Forget everything you might already think about poetry readings: the snapping, the berets and bongos, the confusing words.

Now imagine a room packed with people laughing, clapping and connecting with a person on stage speaking words about everyday life from the loss of a father to wet spots on the bed.

Such is the scene every Tuesday night at Poetry Unplugged – or PU as it's referred to – at Nostalgia, 7155 N. 43rd St. It starts around 9 or 10 p.m. and features anywhere from 10-18 readers in an open mic format with a featured poet. The cost of admission is $10.

Eleven years, ago, Mario Kimbrough opened Nostalgia, which is a nightclub on most nights, and about five years later, he branched out with Nostalgia II, 9316 W. Appleton Ave.

With so many businesses closing all the time, how has Kimbrough stayed successful for a decade plus?

"I have stayed focused on my goals and not only on making fast money," says Kimbrough. "It’s fun seeing people having a good time."

About a decade ago, motivational speaker and writer Kwabena Nixon launched Poetry Unplugged at Nostalgia.

Nixon is picky about his poets, particularly who gets the nightly feature, and just because a poet shows up for the open mic doesn’t mean he or she will get on stage the first time.

"I bring in some of the best poets and spoken words from all over the country," says Nixon. "And we support and welcome new talent at PU. But there’s a grooming process. If you’re hungry, it might be in your best interest to wait a little bit before you eat."

Virgie Johnson recently started attending the open mic and eventually found her way on stage. She says she is always nervous at first, but it subsides.

"Poetry Unplugged is my sanctuary. No matter what's going on at home or at work, when I'm there I can feel inner peace for a minute," says Johnson.

Poetry Unplugged is in the middle of a special 10-week poetry series called #10Tuesdays that started on Oct. 1.

The series is dedicated to Anita Burgos-Brooks, a regular performer at Nostalgia who went by the name "Anita Bee." Brooks was shot and killed by her husband in early 2013, leaving behind a 3-year-old daughter. Every week, an item of hers, such as a scarf, is placed on stage during the performance.

Prior to the performance, the "core" performers meet in the basement and rally in an emotional huddle around Nixon who provides a motivational talk and a moving tribute to Burgos.

Nixon says he started PU after being unenthused by the other poetry outlets in the city.

"Other (poetry readings) were too quiet. The audience was too far away from the poets. There was too much divide. We want to create excitement for everyone, all together. For me, it’s this kind of poetry or none," he says.

"PU is about daily life. You get a mix of everything, from all different kinds of people. The crowd is predominantly African-American, but we have representation from many different races. We’re about blazing the mic."

Nixon, who was raised on the West Side of Chicago, started writing at 11 years old after his father was killed. He later moved with his mother to Milwaukee and recently published a book, "Eye Write What Eye See."

Nixon also gives motivational talks to youth and inmates and is involved in a group called "I Don’t Want To Die Young" that reaches out to poor youth who want to avoid a life of violence.

"Poetry was and is my outlet," he says.

Danny Burl II, whose stage name is Danny B., was the featured reader on a recent Tuesday in October. An engineer from Arkansas, Burl was relocated to Milwaukee by his employer in early 2013. He started coming to PU soon after his move.

Burl says he wasn’t sure at first if he wanted to perform, but after his first PU experience, he was hooked.

"When I saw the response from the crowd and between the poets, I knew I wanted to be a part of it and I have been performing every Tuesday since," he says. "The people here are my family. One of my pieces tonight is giving thanks to all of them."

Prior to moving to Milwaukee, Burl says he wrote mostly for himself because there were few opportunities for poets in Arkansas.

"I like to consider myself a storyteller about love or things I have seen in my life," he says. "I love it when I get off the stage and someone says my story is just like their story."

Genesis Renji, a hip hop artist and poet, moved to Milwaukee during middle school with his mother. A teacher identified his writing talent and connected him with other writers in the community. Renji has been writing and performing ever since.

"I am always thinking about what’s next, about how to be the very best," says Renji. "My goal is to get paid well for what I love to do so I can take care of myself and the people around me."

Renji says he loves performing at PU because of the openness, acceptance and family atmosphere.

Poetry Unplugged is filled with this sentiment, one that Kimbrough says many Milwaukeeans don’t perceive to be prominent on the North Side.

"To many people (in Milwaukee) the North Side is the Boogie Man. But there are a lot of great people here," he says.