Join us for the Brooklyn Poets Friday Night Open, which begins with an open mic and culminates in readings by two featured poets. Our featured poets on May 31st will be Chiara Di Lello & Kyle Liang.
6:00 PM: open mic signup begins
6:30 to 7:45 PM: open mic
8 to 8:30 PM: featured readers
Each reader for the open mic can read for up to a four-minute set. Participants can purchase one of eight tickets in advance to reserve an open mic spot. Once those tickets sell out, all other participants who’d like to read for the open mic can purchase a ticket to sign up at the door on a first-come, first-serve basis. There will be time for about 16–18 readers.
Guests can purchase tickets to attend in person at 144 Montague Street or virtually via Zoom (note: virtual guests cannot read for the open mic). For in-person attendance, advance online ticket sales end at 5 PM on the day of the event. After that, tickets for in-person attendance can be purchased at the door until we reach capacity. Tickets for virtual attendance will be available until 6:30 PM. A Zoom link will be emailed to all ticket holders. Participants are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance for in-person attendance, as there are limited seats. Brooklyn Poets members take $5 off.
Note that by participating in the Friday Night Open, you agree to abide by our code of conduct and COVID-19 policy. All in-person attendees for events are currently required to wear masks (regardless of vaccination status) except readers at a safe distance on stage. We will have masks available. Our full policy can be found at the end of the event description. Brooklyn Poets reserves the right to dismiss from our programs any participant found to be in violation of these policies. Thank you for respecting our community.
Closed captions will be available for the event through the Zoom livestream. For more information and to request additional accommodations, contact us at [email protected].
Featured Poets
Chiara Di Lello is a writer, artist and educator. Born and raised in New York City, she now lives in the Hudson Valley and is dismayed to report that gardening is a whole lot like writing—mysterious and frustrating, but too satisfying to give up. Chiara loves coffee, art and bees and unequivocally supports the movement for Palestinian liberation. Her poems have appeared in places like Ninth Letter, Stanchion Zine and Best New Poets and have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net.
Kyle Liang is the son of Taiwanese and Malaysian immigrants. He is the author of the chapbook How to Build a House (Swan Scythe Press, 2018), and his debut full-length collection, Good Son, was just published by Sundress Publications this spring. His manuscript Midnight Sun was a semifinalist for YesYes Books' 2023 Vinyl 45 Chapbook Contest and Poetry Online's 2024 Chapbook Series Fellowship. He currently works as a physician assistant at New York–Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and teaches at Quinnipiac University. Kyle lives in New York City with his wife Morgan.