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For many Toledo creatives, the second Tuesday of each month has become a night to step onto the mic, share something vulnerable or simply listen and feel heard. The next Toledo Listening Room Open Mic night is Tuesday, Feb. 10, 6 pm at Handmade Toledo, 1717 Adams St.. The event offers a free, family-friendly space for music, poetry, spoken word, stories, art and community connection.
If you can’t make it Feb. 10, no need to worry. The event occurs every second Tuesday of the month.
The Toledo Listening Room continues to live up to the spirit it sparked with its origins last year — a project born out of a desire to bring diverse voices together in one supportive room.
Doors open at 5:30 pm, you can sign-up for the mic on their iPad when you arrive, and performances usually run until about 9 pm. Material stays within a PG-13 mindset to make the environment accessible to all ages.
The Toledo Listening Room open mic nights are a bimonthly tradition
When the Toledo Listening Room first launched in summer 2025, organizers described the event as a platform built on community and vulnerability — a creative antidote to the divisiveness many people experience in everyday life. Its roots lie in the idea of shared space, one where listeners and performers alike can connect beyond genre, experience level or background.
Stef Klages, a key organizer, has been at the heart of the Toledo Listening Room since the very beginning.
“Toledo Listening Room got together as a ragtag team of people trying to bring the community together in a vulnerable and safe environment,” Klages said. “It seems so hard to get along right now with so much hate in the world, so this has always been an open invitation to everyone from all walks of life and helps them experience people in that vulnerability.”
The Toledo Listening Room also hosts smaller open mic nights at Black Kite Coffee every fourth Tuesday of the month. No matter the venue, you’re always welcome at the Toledo Listening Room.
“It really comes down to the message Jim Henson was trying to say with Sesame Street, which is If you wanna see love, you gotta show it first, and if you wanna heal the world, you build up your own community,” Kleges said. “And that’s what we’re trying to do, just heal one person at a time whether it’s me or whether it’s anyone else in the audience. We have the space to experience real human connection and we want to hear what you have to say.”
That ethos — the belief that creative expression and genuine listening can foster connection — is part of what has sustained the open mic’s momentum as it’s grown from its first nights in 2025 into an established fixture of Toledo’s arts scene.
At a time when many creatives say spaces for open expression can be hard to find, the Toledo Listening Room has carved out a corner of the city where everyone is encouraged to participate, share or simply absorb what others bring to the mic. Whether it’s heartfelt songwriting, sharp spoken word, playful stories or introspective poetry, the message stays the same: this is a night to support each other and make room for real human connection.
Two food trucks will be outside Handmade Toledo during the event. You’re also welcome to bring your own food and drinks. Any questions can be directed to Stef Klages at [email protected]. Check out their Facebook page for more information and updates about future events.
Participating in and attending the Toledo Listening Room open mics is free, but donations are always welcome. Those interested in donating to the Toledo Listening Room can do so at: ko-fi.com/toledolisteningroom.
