Ally Eden (she/they) is a queer artist and former Poet Laureate of Fort Collins, Colorado. An English/Spanish interpreter by trade, their role as a linguist parallels their poetic ethos— bridging difference by way of words. Ally’s work is vibrant, unabashedly poignant, and rooted in love for humanity. In her approach to art as a practice, she strives to curate participatory experiences that offer everyone a seat at the table. She co-founded the Gulo Gulo Poetry Collective, runs a bimonthly peer-critique group, The Rabbit Hutch, and facilitates collaborations and workshops that bring together musicians and artists, immigrants and refugees, incarcerated writers, fellow writers, queer youth, and the community at-large. Ally’s work has been featured in Milk Press, The Imaginables, Nudie Magazine, Scrapped Magazine, and “Songs of Revolution” by Sunday Mornings at the River. Learn more and get connected at allyeden.com

My name is Dominick I go by Dom. I been in Colorado for five years and looking forward to the next 10-15 years here. I’m madly in love with the city of Denver. I’m a poet that stumbled into literary art. The goal is to a raise a daughter and retire my mom. I’m here for the city and like everybody else serving a purpose I want to be used not misused. Write on! 

Find Dominick on:

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In this episode recent guest Philip Tran returns for a part 2 of the long goodbye to the Mercury Cafe. Last time, we announced Waning Mercury, Waxing Pearl, a live recorded send off for the legendary venue. That event can be listened to in its 3+ hour entirety on episodes 125-127. On this episode, Philip returns to discuss moving forward now that the Mercury Cafe has been re-christened as The Pearl with new ownership. I'm deeply appreciative to Philip for coming on the show and giving the Merc as good a send-off as we were able to.

Hope you all enjoy the episode. I am looking forward to whatever comes next—the good and the bad.

In this episode Philip and I also discuss many other topics around poetry—what we look for in a poem, attachment, how to read poetry, how to "fix" poetry, appetites, and much much more.

Philip Tran is a poet of many mediums—words, collage, and the ephemeral art of live performance. Hailing from Denver, he is a passport-wielding wanderer, a florist with an eye for beauty, a handyman with a poet’s touch, a roller skater chasing rhythm, and an emcee who curates spaces where voices rise and resonate.

As the longtime host of Denver’s beloved 4th Friday poetry open mic—formerly at The Mercury Cafe, soon to be The Pearl—Philip fosters a stage where vulnerability meets applause. His podcast, From My Open Mic, captures the raw electricity of live poetry, available on Spotify.

In 2023, he launched Bound By The Beat, an event weaving together Denver’s rope bondage and jazz communities, an experiment in trust, tension, and improvisation. The next Bound By The Beat is on May 31st, which we discuss in the episode.

With a choose-your-own-adventure poetry book in the works and a hunger for new stages, Philip may soon be performing near you. When asked what superpower he’d choose, he answered: To awaken the superpowers in those unaware of their own.

@invader_4 & (NSFW) @invader__4

Holly Ajala (also known as TheGoodSis) is a writer and storyteller with a fierce belief in the power of effective narrative to inspire empathy in the face of difference, to propel the reach of social justice and above all, to challenge human beings to be more human. Her words have been featured in Ayo Magazine, AfriWowWri Literary Journal and more. Holly truly believes that good stories can change the world.

All human experiences are cosmic events
Quantum miracles
Atomic revelations

Recorded on April 7th, 2025

Produced by Coven Recording and Sound

Carly Liberi (she/her) is a queer poet, depth therapist, and oracle reader. Her work is a conch shell to the ear of those who feel too much, for the parts of ourselves we’re still learning to love, and for those whose voices have been silenced. Embracing life’s mysteries, Carly creates in the liberated space between anything and everything.

1. Hallway
2. Birdsong
3. Queer not Quiet
4. Sensitive
5. Full
6. Heart on Loan
7. Spiral

Part 3 of the Friday night open mic poetry event at the Mercury Cafe. Recorded March 28th, 2025 by ⁠Coven Recording and Sound⁠. This was the last night that this Friday night poetry open mic, one of the longest continuously running in the world, occurred under the legendary venue name Mercury Cafe. Special thanks to Philip Tran for commissioning this recording, assisting with the editing/organization process, and also for creating the event artwork. This section of the open mic features the following poets (most names appear as they were written on the sign-up list):

35. Simon

36. RP

37. Mir-I-Am

38. Carol

39. SETH

40. SOJO

41. Dispeller of Darkness

42. Nyah

43. Makenna

44. EM

45. Brock

46. Olivia Todd

47. Will

48. Lady Julianne

49. Darian

50. Christian

51. Philip Tran

Part 2 of the Friday night open mic poetry event at the Mercury Cafe. Recorded March 28th, 2025 by ⁠Coven Recording and Sound⁠. This was the last night that this Friday night poetry open mic, one of the longest continuously running in the world, occurred under the legendary venue name Mercury Cafe. Special thanks to Philip Tran for commissioning this recording, assisting with the editing/organization process, and also for creating the event artwork. This section of the open mic features the following poets (most names appear as they were written on the sign-up list):

19. Brian R.

20. Ryan

21. Madalia

22. Uriel

23. Louis

24. Carly

25. Shade

26. Niko

27. Elizabeth

28. Michelle

29. Adesuwa

30. Nina

31. Clem!

32. Lydia

33. Tony V.

34. Jabe

Part 1 of the Friday night open mic poetry event at the Mercury Cafe. Recorded March 28th, 2025 by Coven Recording and Sound. This was the last night that this Friday night poetry open mic, one of the longest continuously running in the world, occurred under the legendary venue name Mercury Cafe. Special thanks to Philip Tran for commissioning this recording, assisting with the editing/organization process, and also for creating the event artwork. This section of the open mic features the following poets (most names appear as they were written on the sign-up list):

1. Absalon

2. Moses

3. Ricardo

4. Sophie

5. Mitch

6. MWB

7. Q

8. BG

9. David Price

10. Ted Vaca

11. Stan

12. Marilyn Megenity

13. David Steele

14. Emily

15. Raul

16. Molly

17. Silas

18. Haley A.

Lolita Vilar is a young poet who writes in prose, with a flair for abstract metaphor. Her poetry focuses on the magical, the mundane, and the music of our world.

Philip Tran is a poet of many mediums—words, collage, and the ephemeral art of live performance. Hailing from Denver, he is a passport-wielding wanderer, a florist with an eye for beauty, a handyman with a poet’s touch, a roller skater chasing rhythm, and an emcee who curates spaces where voices rise and resonate.

As the longtime host of Denver’s beloved 4th Friday poetry open mic—formerly at The Mercury Cafe, soon to be The Pearl—Philip fosters a stage where vulnerability meets applause. His podcast, From My Open Mic, captures the raw electricity of live poetry, available on Spotify.

In 2023, he launched Bound By The Beat, an event weaving together Denver’s rope bondage and jazz communities, an experiment in trust, tension, and improvisation. With a choose-your-own-adventure poetry book in the works and a hunger for new stages, he may soon be performing near you.

When asked what superpower he’d choose, he answered: To awaken the superpowers in those unaware of their own.

@invader_4 & (NSFW) @invader__4