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D’Allen White is an artist to look out for. Hailing from Minneapolis, D’Allen White is a South Side Emcee that is making music fresh again. D’Allen White’s music is reminiscent to Hip Hop’s Boom Bap Era. Brought up on the likes of J Dilla, NaS and Black Star, D’Allen uses rap to speak to his generation. Having released two projects, the last being the stand out EP “The Commencement”, D’Allen White is working on his newest album due out in 2014 titled “Not a Single Damn Was Given”.

In March 2013, five highly esteemed judges selected the six youth that will represent Minnesota in the international Brave New Voices Youth Poetry Slam Festival in Chicago this August. The team consists of six poets, all of whom are between the ages of 13-19 years old. Mhika, Ramaj, Laresa, Luke, Donte and Kayla will be showcasing their work and discussing with the audience their individual writing processes. Please come out, support, and dialogue with these young poets!

PaviElle hails from the Twin Cities and is an interdisciplinary artist that focuses on bringing truth to light within her art (which includes dance, writing, speaking, and political activism). She is a vocalist/songwriter/pianist who has been performing professionally since 1989. She has participated in such collectives as EduPoetic Enterbrainment, Kahlil & Everyday People, and Sinamn Jones. PaviElle has also been seen in such staged plays for Steppingstone and Penumbra theaters. Currently, PaviElle is recording her first studio album, Fear Not, which will be released this upcoming summer. And, she will be happily back to gracing stages this summer in efforts to promote her album after a five year break from performing.

The last thing this world needs is another rapper. With anyone who can gain access to a MacBook Pro and GarageBand releasing their half-assed basement raps, I think we can all agree that we can do without another rapper. Fans deserve much more. They deserve artists: people with a healthy respect for the art form of creating music; people who have studied the likes of James Brown, Miles Davis, Prince, Nina Simone, the Funkadelics—not just another person who can flip on the switch of a vocoder. They deserve someone like Dominique “Ceewhy” Suttles.

27-year-young Margeaux Davis has a sweet, friendly spirit—and this girl can groove! Described as “Jazzy… Hip Hop Soul—Etta James meets J. Dilla”, Margeaux won Best Female R&B Vocal 2010 at Minneapolis’ world-renowned First Avenue, and was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal in both 2011 and 2012. She recently finished the production Rag Time at Park Square Theater in 2012, with director Gary Gisselman and is currently wrapping up her EP titled, “Won’t Do It Again”, at Grand Melody Music with producers Andre Dennis and Andre Reynolds.

Cristopher Gibson is a writer and performance poet from Perry, OK, currently residing in Saint Paul, MN. Gibson is active in the spoken word and slam communities in the Twin Cities, and conducts writing and performance workshops at various colleges as well as more informal coffee meetings. He also plays in the local punk, hip hop, and occasional dubstep scenes. He is releasing his first book through Beard Poetry entitled, Dysfunctional: Portraits of a Small Town along with a spoken word CD.

“Inspired Works” is a theme. Regular participants are invited to bring in a poem written by another author, perhaps someone they experienced during National Poetry Month, a mentor, a great! The event takes place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Golden Thyme Coffee Café at 921 Selby Avenue (corner of North Milton Street) in Saint Paul, MN 55104. All ages are welcome, and there is no cover charge. Every first Thursday, a writing workshop will be held an hour before the open mic begins, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.