagant. She wrote about smiles. Warm hot chocolate. Good memories with her mom. Friendly conversations. Little notes on her cup. The feeling she gets when she walks through our doors.
She wrote about belonging. And isn't that what we're all searching for?
A place where someone smiles when we walk in. A place where we can sit across from a friend & have a meaningful conversation. A place where we can laugh, cry, celebrate, grieve, create, & simply be ourselves.
As I reflect on our first Poetry Night, I realize that the magic wasn't really about poetry at all.
It was about people.
It was about a room full of individuals, each with different backgrounds, experiences, talents, & stories, coming together & finding something in common.
It was about the courage to be vulnerable & the kindness to make space for that vulnerability.
It was about community & belonging.
And it reminded me why Palace exists in the first place.
We don't just want to serve great coffee. We want to create spaces where meaningful moments happen, where relationships are built, where memories are made, & where every person knows they matter.
The Palace community is always open to you.
So bring a friend. Grab a seat & a cup of coffee. Strike up a conversation with someone new.
Encourage one another. Attend an event. Share your story. Listen to someone else's.
You never know what connection might be waiting for you, or how something as simple as showing up might make a difference in someone's life.
Be kind, & drink great coffee!
