Alexander Shalom Joseph is a western existentialist and nature writer. He is an award winning playwright, poet, novelist and author of six published books with three more forthcoming in 2026. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from the Jack Kerouac School and an MA in English Education. Alexander writes a weekly poem on substack and teaches writing in universities, libraries, museums, hiking trails, schools, prisons and elsewhere across the Colorado Front Range. A literary Lorax, he does his best to write for the trees. 

Alexander writes regularly on Substack

EVENT on September 21st at 6pm - lgbtqhp.org/denver

August Bernadicou is the Executive Director of The LGBTQ History Project, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the lives and legacies of LGBTQ activists from the first wave of gay liberation. His career began in 2008 at the age of 13 when he started interviewing alternative counterculture figures for various online and in-print publications. His work primarily appeared in the punk music magazine Punk Globe. At 18, August began publishing his own "zines" (Teenage News #1, Teenage News #2, and August Nation). In 2020, he co-founded The LGBTQ History Project to archive and share his thousands of recorded interviews and conversations. Through The LGBTQ History Project, August produces a podcast featuring archival interviews, hosts LGBTQ history events, and publishes excerpts from his archive online, in newsletters, and on social media. August is driven by his mission to counteract the erasure of history and provide a platform for individuals seeking to reclaim their legacies, firmly believing that the lessons of the past can pave the way for a better-informed future.

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The LGBTQ History Project, a registered nonprofit organization (EIN: 84-4334508), preserves and shares the stories of LGBTQ+ activists, pioneers, and everyday people whose legacies shaped our communities and movements. Through oral histories, archives, podcasts, and public programs, we ensure these voices are not lost to history. The gay liberation revolution was a real moment in time. With the Gay Liberation Front and similar groups, the world was changed.

The LGBTQ History Project is a grassroots 501(c)(3) organization, and donations can be made here.

You can see this episode on video here.

Mahogany Imani, a slightly inappropriate slam poet for the past decade plus, is so excited that you’ve taken the time to read/listen to their work. What can be described as a “celebratory self-expose,” Imani’s poetry is a polished look into raw emotion and circumstances that will make you laugh, touch your spirit, and hopefully allow you to tap into empowerment you never knew was bubbling under the surface. Based out of Denver, CO, outside of poetry, Mahogany is also passionate about reaching their higher education goals, being the most present friend and partner they can be, and finding the best Cuban food in town (a noble pursuit). You can find Imani’s work on their Substack @manicprotagonist, or check out their poem, “Down the River,” in the Retrograde Review.

The Poets is now available on VIDEO. Check today's episode on the Coven Recording and Sound channel. Hope you enjoy.

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Sam Amabile returns to The Poets to discuss and promote Mercury Nights, his most recent EP. Get the album HERE.

Mercury Nights is a callback to the lost Friday nights which once took place at 2199 California Street. For decades, Friday night open mics saw poets from all walks take the stage in the Jungle Room to speak their art to a room of waiting friends and strangers. All the while next door in the Rose Room, Sam Amabile laid a soundtrack for the evening. Once a consistent Friday night presence on the piano in the back corner, Sam Amabile now gives us Mercury Nights, a showcase of his unique playing style and talent.

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I met Marilyn back in 2016. I was playing with the David Booker band upstairs in the ballroom at the Mercury for swing night. We were playing Chuck Berry and Big Joe Turner, which probably annoyed the dancers but Marilyn liked it. After the show she asked me to write my name down in her book of musicians and soon after she booked me to play in the Rose Room. I played nearly every week from then until it became the Pearl.

In the early days of the mercury there was a man named George “Boogie Woogie” Daniels who was a regular fixture that Marilyn told me about. Im grateful I could bring back some Boogie Woogie for the final years.

Oh and i should say R.I.P. to David Booker

Sam

Westin Isaiah Koa Hess depends on an active internal life for their creative works, and hopes to continually bring people back into their bodies, minds, hearts, and spirits through artwork.

Mxxx. J (xe, xem, xer(s) singular pronouns) is a full-time multidisciplinary artist who has been writing poetry since 2013 and performing since 2020. Xe is passionate about community and is involved with art events daily, including hosting a variety open mic at SAME Café every 3rd wednesday 6-9pm called So All May Express, and an interactive writing workshop with Sacred Voices Denver (in which xe is a board member as well) called Sacred Voices WRITE!, which is every 3rd saturday currently at Lighthouse Writers Workshop from 2-4pm. Follow xem at @m.x.x.x.j on Instagram and Eider Luda on Facebook to get and stay in touch if you aren't already! Xe is also primarily a maker and vendor (@sickeningcreations), as well as a drag performer, dancer, and drummer. Also, enjoy the T this episode includes, which Mxxx. J always has.

