NOT YOUR AVERAGE OPEN MIC

Cyrus Aaron & Mel Chanté host this fresh new platform for poetry lovers & poets of all levels. Not Your Average is about community, craft, and culture.

After the open mic and special guest feature performance, guests have the chance to join our hosts as they battle for bragging rights. The Not Your Average Games include Trivia, a Cypher, and more!

Open Mic Sign up: Sign up in advance for Open Mic. Spots are first come first serve. We advise early arrival.

Special Birthday Feature: Brittany Barker

Special Guest DJs: THE BLK.ID TWINS

Doors & Happy Hour kick off at 6:30pm

Tap in with the Not Your Average Insta for more details and content

Bio:

Brittany Barker is a poet and educator from Harlem, NYC. She has impacted hundreds of youth and adults as a creative leader and advocate for community wellness. Brittany was most recently ranked 3rd in the world at the 2023 Womxn of the World poetry slam. Currently, she is the Executive Director of Creative Soul House, a community-development organization that designs and facilitates people-development workshops, programs and events for youth and adults. As an educational consultant, she has consulted for June Ambrose and has served a diverse set of communities, including NYU, Columbia Business School, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Rutgers University, Twitter, NBCU Comcast, Girls Write Now and DREAM Charter network. Brittany finds inspiration through God, deep interpersonal connections and art spaces.

Hosts:

Cyrus Aaron:

Cyrus Aaron is a creative storyteller and community organizer committed to the legacy and care of Black art and expression. As an advocate of voice and doer of language, The Fire This Time Festival playwright creates space for the Black experience in film, literature, theater, performance art and community.

Aaron has worked with various brands including Google, HBO Max and Spotify. He also facilitates storytelling workshops as a form of wellness practice for youth and adults.

Mel Chanté:

Brooklyn-based poet, artist, founder and host of the Vow to Self Podcast and author of Brown Butter. With a sound of a sultry voice paired with poetic lyrics over melodic tunes, Mel's debut EP, FLO, has amassed over 2 million streams across music platforms.

Touring major cities throughout the U.S. and Europe, including Copenhagen, Berlin, and London, Mel has performed for intimate crowds to audiences expanding into the thousands. She has opened for household names such as Rupi Kaur and Dianna Lopez and has written music for international artist Londrelle.

Mel seeks to inspire self love and healing through her work, and is currently working on a full-length album.

The Venue:

Located in Clinton Hill Brooklyn, 275PARK is one of New York City’s most dynamic performance venues. From comedy to live music with food and cocktails it is perfectly suited for all of your entertainment needs.

Happy Hour is from 6:30-8pm

The two item minimum is waived for this event. A 20% gratuity is automatically added to every table bill.