Brooklyn Poets Staff Picks

Join us for Brooklyn Poets Staff Picks, a virtual, triannual reading series curated by the poets who assist with our space, web, events and office work. Each reading features a lineup of three poets nominated by different staff members as among the most essential new voices today. The series focuses on writers yet to publish a full-length collection of poetry, with an emphasis on those from underrepresented communities. The event includes readings by our three featured poets, who have all been invited to choose their own openers. Our featured poets on April 17 will be Ahmad Ibsais, Kyle Carrero Lopez and Venus Knowles. All readings are free and open to the public.

Featured Poets

Ahmad Ibsais is a first-generation Palestinian-American and law student who hopes to use words to push for a Liberated Palestine.

Kyle Carrero Lopez is the author of Muscle Memory, the chapbook winner of the 2020 [PANK] Book Contest. In 2020 he cofounded Legacy, a Brooklyn-based production collective by and for Black queer artists. His poems appear in Guernica, the Nation, Poetry, the Atlantic and the Academy of American Poets' Poem-a-Day series, as well as the BreakBeat Poets Volume 4 (Haymarket Books, 2020), Best of the Net 2020 and Best New Poets 2021 anthologies. His work has been highlighted in episodes of Poetry Unbound and the Slowdown, and he has been invited to share his poetry at the Brooklyn Museum, La MaMa and the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, among other venues.

Venus Knowles is a Black trans + lesbian poet currently located in the Bronx, NY. His poetry varies from topic to topic, but the inspiration of their friends and experiences, as well as living as a queer person, always remains the same.

Closed captioning will be available and the text of readers' poems will be screenshared during the event. For more information and to request additional accommodations, contact us at bkp@brooklynpoets.org.

Note that by attending this event, you agree to abide by our code of conduct below. Brooklyn Poets reserves the right to dismiss from our programs any participant found to be in violation of these policies.

Brooklyn Poets Code of Conduct

Brooklyn Poets will not tolerate any instances of discrimination, harassment or abuse in conjunction with any of our programs. Respect and consideration for others, both within and outside our programs, are core values to be upheld by all participants. Discrimination against and/or harassment of community members on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, religion, age, marital status, veteran status or any other factor is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Program participants are expected to adhere to all federal, state and local laws and regulations. Should a board or staff member, independent contractor, volunteer or program participant be found to violate any aspect of the organization’s code of conduct, Brooklyn Poets reserves the right to dismiss them from the program. Consequences may include, but not be limited to, dismissal from the current activity, suspension, ineligibility for all future activities, and/or loss of payment or fees. If you have any issues to report, please do not hesitate to contact Executive Director Jason Koo (koo@brooklynpoets.org) or Deputy Director renée kay (kay@brooklynpoets.org), and they will get back to you as soon as possible.