Heads up - we talk about events in the episode that may no longer be upcoming, as this was recorded several months ago. Definitely check out Mxxx. J on socials or reach out to get info on the most up to date events and happenings.

Recorded on April 14th, 2026

J Diego Frey is the preposterous nom de plume for a human poet raised in the southeast corner of Denver, Colorado, from a time at least a few years before anybody’s hiking boots scuffed up the Moon.

J Diego has published two collections of poetry, Umbrellas or Else and The Year the Eggs Cracked, both of which are considered essential reading in several very hip bathrooms. The books can be purchased from the publisher, Conundrum Press, an imprint of Bower House Books (bowerhousebooks.com), for less than you would spend on overpriced coffee and prune danish over the course of a very jittery Monday. The books offer a unique aggregation of both formal and decidedly informal verse that comment on and rhyme with a cross-section of mundanity in modern (read, the last 40 years or so) American life.

Joshua C. Robinson (Xe/Xem/Xer) is an intersex, non-binary, poet and performer. Xe received degrees in Playwriting and Poetry from the University of Missouri; xe hold a Master’s of Arts Management from Columbia College Chicago. Xe are the founder of the Screaming at America anthologies, which is in its third iteration. 

Xer work is featured in a multitude of journals and stages, New City, The Maneater, Writer's Block Zine, The GuloGulo Anthology, Exposed and more. Xe survived a year and a half of nonconsecutive homelessness. Xer memoir “Homeless With God,” has yet to win any awards, but there's still time. Xe would like to take themselves less seriously someday. Xe would also like to take a nap. Xe love you, and xe mean it.

Follow Joshua on IG @artbeforemoney

Screaming at America Anthology

Megan's collection Sike Ward is out now and available through South Broadway Press.

Note - This episode contains a discussion about mental health topics including hospitalization and suicidal ideation.

Megan Foley—aka: Cool Boots—is a queer poet, author, and artist who specializes in crying & trying. They write sad poems, they make unhinged art, and they spend 60% of their time on Thesaurus.com trying to find the exact word they want. Megan is a professional weirdo, a career cryptid, and the leading expert on how to make the world a weirder place. Instagram: @megan_jean_foley

Clarence's audiobook, Lessons and Libations, is available for free, along with other of his works here.

Clarence Barbee is a multi-talented individual known for his literary achievements. As the author of multiple distinct works, “Chicken Soup and a Shot of Jack” and his debut poetry book “Fire Molten and Ash,” he showcases his versatility and creativity. Now, with the release of Lessons and Libations, Clarence continues to display a wit and keenness in his written (and spoken) works.

With a background as a spoken word artist, he has mastered the art of weaving words into evocative pieces that resonate with emotions. He was known for traveling the southeastern US under the stage name Nabraska. Currently serving as an educator in the Denver area, Clarence continues to inspire and shape young and old minds. He’s also a pretty great girl Dad!

His passion for writing remains unwavering as he diligently works on new ventures, including upcoming books, short stories, and poetry collections, further solidifying his place in the literary world.

Follow Clarence on IG ⁠@authorclarencebarbee⁠ and ⁠@poet402⁠

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Julian Thomas is an actor born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is best known for appearing in Jordan Peele’s “Hunters” (2020), ABC’s “For Life” (2020), and “Day of the Dead II: Contagium” (2005). He has also appeared in numerous comedy sketches on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

Julian Thomas graduated from the notable theatre program at Northwestern University. Most recently Julian has narrated a number of audio books in fiction and non-fiction, including “We Matter; Athletes and Activism”, a collection of essays and interviews with high profile journalists, political activists and professional athletes, in which they explore the social justice landscape of today. It is available on Audible and Itunes.

Follow Julian on IG @thomas_artandlife

⁠Julian's IMDB page

David Latiff features to discuss their poetry collection THE CHAIR: A cluttered pile of neuroqueer poetry and themes of neurodivergence, executive dysfunction, battle bots, queerness, mental health, and getting your work out there as a poet and artist.

Follow the link purchase David's collection THE CHAIR: A cluttered pile of neuroqueer poetry

You can read more from David at their Substack

Eve Addams is a performance poet whose work mixes storytelling with elements of magical realism to explore memory, religion, trauma, and love. She was a member of the 2025 Mercury Slam Poetry Team and is a 2x Moth StorySlam winner.

Connect with her on Instagram @eveaddamspoet

Today is a special edition of The Poets, and comes to you thanks to Lighthouse Writers Workshop and Lit Fest 2026. I was privileged to be invited to set up a table during LitFest on June 18th, 2026, and I brought a microphone with me. This episode features writers I met at Lit Fest who were kind enough to share their work with me, and with all of you, on the show. All of them will also most likely be featured in full episodes some time in the coming months, so stay tuned.

