Kyle "Guante" Tran Myhre

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Guante is a critically-acclaimed hip hop artist, two-time National Poetry Slam champion, social justice activist and educator. His work has been featured in URB Magazine’s “Next 1000” list, City Pages’ “Artists of the Year” list, CMJ and the Progressive, and he's shared bills with Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, Sage Francis, Brother Ali and many more of the top names in indie hip hop. Apart from these artistic endeavors, Guante also founded and manages the MN Activist Project, curates the Hip Hop Against Homophobia concert series and served as arts coordinator of the Canvas, a Saint Paul teen arts center.

“As an educator, I believe that art-- especially spoken-word and hip hop-- is about communication more than anything. If it's all technical mastery and no heart, or all raw emotion with no structure, it's not going to be an effective tool of communication. My workshops focus on both the craft of writing and the deeper craft of digging into yourself and finding something worth writing about.”  See Guante in action

Guante did such an amazing job capturing the power of spoken word and captivating our students!

Amanda Weierke, Newport Elementary

With the energy and talent that Guante brings to the classroom, he can get students to do just about anything.

Ryan Sarafolean, Project SUCCESS
 

Programs offered by this artist/ensemble

Performance

Spoken-Word Poetry Performance
In this dynamic, whirlwind performance, 2-time National Poetry Slam champion Guante will perform some of his most popular and powerful spoken-word pieces, taking on a wide range of characters, social issues and poetic styles.

Residency

Exploring Social Issues through Spoken-Word Poetry
While this interactive series of workshops still covers the basics of spoken-word as an art form (its history, core aesthetic elements, philosophy and more), its primary emphasis is on using writing to engage with social justice issues, political issues, history and identity in a meaningful way.
Introduction to Spoken-Word Poetry
This interactive series of workshops introduces students to the form of spoken-word poetry—its history, core aesthetic elements, philosophy and more.

Workshop

Hip Hop 101
This workshop will break down the history of hip hop—from its Afro-Caribbean roots to its South Bronx foundation to its current status as the biggest, most dynamic youth culture in the world.
Introduction to Spoken-Word Poetry
This workshop will introduce students to the form of spoken-word poetry through numerous dynamic examples and critical discussion.