Event Info
PLEASE NOTE: Because this is Brooklyn Poetry Slam’s 2023 season finals, there will be no sign-ups for the Slam and the Open Mic at this event. All participants have been invited.
Join us live and in-person for the Brooklyn Poetry Slam, an incredible evening of poetry and community led by co-founders Mahogany L. Browne and Jive Poetic! This month’s slam will be our 2023 season finals, and it will take place outdoors at The Plaza at 300 Ashland on the corner of Lafayette Ave and Flatbush Ave, just a block away from BRIC House. Mark your calendars now, and join special guests and poets from all over the world. This month’s featured poet is Malcolm Wicks.
Presented in partnership with Downtown Brooklyn Partnership
Head here for information on upcoming poetry slams.
PERFORMER BIOS
Mahogany L. Browne, selected as Kennedy Center’s Next 50, is the Executive Director of JustMedia, a media literacy initiative supporting the groundwork of criminal justice leaders and community members. This position is informed by her career as a writer, organizer, & educator. Browne has received fellowships from Art for Justice, Air Serenbe, Cave Canem, Poets House, Mellon Research & Rauschenberg. She is the author of recent works: Vinyl Moon, Chlorine Sky, Woke: A Young Poets Call to Justice, Woke Baby, & Black Girl Magic. As the founder of the diverse lit initiative, Woke Baby Book Fair. Browne’s latest project is a poetry collection responding to the impact of mass incarceration on women and children: I Remember Death By Its Proximity to What I Love (Haymarket Books). She is the first-ever poet-in-residence at the Lincoln Center and lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Jive Poetic is a writer, organizer, and educator based in Brooklyn, New York. He received his BA in Media Studies from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and his MFA in Writing and Activism from Pratt Institute. In 2017 Jive was the first recipient of the John Morning Award for Art and Service. He is the founder of Insurgent PoetsSociety, Carnival Slam: Cultural Exchange, and co-founder of the Brooklyn Poetry Slam. His work has been showcased on season four of TVONE’s Lexus Verses and Flow, PBS NewsHour, and BET. International recognition and support for his work has come from the British Arts Council; US Embassies in Australia, Brazil, and Poland; and the Minister Of Culture in Antigua and Barbuda. He has received fellowships from Air Serenbe and Rhode Island Writers Colony, and when he is not on tour or hosting, he teaches poetry and hip hop workshops to at risk youth in New York City and the surrounding area.
Father/Girl Dad, Poet/Performing Artist, Singer/Songwriter, Actor/Storyteller, Stylist/Model, Ideologist/Creative Director, Educator/Culture Leader with several other attributes under his belt, Malcolm Wicks is a one-stop shop. Highlighted as a youth advocate and activist, Wicks was also featured in the first chapter of i-D’s Up + Rising, 40th anniversary issue, a celebration of extraordinary Black Voices. Urban Word alum and former Nuyorican Poets Cafe slam team member, Wicks appearances also includes Brave New Voices (BNV) in San Francisco, California; National Poetry Slam (NPS) in Boston, Massachusetts; Apollo Theatre; Def Jam Digital; TedxYouth; BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music); BRIC and Carnegie Hall. Wicks has also shared his art amongst some of our finest educational institutions such as Fordham University, Binghamton University, SUNY Albany, University of Connecticut(UCONN), John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and the list goes on. Wicks is excited to announce he will soon be a published author, releasing his first poetry book titled, “Take Me With You” on 6/23/23, to honor his late Grandmother on her birthday.
About Downtown Brooklyn Partnership
Downtown Brooklyn Partnership is a not-for-profit local development corporation that serves as the primary champion for Downtown Brooklyn as a world-class business, cultural, educational, residential, and retail destination. Working together with the three business improvement districts (BID) that it manages – the MetroTech BID, Fulton Mall Improvement Association, and Court-Livingston-Schermerhorn BID – the Partnership’s diverse activities include attracting new businesses and improving the environment for existing companies; facilitating the construction of public spaces and streetscapes that promote an active and cohesive community; supporting and promoting Downtown Brooklyn’s cultural assets; and encouraging a unified sense of place and an engaged civic community. For more information, visit www.downtownbrooklyn.com.
About The Plaza at 300 Ashland
The Plaza at 300 Ashland sits at the heart of the Brooklyn Cultural District, adjacent to the brownstone Brooklyn neighborhoods of Fort Greene, Boerum Hill, and Park Slope. DBP has partnered with premier Brooklyn arts organizations such as BAM, BRIC, Brooklyn Public Library, Mark Morris Dance Group, MoCADA, 651 Arts, and Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA) to offer free, high-quality programming for everyone. Programming at The Plaza at 300 Ashland is made possible by support from Two Trees Management Co.
