Open mic stage-time is not usually high-quality stage-time, but it can be rowdy good fun – or a bone-chilling nightmare. Either way, it’s a great (and probably a necessary) step to developing your public speaking skills. Besides, after a bad open mic night, anything will seem easy. Thanks LA-ist: http://laist.com/2013/07/18/the_best_open_mics_in_la.php
See also, my previous blogs about spoken word and storytelling venues in LA and reasons for working out loud in public.