Mar 14th, 2011: Lowertown Reading Jam: St. Paul Poet Laureate Carol Connolly presents Six Fine Irish Performers
March 14, 2011
The Saint Paul Almanac continues its year-round literary celebration of Minnesota’s capital city with the acclaimed Lowertown Reading Jams. Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, the March presentation of the eclectic series, curated by Carol Connolly, features readings by six of the finest poets and performers of Irish descent working in Minnesota today. The all-Irish Reading Jam will be presented on Monday, March 14, 2011 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Black Dog Coffee and Wine Bar, 308 Prince Street in Saint Paul. The Jams will continue on the second Monday of each month through July.
Feb 21st, 2011 Lowertown Reading Jam: Tou SaiKo Lee presents “Asiatic Fresh & Classic”
February 21, 2011
Event curator, Tou SaiKo Lee believes in building an influential movement within the Hmong community through the arts. He is a spoken word artist, mentor and hip hop activist. A mentor for youth at schools and community centers across the country, he speaks about issues that include human rights, diversity, racism, gang violence and arts for social change. Tou SaiKo Lee is the co-founder of “The H Project” a compilation music CD inspired by the human right violations of Hmong people in the jungles of Laos. Spoken word performers at the Feb 21st Lowertown Reading Jam include Ed Bok Lee, Juliana Pegues, Bao Phi, Saymoukda Vongsay, Kevin Yang, Chanmany Sysengchanh, David Vulocity, Chilli Lor, Laurine Chang and Gaoiaong Vang.
Jan 10th, 2011 Lowertown Reading Jam: May Lee-Yang presents works in progress by multidisciplinary artists
January 10, 2011
The Saint Paul Almanac continues its year-round literary celebration of Minnesota’s capital city with the acclaimed Lowertown Reading Jams. The January presentation of the eclectic series, curated by May Lee-Yang, offers an intimate look at works in progress by multidisciplinary artists. The Reading Jam will be presented on Monday, January 10, 2011 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Black Dog Café, 308 Prince Street in Saint Paul.
Dec 13th, 2010 Lowertown Reading Jam: Matthew Rucker presents “The Best Slam Poetry in the World”
December 13, 2010
Hear the best in spoken word by members of the Saint Paul Soap Boxing Slam team — two time winners of the National Poetry Slam (“the Olympics of Slam Poetry”). The Saint Paul Almanac continues its year-round literary celebration of Minnesota’s capital city with the acclaimed Lowertown Reading Jams. The December presentation of the eclectic series, curated by Matthew Rucker, will be presented on Monday, December 13, 2010 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Black Dog Café, 308 Prince Street in Saint Paul. The Jams will continue on the second Monday of each month through July 2011.
Nov 8th, 2010 Lowertown Reading Jam: Tish Jones presents “The Truth: Wants More”
November 8, 2010
The Saint Paul Almanac continues its year-round literary celebration of Minnesota’s capital city with the acclaimed Lowertown Reading Jams. The second season of the eclectic series, curated by Tish Jones, will be presented on Monday, November 8, 2010 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Black Dog Café, 308 Prince Street in Saint Paul. The Jams will continue on the second Monday of each month through July 2011.
October 11, 2010 Lowertown Reading Jam: Deborah Torraine presents “Exploring ‘The Sacred'”
October 11, 2010
The first of a brand new series of Saint Paul Almanac Lowertown Reading Jams takes place on Monday, October 11th, from 7:00-8:30pm at the Black Dog Cafe. Curated by Deborah Torraine, the theme of this reading jam is “The Sacred.” Deborah says that when she reads the word “sacred,” she stops to re-read it again because at first glance it looks like the word “scared.” Also reading will be Dara Beevas, Natalie Delgado, Q, Nimo Farah, Shane Hawley, Sheronda Orridge and Mickey Rich.
July 5th, 2010: Melvin Giles presents “Nurturing the Soil of the Soul”
July 5, 2010
The Saint Paul Almanac presents an evening of "Nurturing the Soil of the Soul: Intentional Acts of Kindness and Peace Are the Seeds of Liberation and Peace," the season finale of the Saint Paul Almanac's Lowertown Reading Jam series. Hosted by Melvin Giles, the evening includes readings and expressions from the godmother of peace, Ms. Bertha Givins; KFAI radio show co-host Andy Driscoll of Truth to Tell; spoken word artist Tish Jones, executive and artistic director of TruArtSpeaks; Yer Kong of Paj Ntuab Voice; community activist and urban farmer, Metric Giles I; and performing artists of Saint Paul Central's Synergy.
June 7th, 2010 Lowertown Reading Jam: Tish Jones introduces the Minnesota Quest Youth Slam Team
June 7, 2010
The Saint Paul Almanac continues its year-round literary celebration of Minnesota's capital city with a provocative and inspiring spoken word performance by the Minnesota Quest Youth Slam Team. The Minnesota Quest Youth Slam Team is a talented group of multi-cultural poets, writers and performers from urban Minnesota high schools who give voice to an art form that honors and brings forward the stories, experiences, dreams, convictions and perspectives often silenced by the dominant culture.
May 3rd, 2010 Lowertown Reading Jam: “Celebrating Local Cultural Workers” with Deborah Torraine
May 3, 2010
Hosted by Deborah A. Torraine, the Lowertown Reading Jam takes place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Black Dog Café, 308 Prince Street. Joining Torraine for a lively and inspiring event will be local writers, poets, storytellers, playwrights, a gospel singer and spoken word artists, including Louis Alemayehu, Lisa Brimmer, Claire DeCoster, Lenora Harris, Lynette Harris, Michael Haynes, Q and Leonard Wilkes.
April 5th, 2010 Lowertown Reading Jam: Desdemona presents “Poetry & Activism” with award-winning artists & poets
April 5, 2010
The April 5th Lowertown Reading Jam, curated by internationally acclaimed artist, Desdamona, will also feature performances by Reggie Harris, Tish Jones and Ibé. The Almanac has been hosting the monthly Reading Jams since October 2009, and they have been steadily gaining in popularity as excited audiences spread the word about their powerful shared experiences. The Jams provide an opportunity to explore and bridge the cultural and social breadth of Saint Paul throughout the year as stories are both given and received.
Mar 1st, 2010 Lowertown Reading Jam: Saint Paul Poet Laureate Carol Connolly presents a Quintet of Irish Poets
March 1, 2010
In anticipation of St. Patrick's Day, five local Irish-American writers will be reading in a popular monthly event sponsored by The Saint Paul Almanac and curated this month by Saint Paul Poet Laureate, Carol Connolly. Presented Monday, March 1, 2010 at the Blackdog Coffee and Wine Bar in Lowertown, Connolly brings together a quintet of acclaimed Irish Poets to read from new and selected works. Joining Carol for the reading will be Kevin Fitzpatrick, Ethna McKiernan, Tim Nolan, and Mary Kay Rummel.
Feb 1st, 2010 Lowertown Reading Jam: Tou SaiKo Lee presents “Hmong Male Writers take the Mic”
February 1, 2010
The Saint Paul Almanac continues its year-round literary celebration of the capital city with an entertaining and thought-provoking schedule of free author events throughout February. The events kick off with the Monday, February 1, Lowertown Reading Jam from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Black Dog Cafe, 308 Prince Street, by the Farmers' Market in Saint Paul's Lowertown. Hosted and produced by Tou SaiKo Lee, this month's Reading Jam features the voices of more than a dozen local Hmong men.