News

Lewis Mundt is a poet, performer, organizer, and recent graduate of the creative writing program at Hamline University — but that says little about who he is and more about what he is. His work has been featured (textually) in the Mas Tequila Review, Bestiary Magazine, and the forthcoming Poetry City, USA: Volume 3; (visually) in the Poetry Observed and Amani Media video projects; and (audibly) at the Indiefeed Performance Poetry Podcast and on the Button Poetry CD compilation. 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.

Aimee Renaud strives to be full of joy. Winner of the Urban Griots New Spoken Word Artist of the Year Award in 2009, and recipient of the 2011 VERVE Grant for spoken word artists, Aimee occasionally likes to read her poetry out loud, and hopes to spend the next year learning how to effectively foster her creative tendencies. When she isn’t getting paid to sling espresso for motorcyclists, she can usually be found playing with boisterous kittens, devouring the pastryarchy, reading books, traveling everywhere, sending letters, and trying (sometimes desperately, yes) to feel free. 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.

Matt Carlyon is a spoken word artist and music producer in the Twin Cities. He has worked professionally with such artists as Khary “6 is 9” Jackson, Brian “Omni” Dilan, Guante, and “Chance” from the hip hop group “Audio Perm”. Matt has been on several different national stages for poetry, including representing Minnesota’s youth poetry scene at Brave New Voices as well as competing at the CUPSI with the University of Minnesota, which placed 4th in the nation. He is a member of the spoken word collective Batteries Not Included with Hasani Harris and Damon McBrayer. 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. First Thursday writing workshops will be held an hour before the open mic begins, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Hieu Nguyen is a rising star in the Twin Cities’ slam scene. He has competed at the National Poetry Slam with both the Minneapolis and Saint Paul teams, placing 5th and 12th respectively. In 2012, he was a Write Bloody finalist and performed with The Good News Poetry Tour. Also, his poems are really, really good. 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. All ages are welcome, and there is no cover charge.

Ashley Gold is a versatile singer/songwriter whose style ranges from spoken word to neo-soul. Her work is based on everyday struggles and triumphs, and has a universal appeal, with a voice and style that come off as nonchalant yet intentional at the same time. Ashley has worked with local heavyweights, Desdamona, Carnage, and Truthmaze. She is an artist and activist, and has donated her talents to various causes including Take Back the Night, The Great American Sleep Out, and B-Girl Be. She believes that all artists have a social responsibility to engage community and inspire people to create change. 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. All ages are welcome, and there is no cover charge.

Spencer Virden was born in Northeast Minneapolis before that was considered a cool thing to do, so I guess you could say he’s a bit of a trendsetter. He spends his time rapping as Unfuh Qwittable with the Audio Perm crew and working the third shift at Rainbow Foods. His passions include reading, teaching/learning, and his family. Above all Spencer is a true representer of the scoundrel nation, lets go. 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. All ages are welcome, and there is no cover charge.