Old Drum Open Mic will host Walter Bargen, Missouri’s first poet laureate, during its regular monthly program.

The event is set for 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, at Java Junction,112 N. Holden St. Bargen’s appearance is supported by the Warrensburg Arts Commission and will be free and open to the public, according to a news release.

Bargen served as poet laureate of Missouri from 2008 to 2010. He has published 22 books of poetry, including “Too Quick For The Living,” “Trouble Behind Glass Doors,” and “Days Like This Are Necessary: New And Selected Poems.”

Bargen will be joined in the program by other area writers and composers, including Benton County resident Deb Noland. Phil Wagner will sing one of his favorite tunes. U.S. Air Force veteran Richard Kelleher returns to the event with a treatise on “The Art of Public Speaking.” Janis Russell will share two poems “Bottle Business” and “Herd Cohesion.” And Jill Szoo Wilson will present the recently crafted piece, “Desert Silence.”