PT. 6 Brown Butter Poetry & Vibe Open Mic
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I hosted our first open mic of the year. The sixth series of Brown Butter Poetry & Vibe open mic presented by Vow to Self was housed at Daily Press in BK. What better way to celebrate our personal power than to free our own voices and dreams?
The list filled up before show time as creative individuals walked in, one by one, and signed up to express on the stage. This time we tried something a little different: before sharing, performers read an MLK quote in honor of his legacy and our future. Like the one below,
“I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits.”
—Martin Luther King Jr.
Poets, activists, rappers, singers, screenwriters, actors and students of life freed their art on the mic as the regulars and passerbys witnessed in the crowd. It was a night of honest vulnerability and genuine connection. What I admire most about these monthly gatherings are the people who create a supportive, loving, ayeeeeee, you-got-this-fam type of energy. There are no mistakes or mess ups, just a group of humans inspired by each other’s inspirations.
Per usual, my Shades playlist set the vibes. Our feature, rapper and artist, Just Mary, came through with his whole team. Named after his grandmother to carry on her legacy, Just Mary led the crowd to its feet with his truthful 90s flow and head-bopping rhythmic beats, sharing stories about living in New York and pursuing his dreams. Can’t forget to mention the melodic background vocalist, Dirty Flowers, who added even more sway to his songs.
“I’m just a guy with goals who wanna touch the sky, provide for all the people that don’t have a backing side, and spread some wealth among the world to keep it running high.”
—Just Mary
You can listen to Just Mary’s music on Spotify and all other streaming outlets.
With all the spark happening, I shared a new poem from my upcoming project. Keep a lookout for that! You can find more of my poetry on all music streaming outlets, along with my poetry book Brown Butter.
As always, it’s an honor to curate spaces for people to express and vibe. More events are coming your way this year, so make sure you sign up for our newsletter below. ❤️
If you ever want to be a feature for Brown Butter Poetry & Vibe, send me a note with links to your work.
If you want to be a sponsor for our upcoming events, send me a message and we’ll chat.
As always, if you have an affirmation to share, dm it to @vowtoself + we’ll post it on our page.
Check out pics from BBPV below, taken by UCB Photography.
Stay tuned for the next #BBPV in February, date coming soon!
P.S. Subscribe to my YouTube channel. Listen + watch my film ‘Shades’. Poetry available on all music streaming outlets.