Because some, but not all of them, said their name in the recording, I’ll start off by listing them here, and then we’ll get into their work. 

Thanks very much to Bridget Gwyn, festival and events manager, and Jasper Burak, Program Coordinator for Lighthouse, for allowing me to be a part of this event.

Thanks to those who featured on this episode: 

Bridget Gwyn

Joe Santini

Jean-Marc Saint Laurent

Malinda Miller

Fin Thomas

J. Diego Frey

Mary Robinette Kowal

Joshua Robinson

and Therese Samson

And of course, thank you all for listening.

If you are going to describe Ashlynn in 3 words it would be “five foot menace”. If you want a longer description it would go like this.

Ashlynn is a recovering overachiever people pleaser who loves to complain in her poetry. When she’s not battling imposter syndrome, she is your Denver Mercury Grand Slam Champion. Other fun facts include Ashlynn likes talking about slavery, blush blindness, flirting with avoidant people and telling people she’s close to graduating with her history degree .

If you find her to be cute and are under 25 or if you are into a poetry vibe similar to Solange coming out the elevator after fighting Jay-Z, you can follow Ashlynn at @yourstrulyashlynn

Aerik Francis, the current Poet Laureate for Adams County, rejoins the show to discuss his recently released collection BODYPOLITIC and a wide range of topics.

Aerik Francis is a poet & teaching artist based in Denver, Colorado, USA. Francis is currently serving as poet laureate of Adams County, Colorado (2025-2027). Francis is the author of three poetry chapbooks: BODYPOLITIC (Abode Press, March 2026 ), MISEDUCATION (New Delta Review, May 2023), and BODYELECTRONIC (Trouble Department, April 2022 [out of print]). Francis has received poetry fellowship support from SAFTA, the Chrysalis Institute, CantoMundo, Letras Latinas, and The Watering Hole. They are also a poetry reader for Underblong poetry journal. Francis has poetry published widely, links of which may be found at linktr.ee/aerik as well as their website phaentompoet.com . Find Aerik on social media @phaentompoet.

Aerik said photo credit is most likely Stone (@persephone_stone/@thewriterstone)

A divorced rat bastard in my mid thirties. An on and off again poet, healing through poetry. New to Denver. New to being openly queer. New to loving myself in ways I've always needed.

Maxwell I. Gold is a Jewish-American author and poet with an extensive body of work comprising over 350 poems and nine poetry collections since 2017. His work has appeared in numerous literary journals, magazines, and anthologies. Maxwell’s work has earned nominations for two Bram Stoker Awards, the Eric Hoffer Award, the Pushcart Prize, the Rhysling Award and others. Find him and his work at www.thewellsoftheweird.com.

Maxwell's book Neurotica is available for purchase here.

Find Maxwell on Instagram, Bluesky, and Threads @cybergodwrites

Silas Vazquez (any pronouns) is an actor, singer, improviser, and poet. You may have seen him in Titanic (UNC), Urinetown (UNC), Sweeney Todd (StageDoor Theatre), Ride the Cyclone (Vintage Theatre), Woodlands And Wyverns (Audacious Immersive Theatre), or as part of the Mercury Slam Poetry Team at Chicharra Poetry Festival (Albuquerque, NM) or Bigfoot Poetry Festival (Portland, OR). You usually can find her on some stage somewhere, opening old wounds and making some new ones.

Instagram is @silasisbusy

The Poets will be back to our regularly scheduled programming (i.e. individual poet features) after this.

The album discussed in the episode is available on Bandcamp and on streaming platforms.

On another slightly different episode of The Poets, I'm joined by BG and the first iteration of the Coven Collective to discuss an album of spoken word and music that recently was released. BG, Lady Julianne, Nikolai Riddle, and Jabe Pazoo all appear on the mic to discuss their contributions to the album, along with a conversation about broader themes like changing landscapes of art, AI usage, and what the hell to do about billionaires and narcissists.

Sidney Shaw is the Events Manager at The Karma House, a community-centered kava bar and gathering space in the Denver metro area. As an intuitive healer, Reiki Master, and tarot reader with over a decade of experience, Sidney weaves together event curation and spiritual practice to create spaces rooted in connection, healing, and authenticity.

At The Karma House, Sidney helps bring people together through a diverse range of offerings—from live music and poetry to wellness events and community gatherings—all designed to foster belonging and meaningful connection. She is especially excited to welcome the legacy of the Mercury Cafe through the Mercury Legacy Jazz Jam and Poetry Open Mic, continuing a cherished tradition in a new home.

The Karma House is a sober-friendly space that offers kava, herbal teas, and a vibrant calendar of events, serving as a hub for creativity, healing, and community in Colorado.

608 Garrison St e, Lakewood, CO 80215 and thekarmahouse.org