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Being that Soul Sounds is a community event we feel it important to create a space for dialogue around issues facing our community. Rooted in the arts, this evening will focus on addressing HIV/AIDS in our various communities. Perhaps you have written a piece paying homage to a loved one who lost their battle with HIV/AIDS? Maybe you have a poem of encouragement, a song that educates, or more? Tonight is the night for us to address a major issue in the Twin Cities community, through art and creative expression, while maintaining our sense of mutual love, adoration and respect.

Chia ‘Chilli’ Lor graduated from Saint Paul Central High School as an active participant in the social justice performing arts program, Synergy, and is currently attending St. Catherine University. Her poems have been published in local literary journal, Paj Ntaub Voice (“Storycloth Voice”) and the 2012 edition of the Saint Paul Almanac. Chilli has been invited to perform at open mics, reading series, conferences, racial equity trainings, the Minnesota State Capitol, and a variety of community events. Chilli is part of an APIA spoken word group, Speakers of the Sun (SOS). Her work has taken her into schools, nonprofits, and district planning councils. As an emerging community organizer, poet, and hip-hop artist, Chilli has a vision of impacting the lives of youth, communities of color, and women through the performing arts.

Hieu Minh Nguyen was born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota, by a Vietnamese-American single mother. He is the author of This Way to the Sugar (Write Bloody Press, 2014) and co-coached the 2011 University of Minnesota poetry slam team, which placed fourth at the College National Poetry Slam. In 2011, Hieu was also a member of the 5th-ranked Minneapolis adult National Poetry Slam team. Today, Hieu is a member of the Good News Poetry Tour, which travels across the country performing at colleges and universities. He is a proud alumni of the Central Touring Theatre and also works at a haberdashery.