Honolulu's spoken-word world continues to grow: Jazz Minds Art & Café hosts Speak Easy, a new night of performance poetry. The open-mike session features top Island poets, such as TravisT, pictured, alongside fresh new faces. Organizer Katie Neligh has been writing poetry since high school but is new to the stage. While she has competed at First Thursdays and appeared at Re:Verses, Neligh says "I still get really, really scared." She hopes that Speak Easy will give spoken-word tyros a way to clear the hurdle from poet to performer.

Speak Easy: 6:30-9 p.m. Mondays, www.myspace.com/katienn, purpoetry@yahoo.com.

— Katie Whitman

SLIP OF A DRESS

Among the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet's $5 T-shirts, rummage tables and cheap jewelry are some creative finds. Latest discovery: Miss Gypsy's silk slip dresses ($20). Eriko Takanabe designed them and has them made in India, along with blouses, leather sandals and other items. She travels to the subcontinent about once a year for new ideas and to meet with her manufacturers. Her color combinations make the gamine frocks irresistable. She's at the swap meet 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays and Sundays. Contact: miss gypsy@hotmail.co.jp.

— Lesa Griffith

HIP-HOP HOPEFULS

Think you're the next great rap hope? The 808 Scene Zine wants submissions for its Hawaii Hip Hop Exchange. Selected talent will perform in a showcase at Don Ho's Island Grill on Feb. 17. The best acts will be chosen to perform with New York underground hip-hop artists Creature and Preachermann, who will be in town for a show in March, and could end up on a New York hip-hop compilation. Entries of reggae, dancehall, jazz, blues — anything that goes with hip-hop — will be considered, as long as it's original. For details, write to the808scenezine@gmail.com. Submission fee: $5.

— Lesa Griffith