An electrifying evening of Spoken Word poetry, featuring powerful performances by young artists in grades 7–12. These bold, emerging voices are ready to light up the mic—don’t miss this one-night-only showcase.
Thursday, April 30, 2026
7:00 p.m.
Black Business Enterprises
1128 Harmon Pl, Suite 200, Minneapolis, MN 55403
Program (Not in performance order)
Student Poets
Knox F., Grade 11, Avalon High School
Dear Father,
Persona
Jude H., Grade 7, Justice Page Middle School
Paradise
Memories
Olive J., Grade 7, Maria Sanford Middle School
Being Mixed in a World Like This
Sam Levin, Grade 8, Maria Sanford Middle School
The Man I See in Me
Rhianna L., Grade 11, East Ridge High School
Anxiety
What We Were Told
Marlene L., Grade 8, Valley View Middle School
Two Voices
Hazel Rae, Grade 7, Maria Sanford Middle School
Kids
Lucas R., Grade 7, Maria Stanford Middle School
In My World, I See War
Francis S., Grade 7, Justice Page Middle School
Divided
Are We Surprised?
Andre T., Grade 7, Maria Sanford Middle School
Andre the Giant
I Don’t Know What to Write
Iris W., Grade 7, Maria Sanford Middle School
Genetics is a Funny Thing
E. W., Grade 10, Washburn High School
Uncomfortable
Guest Poet
Tyanna Gross, Faculty Justice Page Middle School
Juvenile Delinquency
COMPAS Teaching Artist/Professional Spoken Word Artist, Michelle Purdue
Poem: Grove with the Blues
Michelle Perdue is a dynamic educator, performer, and change agent. A graduate of the Ruskin School of Acting and the University of Minnesota, a former VocalEssence Teaching Artist, and a military veteran, she is dedicated to inspiring others. Drawing from her own experience of struggling in school due to limited support, Michelle empowers others to move beyond self-doubt and into a mindset of possibility and abundance.
You can book Michelle to come to your community through COMPAS!
MC and COMPAS Principal Teaching Artist, Frank Sentwali
Saint Paul, MN native Frank Sentwali Gardner, or “Sentwali” as he is known in the artist community, has been a fixture on the Twin Cities Hip Hop and Spoken Word scene for over 35 years. He is co-founder of the acclaimed Spoken Word troupe EduPoetic Enterbrainment and owner of BMF Enterbrainment LLC. Sentwali has been facilitating workshops and residencies since 1999 and has been a COMPAS roster teaching artist for 20 years. In addition, he’s been a concert promoter and show producer, creating some of the biggest Spoken Word feature shows the Twin Cities has ever seen.
Frank led the workshop, preparing these youth for this showcase.
Special music performance by “ShaNel”
Piece: Riptide (Vance Joy)
Jada ShaNel is a Twin Cities-raised educator, mental health advocate, and singer/songwriter. Recently returned from working as a Special Education Practitioner in England, she is back in Minnesota to pursue her Master’s in Social Work at the University of Minnesota. She has performed locally with Park Square Theatre Company, Stages, and Youth Performance Company. She currently teaches dance and theatre classes for grades K-12 at YPC, and is working on a debut EP.
Photos and Videos
