Guante

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Some people will find this post because they already know me; others may be coming to this post directly from social media. If you’re the latter, here’s my bio, and the basic pitch:

I’ve spent twenty years facilitating workshops – while people might assume that means “teaching poetry classes,” creative writing has really always been just a fraction of what I do. A lot of my facilitation work in non-creative writing spaces has happened organically, via relationships, but I thought I’d set up a page here to make some of my offerings explicit.

a photo of KTM/Guante speaking into a microphone with the text "workshop offerings for activist gorups"
photo by adam bubolz

I would love to bring any of these to your local Indivisible chapter, or DSA chapter, or neighborhood group, or church group, or student org, or informal collective, or any other progressive activist formation. Not because I’m some amazing expert or authority (I’m not!), but because these kinds of workshops can be powerful opportunities to both build practical skills and forge relationships.

The following workshops can be in-person or virtual. Get in touch!

(And of course, while this post highlights these specific offerings, you can find info on all of my other work—school residencies, performances, keynotes, etc.—at that same booking link)

Continue reading “Workshop Offerings for Activist Groups”

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(2026 update) I’m leaving this post up, but it should be noted that it’s from October 2025, and the situation here in MN has shifted quite a bit since then. A few updates:

  • For people specifically looking for whistle-related resources, check out MSPwhistles.
  • For people looking for more information about what “the work” looks like in MN right now (ways to show up, calls-to-action, etc.) check out the first section of my resource hub here.
Continue reading “Whistle Zine Resources – Twin Cities”

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Find even more resources for creative troublemakers here.

I’ve shared a lot of more serious content lately, from my thoughts on the upcoming mayoral election here in MPLS, to my new asynchronous class exploring political poetry, to this call for more anti-ICE art and media. Here’s something a little more informal and fun.

SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE and I wrote a song over that song that plays in Andor when Mon Mothma is spinning around in circles. The original track is called “Niamos! (Morlana Club Mix)” by Nicholas Britell (and I know, there are various mixes and remixes out there but that one was the base).

This is only going to be available as a live performance (and the in-studio video below) because it’s not like we can release it as an actual single. But here it is:

Thanks for listening. There will be more SECRET RIVERS soon. In the meantime, check out our conversation here!

a still from a video with the text "worthy of the stone" plus a SMP and KTM performing live in-studio.

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a collage of endorsement images: TakeAction MN for Fateh, Davis, and Hampton; TCDSA for Fateh, MPLS for the Many for Fateh #1, Davis #2 and Hampton #3
via TakeAction MN, TCDSA, and MPLS for the Many

In times of crisis and fascism in politics at the national level, it becomes more and more important to engage with politics at the local level. Even for people cynical about electoral politics in general, it should be clear that local government is, at the very least, one piece of the puzzle when it comes to defending our communities and showing up for one another.

Here in Minneapolis, we have a big election coming up this November, and early voting is already open. For any friends or followers who are just tuning in, a few resources:

Continue reading “Election 2025 Minneapolis: Resources for Those Just Tuning In Now”

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As a teaching artist, I’ve facilitated countless workshops, classes, and conversations on the topic of what art and artists have to offer in times of crisis. What can it mean to “meet the moment?” What kind of work can a poem do, and what can’t it do? For those of us who already consider ourselves creative writers, what kinds of tools and tactics are most effective when it comes to speaking out about the causes that matter to us? And for those of us who don’t think of ourselves as artists, what can we learn from how artists approach these issues?

I do not believe there are easy answers, but in my experience, there is immense value in grappling with these kinds of guiding questions. Meeting the Moment: Political Poetry and the Anthemic Impulse is an asynchronous workshop experience where I share everything I’ve learned from these conversations: examples, frameworks, writing prompts, tactics, resources, and more.

Because I don’t believe that art is ever going to be enough to get us to the world that we want to live in. But I also do not see us getting to that world without it—without some kind of cultural strategy, without narrative work, without artists.

a photo of KTM performing, plus a green vine emerging from his back.
Continue reading “Meeting the Moment: Political Poetry and the Anthemic Impulse (New Workshop!)”

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This is the third in my series of conversations with artist friends where we get to dig a little bit deeper into our own work, reflect on our journeys, and hopefully share something useful. Find the first two here and here.

Official Bio: Shannon TL Kearns is a transgender man who believes in the transformative power of story. As an ordained priest, a playwright, a theologian, and a writer all of his work revolves around making meaning through story.

I recently got to join Shannon for the release of his new book, “No One Taught Me How to Be a Man: What a Trans Man’s Experience Reveals about Masculinity,” and it was such a fantastic and fascinating read that I thought it might be interesting to have this conversation.

Continue reading “In Conversation: Kyle Tran Myhre & Shannon TL Kearns”

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This is the second in my series of conversations with artist friends where we get to dig a little bit deeper into our own work, reflect on our journeys, and hopefully share something useful. Find the first one here.

SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE is someone I’ve worked with for almost 20 years—sometimes directly via collaboration, and sometimes just “in orbit” with one another, focusing on separate projects while still being in conversation. An emcee, poet, producer, visual artist, filmmaker, educator, and more, they’re one of the most talented and inspiring people I know. Like many of our collaborations, this conversation took place over the course of literally years—but I think that ends up working in its favor, in that we get to touch on a number of really cool projects that may have flown under your radar. I’ll sprinkle bandcamp links throughout this.

One last note – our new collaborative endeavor is SECRET RIVERS, and we’ll be performing live on Wednesday, July 23 at Silverwood Park – 6:30pm, free, all-ages, outdoors! We’ll also be joined by yet another SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE project: their collaboration with Kat Parent, SkySpiders & the Imperceptible Web.

Continue reading “In Conversation: Kyle Tran Myhre & SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE”

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A table full of resources, with a sign that says "free." Resources include zines and handouts on getting involved with activism, and a copy of "enough is enough: a 150-year performance review of the mpls police dept.

Hey- the news is bad. Things are bad. As an artist (whether that’s a musician, poet, or any other kind of performer or person who shares art publicly), it can be overwhelming when we start to think about our role(s) in all this. When I am overwhelmed, I try to find a small step I can take. This post is about sharing one of those small steps: using arts space as activist space.

There are a million ways to do that, but I’ll keep this post down-to-earth. Here are FIVE examples of activist-oriented handouts, zines, or printed materials you can share, for free, at your merch table. I think part of our work, as artists, is to help get more cool stuff in front of more people. And that includes our art, of course, but it can also include more than that. This is a “small” idea, but its smallness makes it actionable.

A quick note that some of these examples are Minneapolis-focused, but the idea of them can be adapted to other communities, and similar resources already exist in some places.

Continue reading “Five Activist Resources Artists Can Share at Our Merch Tables”

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I don’t have time/energy right now to share very much commentary; hopefully people are aware of the news here in Minnesota. Our No Kings rally went forward, and even with authorities telling people not to gather, thousands of people showed up. I shared a poem.

Actually wrote and memorized it last week, but because it ended up being about grief, how we carry it, and what we might do with it, it felt appropriate to share today too. Full text below, for the folks who have been asking for it.

ALSO: please check out the latest post in my FREE email newsletter: What’s next? Things to do after a big march

a photo of KTM/Guante performing at the No Kings St. Paul protest, wearing a shirt that says "believe trans kids"
Continue reading ““no kings, all bricks””